Brit Tzedek v'Shalom: Supporting the Peace Process

Jewish Currents
May-June 2005
By Joseph Dimow

At this writing in April, new opportunities for peace between Israel and the Palestinians have been created. There is a new, democratically elected leadership in the Palestine Authority. Hamas is being recruited into the Palestinian Liberation Organization rather than remaining as a disruptive outsider. Ariel Sharon, that stalwart rightwinger and builder of settlements, has been pushing his effort to evacuate the Gaza Strip. A cease-fire is holding.

Most American Jewish peace advocates are justifiably uneasy about Sharon's long-term plans, particularly in light of the announcement March 22nd that Israel would be expanding an existing West Bank settlement near Jerusalem by building 3,500 new housing units. Sharon has made clear his intention to hold on to as much of the occupied West Bank as he can. Still, peace advocates are mostly supporting the Gaza withdrawal as a "first step."

Most mainstream organizations, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Conservative, Reform and Reconstruction movements, are supporting Sharon. The Zionist Organization of America, along with several Orthodox groups, are vehemently opposed to the Gaza withdrawal plan and to the establishment of a Palestinian state. The America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is meanwhile under investigation by federal authorities to determine whether it must register as the agent of a foreign power. This may be weakening its influence and creating more room for progressive organizations with different views of what being "pro-Israel" means to increase their efforts for a secure and democratic Israel and recognition of a viable Palestinian state.

One such group, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom (BTvS), the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, held its third national conference in February in New York. Writing in the New Jersey Jewish News, Ralph Seliger of our Editorial Advisory Council noted that more than five hundred attended, including "a significant presence of yarmulke wearers as well as a few Arab men and women. There were professed Zionists, non-Zionists, and all manner of people in between... here was a leftwing event that was upbeat, informative, and relatively non-contentious."

Ten members of my New Haven, Connecticut chapter of BTvS attended, two of whom shared their thoughts with me for this column. The New Haven chapter is one of thirty-one nationwide. It was formed in June, 2002 by people who had attended the founding convention (April, 2002), some former members of New Jewish Agenda, and others who were enthusiastic about an organization focused on supporting a negotiated, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Debbie Elkin, a Ph.D in history from Yale, has been chair or co-chair of the chapter from its beginning. She says she came away from the founding conference "feeling that we can make a difference, and that is what continues to drive my work." Rhoda Zahler, a retired city administrator and long active in a wide range of Jewish activities, says, "It is important that the Jewish community have a strong voice for a negotiated settlement and an end to the conflict."

Some of the chapter's activities, in addition to recruiting new members, have included:

• A public meeting with members of the Bereaved Parents Circle from Israel and the territories, an organization of families of both Israelis and Palestinians killed during the fighting.


• Public meetings with members of the Israeli Courage to Refuse group, soldiers in the Israeli armed forces who refuse to service in the occupied territories.


• Sponsoring talks by Marcia Freedman, national president of BTvS; Diane Balser, national vice-president; Naomi Chazan, a former member of the Israeli Knesset; and Rabbi David Forman of Rabbis for Human Rights.

Cosponsors of some of these events have included the Department of Jewish Education of the Greater New Haven Jewish Federation, the Israel Task Force on the Federation, several synagogues, the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale, and the Yale Friends of Israel. Chapter representatives, including at least one rabbi, have also spoken at other organizations and at synagogues.

A major effort for the chapter was the collection of signatures on a petition asking the U.S. government to initiate an international fund to compensate settlers returning to Israel from the occupied territories.

When the Geneva Accord, detailing a viable agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, was signed by outstanding leaders from both sides of the conflict, chapter members circulated copies widely, including to every Congressional Representative and senator from Connecticut. (BTvS distributed copies to every member of Congress.) Meetings with staff members of the five Connecticut representatives and two senators have been held (in two cases with the representatives themselves) for more in-depth discussions.

Before the 2004 presidential election, an "Open Letter to the Next President" was circulated, in cooperation with other Jewish peace organizations, asking him to use American influence to restart peace negotiations.

The work described here has yielded some positive results. The chapter has a mailing list of well over six hundred. Almost half are members, including rabbis, academics, lawyers, doctors, business, technical and office workers, youth and retirees. Relations with the New Haven Federation leadership are cordial and cooperative. Members of BTvS are on the Federation's Israel Task Force and their views are respected in other Jewish organizations.

Still, in light of the changed circumstances outlined above, why is Brit Tzedek v'Shalom not growing faster? Why were only about 10,000 signatures obtained on the petitions? Are there not any more Jews who would sign if reached?

The most frequent explanation I hear is BTvS's lack of money -- the problem that plagues most grassroots organizations. A BTvS organizer, many feel, could recruit members and get on radio and TV and into the press. "Not enough members are active" was another response -- people are simply too busy in their lives.

A few members have urged the organization to be more challenging or even confrontational -- to support, for example, the movement for divestment from Israel -- but the great majority seems to reject this view. According to Steve Masters, national chair of the advocacy and public policy committee of BTvS, "divestment... undermines efforts for peace."

Some have wondered if the Tikkun community or Americans for Peace Now (APN) are attracting support and competing with BTvS. The Tikkun community, however, is a multi-issue organization. Like BTvS, APN concentrates on Israeli issues but is mostly concerned with supporting the Peace Now movement in Israel. The two have willingly coordinated some of their work in the past. Nor is there any tension between religious and secular BTvS members; both are welcome and cooperating participants in the activities of the organization.

My own experience tells me that most of the Jewish community is simply unwilling to speak up on Israel issues due to intimidation by the very vocal "Israel right or wrong" forces; to despair at suicide bombings, which reinforced the view of Israel as highly vulnerable and surrounded by enemies; and to years of misguided policies by Jewish leadership who have only tepidly, if at all, supported the peace process. Instead, American Jews have been urged to support Israel at all costs, to justify its policies and to isolate or silence its critics. Many readers of this magazine are familiar with other ideologies that bred a similar response of blind support until their eventual collapse.

Let's hope that progressive Jews will help shake off this legacy and raise a loud clamor for a negotiated peace. "The unofficial model for peace known as the Geneva Initiative, put forward by high-profile Israelis and Palestinians in 2003, is the gold standard favored by virtually all attendees" at the BTvS gathering, Seliger writes. "...The conference theme, 'From Gaza to Negotiations,' suggests a critical role for progressive pro-Israel Jews, to present a loud, organized voice to the U.S. government," urging it "to energetically persuade and pressure both sides toward the necessary compromises." For more information about BTvS, please check its website: www.btvshalom.org.