Greater Washington Jews Reject AIPAC
To Elected Officials and Political Candidates Across the DC Metropolitan Area,
We write to you as members of the Jewish community in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) committed to a just and thriving future for all people in both the United States and Israel-Palestine. We are gravely concerned about 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, attacks on U.S. democracy, and the escalation of Israeli military and settler violence against Palestinians. As Jews, AIPAC does not speak for us. We ask that you follow our lead by rejecting and condemning AIPAC.
We believe that Jewish safety relies on the safety and well-being of all others, including Palestinians. In addition to equality and justice for Palestinians, our shared future depends on drastic climate action, universal access to healthcare, including reproductive care, racial justice, and the protection of LGBTQ+ rights. AIPAC’s agenda actively works against this vision. Those of us who are queer Jews, Jews of Color, working class Jews, or are otherwise marginalized find ourselves doubly under threat from AIPAC and its far-right allies.
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. But unlike other right-wing lobbies, AIPAC is still welcomed with open arms by many Democrats. 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 harms American democracy by endorsing extremists: In 2022, AIPAC endorsed 109 Republican Members of Congress who voted to decertify the results of the 2020 election, some of whom have employed the antisemitic and racist “Great Replacement Theory.” Several have at every turn obstructed the functioning of the U.S. government and blocked policies that would enable everyone in this country to thrive.
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, and demands that their endorsees provide unconditional and unaccountable support to Israel. AIPAC has also made clear its support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government as it 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.
AIPAC undermines our shared future: In order to advance their extremist agenda, 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.
As DC-area Jews, we feel compelled to 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 committed to opposing that vision. We ask that you stand with us by rejecting AIPAC.
Signed,
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