PHOTO ESSAY ~~ NEW YORK JEWS TAKE TO THE STREETS IN SUPPORT OF GAZA

[grassfed]

PHOTO ESSAY ~~ NEW YORK JEWS TAKE TO THE STREETS IN SUPPORT OF GAZA
February 13, 2009

I have always maintained on this Blog and elsewhere that there is a difference between Jews and zionists. The following photos are proof of that. Over 1,000 New York Jews demonstrated in front of the Word zionist Organisation and Jewish Agency against Israel’s policies in Gaza. It was a 24 hour long demonstration (still going on as I write this).

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/photo-essay-new-york-jews-take-to-the-streets-in-support-of-gaza/

[YOY]

1. Thems my kind of Jews!

The kind who don't take "Chosen People" a step too far and into psycho land!

[Behind the Aegis]

6. edit: What's the point.

Do learn what "chosen people" actually means.

[LeftishBrit]

11. You have totally misunderstood the term 'chosen people'

It means 'chosen to carry out certain duties' not 'chosen for special favours or privileges'.

[YOY]

13. I fully understand the former and agree.

It's the latter that I do consider some psychos in Israel take to believe.

[Peace Patriot]

2. Good news! Great photos! Thank you! And thanks to the Jewish protestors who

oppose injustice, no matter who commits it.

Prayers and praise for the peace movement in Israel, and worldwide. We have a lot of work to do, and we need brave and enlightened people to do it. These protestors exemplify the qualities needed to overcome militarism, war profiteering and tribal hatreds, and to achieve a true and lasting peace in the troubled Middle East, and here in the U.S. and everywhere else.

---------

"Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead

[subsuelo]

3. wonder where the democrats are

Oh they're at those.. uh... other rallies

[Jefferson23]

4. Excellent and I hope to see this in NYC in the thousands in the near future.

I wonder if Patterson and Schumer will ever attend and speak with this group, they certainly were supportive of the Pro-Israel rally back in January.

http://www.alternet.org/story/119372/pro-israel_rally_attended_by_big-time_ny_dems_descends_into_calls_for_%27wiping_out%27_palestinians

[ConsAreLiars]

5. Thanks. In a small number of posts here those who support the mass murder of Palestiniians in Gaza

have, lacking any other defense, yelled "YOU'RE ANTISEMITIC" to make their case. Rather lame, and a bit of a confession that they have no moral or ethical standing from which to justify that massacre. There are lots of progressives in the public arena who have Jewish heritage and/or beliefs systems. None of them, or maybe one or two I have never seen, support that wanton slaughter. A few posters here, of course, claim to be progressive, I suppose, for whatever their choice of a handle or site to post at might mean. But the actions of the Israeli right wings (there are several) make their defense of these atrocities ever more like the rantings of nutters.

[Shaktimaan]

7. Who is this idiot?

Not the protesters, the blog author. The protesters are fine.

I have always maintained on this Blog and elsewhere that there is a difference between Jews and zionists. The following photos are proof of that.

When I first read that I thought, "Wow! Over 1,000 Jews in NYC demonstrating at the WZO? That's amazing!" I assumed that they were anti-Zionist protesters because of what I saw here. Thankfully, that ended up to not be the case at all.

Look, of course there is a difference between Jews and Zionists. That said, the vast majority of Jews are Zionists, just as the protesters here all appear to be. These people were protesting against the military action in Gaza, against the blockade, things like that. None of them seem to be protesting the existence of Israel or are calling for an end to Zionism or anything remotely like that. In fact, if you actually bother to read the signs you'll see that they are asking for things like the WZO to stop supporting the occupation, which suggests that THEY support the WZO and want it to do the right thing.

Someone should tell this guy, and especially the people who are commenting on his blog, exactly what Zionism means.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. He's a POS.

HE has some real humdingers on his site. Very supportive of anti-Semitic crap.

[LeftishBrit]

9. Very good point

The placards were against the Occupation, the Gaza bombing, and the general way that Israel has been treating Gaza. They were not against the existence of Israel.

I would guess that almost all the protesters were 'Zionists' in the basic sense of supporting the continued existence of Israel.

To assume that they are 'not Zionists' is just playing into the hands of those who equate any criticism of a government with hatred for that country.

[Shaktimaan]

12. Agreed. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.

The fact that this person can't tell the difference between Jews and Zionists himself is made all the more disturbing considering that, by his own admission, he's been constantly explaining the difference on his blog. If he can't even distinguish between legit criticism of Israel and wholesale rejection of Zionism, then how are any of the numbskulls who look to him for guidance going to be able to?

One of the most damaging (and frustrating for me) arguments that I've seen a lot of lately is the "Any and all criticism of Israel is denounced by Israel-firsters as anti-semitism, regardless of whether or not it's true." I hate it because it ends up getting repeated as some kind of universal truth whenever anything is criticized for being anti-semitic, regardless of whether or not it actually is. And so on and so forth.

I think that one of the reasons this happens so often is because so many people don't understand where the line between legit criticism and irrational denouncement lies. God only knows what this douchebag thinks Zionism really is but he clearly thinks nothing wrong of speaking out against it. And honestly, I don't really find that particularly anti-semitic by itself. But once someone denounces Zionism only to then voice support for Palestinian nationalism, I begin asking "Why does this person consider statehood a right for everyone but Jews?"

Now it is almost a certainty that someone like this is just really confused and isn't actually bigoted at all. Probably just the opposite. Maybe they think that Zionist refers to the ultra-right wing settler movement, or something. Who knows. But they'll post their opinion on some forum somewhere and someone like me will immediately respond by saying that their comment could be considered a little anti-semitic. Of course, that'll sound ludicrous to this guy who will come away from the exchange with the impression that any critique of Israel will get you branded as an anti-semite by these crazy pro-Israel people.

And it all happens because douchebags like this guy spout off all kinds of BS about Zionists despite never having even looked up the word in a dictionary.

[LeftishBrit]

10. Good for them!