Nadene Goldfoot
Have you heard of the Sunrise DC group? They are anti-Semitic. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a Sunrise Activist amongst others. She's a member of The Squad who are so against Israel.
Protestors with the Sunrise Movement protest in front of the White House against what they say is slow action on infrastructure legislation job creation and addressing climate change, as well as address attempts to work with Senate Republicans in Washington DC: June 4, 2021 (Saul Loeb/ AFP via Getty Images)
You may have seen in the Jewish press that Sunrise DC, a branch of a national climate action group, turned down a role at the Freedom to Vote Relay-Rally (in support of voting rights) because a “number of Zionist organizations” will be taking part. Those organizations were the National Council of Jewish Women, the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Sunrise DC said in a statement, “We oppose Zionism and any state that enforces its ideology.” Today, I even wonder if Jews understand what Zionism is. Zionism is the movement to secure the Jewish return to the Land of Israel. The land was Israel and was taken over by the Romans in 135 CE in anger when the Jewish general Bar Kokhba took Jerusalem back and held it for 3 years until 135, angering the Roman army, especially since the Romans had burned down the Jews' Temple in Jerusalem, then burned down the city of Jerusalem as well in the year, 70. They thought they were finished with us. Since then, life for Jews has been full of anti-Semitism and hatred for them since they refused to convert to any other religion.
The few breaks we've had have been in the USA, but even here, we've experienced a lot of anti-Semitism, especially in the 30s and 40s, starting in high school for me. That's why I belonged to Jewish groups, not the other ones in high school, because they didn't take Jews in their sororities or fraternities. My mother in law couldn't get a job with the telephone company because she was Jewish. That's why so many Jews had their own little shops, some of which had turned into department stores, like Meier & Franks, Lipmans, Fred Meyers. Well, I'm a Zionist and proud of it. I've even lived in Israel for over 5 years and loved it, returning only because of family matters. Now I spend my time writing and defending Israel.
Interestingly, there are two other Jewish groups belonging to the same coalition that Sunrise DC had no issues with -- Bend the Arc and Workers Circle. Bend the Arc has no position on Israel and Workers Circle backs a two-state solution (same as the three organizations mentioned above), but has been highly critical of Israel.
It was also noted that in the coalition are at least two groups that are highly critical of Israel, the Arab-American Institute and Code Pink. Neither group objected to joining a coalition that included the three Jewish groups named by Sunrise DC.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tweeted, “Refusing to participate in civic life with Jewish groups — especially those groups who are committed to social justice here in the US, in Israel and around the world — is misguided, unproductive, offensive and wrong.”
I know many debate whether anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, saw the actions of Sunrise DC in only one way, “Anti-Semitic — plain and simple.”
Sunrise DC is written about in the Wall Street Journal: Will the Sun Ever Set on anti-Semitism?; The Times of Israel: Sunrise Movement Censures DC Branch Says Singling Out Jewish Groups-Anti-Semitic; The Washington Post: Protesting Zionism, Climate Activist Group Won't Rally In DC With Jewish Groups.
Sadly, the battle against anti-Semitism continues.
Resource:
Marc's Remarks, from our Marc at MJCC
https://theintercept.com/2018/11/13/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-sunrise-activists-nancy-pelosi/
https://www.jta.org/2021/10/21/politics/the-national-sunrise-movement-says-it-did-not-have-advance-notice-of-dc-affiliates-broadside-against-jewish-groups
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia : Zionism
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