Antisemitism out of our movement!

Protest against the banning of Rabbi Lerner from antiwar demonstrations!

Rabbi Michael Lerner, who has a long record of opposing Israeli government policy in the Occupied Territories, has been banned from speaking at the anti-war demonstration on 15 Feb 2003 by the leadership of the ANSWER coalition. His crime? He supports the rights of both Palestinians AND Israeli Jews to live in peace. This is a legitimate point of view; in fact, any point of view that denies human rights to either ethnic group is NOT legitimate.

In fighting the murderous policy of Bush/Blair in the Middle East, it is not necessary to resort to antisemitism. The war is being launched to support corporate interests in the area, not Jewish interests. Racist lies that Jews control the US government, the media, etc have no place in the left. Yet a speaker voicing exactly those sentiments was given the microphone at a recent ANSWER event.

We condemn the planned war against the Iraqi people. We condemn the avalanche of media hatred and institutional and social hostility against people of Muslim or Arab background in our own countries. But that does not mean we have to match it with hostility to Jewish people. Our own western governments are guilty of centuries of atrocities (this war is one of them) which dwarf actions committed by the government of Israel. Yet we do not support hatred or terrorist actions against ourselves and our families, neither do we call for our own removal from the countries where we were born. Jews, who came to Palestine fleeing racist oppression, have as much right, if not more, to live in the land of their birth, as a left activist whose ancestors came to America to amass a fortune, killed Indians and enslaved Africans.

We call on the leadership of ANSWER to issue a full apology to Rabbi Michael Lerner, and to invite him to address the next mass mobilization against the war.

Lisa Taylor Moderator, Fighting from Within (Internet discussion list for left Jews concerned about antisemitism from their fellow activists)

Please circulate this letter widely and send to the following four email addresses: dc@internationalanswer.org , llesliecagan@igc.org, rabbilerner@tikkun.org, ffwi@aol.com (Email addresses correspond to following: ANSWER coalition, United for Peace and Justice (coalition which includes Rabbi Lerner's "Tikkun Communty"), Rabbi Michael Lerner, Fighting from Within list) Also print out this letter for distribution at the demonstration and for discussion at antiwar meetings, in your trade union, and in the labour and progressive movement generally.