Supporting Israel’s Protests

Nathan Guttman’s September 2 article, “New Israel Fund Alone in Funding Israel Protests,” stated that “the leaders of most major American Jewish organizations have been noticeably silent” about the demonstrations taking place in the State of Israel calling for new economic policies by the Netanyahu government. The Jewish Labor Committee’s support of the demonstrations can be found in our statement online.

Throughout our nearly 80-year history, the Jewish Labor Committee has championed workers’ rights and social and economic justice in the United States and around the world. A grassroots movement, such as what we are witnessing in Israel today that is saying “Dai!” – “Enough!” – of economic and social policies that benefit only a few at the expense of many, speaks to our values as Jews, as trade unionists, and as Americans. We all should be proud of the way Israelis from all walks of life — secular and religious, young and not-so-young, professional and blue-collar, Arab and Jew — are letting their government know that “the rules of the game must change.”

And we should also be proud of the way the Israeli government is responding to the protests — especially when compared to the recent protests not only in other Middle Eastern countries, but Western European ones as well.

Stuart Appelbaum

New York

President, Jewish Labor Committee

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