JFNA Statement on Black Lives Matter

Yesterday, press reports focused on a significant number of anti-Israel elements in a platform issued by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition representing more than 50 groups from around the country, including the Black Lives Matter Network.

A number of Jewish organizations including the ADL and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) -- JFNA in collaboration with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Israel Action Network -- have issued statements about the language. 

The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey encourages all community members in Monmouth and Greater Middlesex counties to read the following statement from JFNA.  


JFNA STATEMENT

This week the Movement for Black Lives released an extensive platform that raises important issues, including economic justice, voter rights and criminal justice system reforms.

Unfortunately, the platform also includes provisions that demonize Israel, erroneously equating the experiences of African-Americans with Palestinians and outrageously calling Israel an “apartheid” state guilty of committing “genocide.”

We are dismayed by the acceptance of a platform that vilifies Israel, diverting attention from urgent, unresolved problems that African-Americans and other people of color continue to face in the United States. The American Jewish community has a strong tradition of commitment to social and racial equality and we will continue to work with leaders in all communities to achieve this goal.

BACKGROUND

On August 1, the Movement for Black Lives released a new policy platform focused on six policy areas, including ‘Invest-Divest,’ which went over their new positions on divesting from prisons, fossil fuel and, most relevant to our work, U.S. military aid to Israel (below). 
 
This platform was collectively created by more than 50 organizations representing thousands of Black Lives Matter activists across the country.

These platform statements are very troubling, specifically the call for American military aid to be suspended. They do not, however, call for complete divestment from Israeli companies or non-military U.S. companies that conduct business in Israel.

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