Jews Rally to Protest Palestinian-Christian Sabeel Conference
By Staff
JTA and Jewish Journal
Archbishop Desmond Tutu issued an impassioned plea to the Jewish people to end Israel's oppression of Palestinians. Speaking Saturday in Boston before 850 people during a two-day conference titled the "Apartheid Paradigm in Palestine-Israel," the Nobel laureate urged Jews to heed the call of their God and act appropriately.
The conference sponsored by Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian organization, sparked protests by Boston-area Jewish community institutions and synagogues. They held a rally Friday before the conference began. Jewish leaders, including Andrew Tarsy, Executive Director of the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League, rejected the apartheid analogy.
Tarsy told JTA he was disappointed that a man of Tutu's moral stature would use his credibility to bolster Sabeel, which he and others say use Christian imagery and language to vilify Israel. Tutu affirmed his belief in a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, and condemned all acts of terrorism.
Leaders of the Jewish Community Relations Council feel that Israel is the target of Sabeel's campaign to demonize Israel. JCRC leaders and others spoke at a rally before a crowd of 200 in Copley Square on Friday, October 26, the first day of the conference.
"Sabeel consistently works to isolate Israel and to create an environment in which Israel is perceived as the oppressor and the barrier to peace in the Middle East," said Nancy K. Kaufman, JCRC Executive Director. "The fact is that Israel has made numerous attempts to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority. Israel's goal is to achieve a two-state solution based on peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians."
These include continued outreach to the Old South Church including meetings and letters by prominent Rabbis and Jewish organizations, speakers said.
Steve Grossman, chair of JCRC's Israel Action Center Advisory Board, added, "This conference is a dangerous and extremist effort to compare Israel, the only authentic democracy in the Middle East, with apartheid South Africa. Israel's Arab citizens vote in free elections, and participate at the highest levels of government including Israel's Supreme Court.
"If Sabeel is concerned about human rights and oppressed peoples in the Middle East, they need look no further than the repressive Arab and radical Islamic regimes that systematically discriminate against women, gay people and other minorities as a matter of law," Grossman said.
On Saturday, a small pro-Israel rally and a separate pro-Palestinian rally organized by Jewish Voice for Peace (a supporter of the conference) blended for a time with a march by 10,000 protesters, where a small contingent chanted "Occupation is a crime from Iraq to Palestine."
