Chicagoland Jews Reject AIPAC
To Chicagoland Congressional Candidates:
We write to you as Chicagoland Jews committed to a just and thriving future for all people in both the United States and Israel-Palestine. We are gravely concerned about the attack on democracy in the U.S., the escalation of Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians, and the role of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in bolstering extremist leaders and dangerous policies in both the U.S. and Israel-Palestine. AIPAC does not speak for Chicagoland’s Jews. We ask that you commit to rejecting the endorsements and donations of AIPAC and any of its affiliates.
We believe that Jewish well-being anywhere in the world depends on a thriving democracy with guarantees of equality, justice, and protection for all marginalized communities. In the US, this is why we demand climate action, access to healthcare (including reproductive care), racial justice, and the protection of LGBTQ rights. Likewise, in Israel/Palestine, we understand that the futures of Jews and Palestinians are inextricably linked, and that until they both enjoy a collective future of equality, justice, and democracy, none of our people will be free.
AIPAC’s actions are undermining U.S. democracy while furthering Israel’s oppression of Palestinians. Just like the worst actors in our political system – the NRA, the fossil fuel lobby, and anti-abortion groups – AIPAC is spending millions of dollars of right-wing corporate money to further their antidemocratic agenda. As proud American Jews, we are writing to you to say that AIPAC’s values and agenda have no place in our communities or in our politics.
AIPAC undermines American democracy: In 2022, AIPAC’s PAC endorsed 109 Republican members of Congress who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, most of whom they have endorsed again for 2024. AIPAC’s Super PAC, the United Democracy Project, has spent millions to defeat progressive members of Congress who are fighting for our climate, healthcare, and racial justice. This included spending over $5 million to defeat Jewish Rep. Andy Levin, a former synagogue president, who introduced a bill to place restrictions on US military funding to Israel.
AIPAC endangers Jews and other marginalized communities in the US: Many of AIPAC’s endorsed candidates have allied themselves with white nationalists and antisemites, like Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), a believer in the antisemitic and racist “Great Replacement Theory.” In addition, AIPAC spent millions of dollars to defeat candidates fighting for a more just future, choosing to endorse candidates like Henry Cuellar, an anti-choice, NRA-backed Democrat. As a diverse community across race, class, gender identity, and sexual orientation, those of us who hold marginalized identities together with our Jewish identity are doubly threatened by AIPAC and its far-right allies.
AIPAC lobbies against Palestinian rights: AIPAC lobbies against bills in Congress that criticize Israel’s military occupation, illegal settlement expansion, and the destruction of countless Palestinian homes and communities. AIPAC blames Palestinians for their own oppression. AIPAC demands that its endorsees provide unconditional and unaccountable support to Israel, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government (whose installation AIPAC celebrated as evidence of “robust democracy”) pursues an authoritarian agenda meant to entrench permanent, unchecked military rule over millions of Palestinians and an attack on Israel’s judiciary. These are real and serious issues, and AIPAC fights against their free discussion in the United States Congress.
Our Jewish values demand that we speak up and take action in defense of freedom, human rights, and communal well-being. We envision a thriving future for all here in the United States and in Israel-Palestine where everyone enjoys equality, justice, and freedom. AIPAC has demonstrated time and again that it is actively opposed to these basic values. We ask you to uphold these values by committing to reject AIPAC’s endorsement and contributions.
Signed,
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