From palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com Wed Jun 10 12:23:34 2015 From: palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com (palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com) Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2015 12:23:34 -0700 Subject: protest fast track, anti-BDS efforts and Israeli greenwashing Message-ID: ? Contact your Congressional representatives , 202-224-3121, now and tell them to vote: ? Against fast tracking the TransPacific Parternship (TPP) agreement AND ? Against any attempts, including legislation, resolutions, or amendments to trade agreements , that seek to curtail or restrict the non-violent tools of boycott and divestment from companies that profit from Israel?s human rights abuses. ? Protest Israeli greenwashing: This Thursday, Jun 11, 2015, 8am-4pm, Informational picket challenging Israel water workshop . New City Hall, 915 I St, Sacramento. The workshop is hosted by Ashkelon Sister City, an Israeli lobby surrogate. Among missing topics from the workshop agenda : Israel?s stealing water from Palestinians; 90% of the water for Gaza?s 1.9 million people is not potable, and Israel?s draining the Gaza and other aquifers and the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. FMI: SacReg4PalestinianRights at gmail.com; 916-448-7157 ? Sign new petitions for Palestinian Rights at: www.sacbds.org/petitions ? Don't buy products from or invest in companies that support Israel?s occupation & apartheid. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com Fri Jun 12 15:05:43 2015 From: palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com (palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com) Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2015 15:05:43 -0700 Subject: Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic - Tell the regents and your assembly member Message-ID: Please take these three important actions to protect free speech, academic freedom, and our ability to work for Palestinian human rights: ? Contact your Assembly member and tell them to vote no on SCR 35 , another thinly veiled attempt to silence students at UC and CSU campuses who are working to end their schools? complicity with the Israeli government?s egregious, well documented violations of human rights and international law. Kevin McCarty ? 916-319-2007; Assemblymember.McCarty at assembly.ca.gov Ken Cooley 916-319-2008; Assemblymember.Cooley at assembly.ca.gov Jim Cooper 916-319-2009; Assemblymember.Cooper at assembly.ca.gov Bill Dodd ? 916-319-2004; Assemblymember.Dodd at assembly.ca.gov ?Please sign the petition to tell the State Department to revise its definition of anti-Semitism . ?Please sign the petition to tell UC President Napolitano and the UC Regents: criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic Forwarded message from Jewish Voice for Peace: Dear Supporter, Have you ever criticized Israel? Do you oppose occupation and human rights abuses? According to a policy supported by Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California, you could be branded an anti-Semite. Last week, Napolitano told NPR's Here and Now that she agrees with the State Department's definition of anti-Semitism, a definition that includes political criticism of the policies of the state of Israel. Worse still, she told the UC Regents that she wants them to adopt that definition at their upcoming meeting in July. We all agree that anti-Semitism is deeply wrong, and we need to fight it wherever it exists. But this overbroad definition will do nothing to fight anti-Semitism. Instead of protecting Jewish students from bigotry, it?ll silence critics of Israeli state policies -- Jewish and non-Jewish alike. We?re sending a letter to the University of California Office of the President and the UC Regents, telling them that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. Will you add your name, and ask them to reject this definition? The ?State Department definition? of anti-Semitism is a dangerous and un-enforceable definition, because it includes clauses about ?demonizing,? ?delegitimizing,? and ?applying a double-standard to the state of Israel,? prohibitions that are so vague that they could be, and have been, construed to silence any criticism of Israeli policies. In addition to being a JVP?s Academic Advisory Coordinator, I?m also an academic. I?m passionate about fostering critical thinking in my classroom. This definition limits open debate, and could potentially restrict research and teaching in multiple fields. We can?t have great universities without academic freedom, and we can?t have academic freedom when certain political opinions are being muzzled. Whether you?re a lifelong Golden Stater and a UC grad, or a California transplant, we need your voice. Tell the UC President and Regents that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. It?s vital that we fight anti-Semitism, and every other form of vile bigotry. But this official definition of anti-Semitism won?t protect students, it?ll silence them. Thank you for fighting back. Onward, Tallie Ben Daniel, PhD http://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/images/tallie%20signature(1).JPG Tallie Ben Daniel, PhD Academic Advisory Council Co-Ordinator P.S. A report from the Palestine Legal Support and the Center for Constitutional Rights: "Accusations of Anti-Semitism Used to Deter Advocacy for Palestinian Rights." Tell Janet Napolitano that academics and activists must not be silenced. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2673 bytes Desc: not available URL: From palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com Sun Jun 28 15:32:27 2015 From: palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com (palestinianrightssacregion at list.omsoft.com) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 15:32:27 -0700 Subject: Protect student free speech & other actions for Palestinian rights Message-ID: ?Contact your California Assemblymember * and ask them to vote NO on SCR 35, which is headed to the Assembly floor. SCR 35 is another thinly veiled attempt to label criticism of Israel as anti-Jewish in order to silence students at University of California and California State University campuses who are working to end their schools? complicity with the Israeli government?s egregious, well-documented violations of human rights and international law. SCR 35 references a poorly worded statement about anti-Semitism included on the U.S. State Department website that includes examples of how criticizing Israel could (falsely) be considered anti-Semitic. In concessions to objections, the bill was amended to add ?Nothing in this resolution is intended to diminish the rights of anyone, including students, to freely engage in any speech or other legal activity protected by the United States Constitution, including that which is critical or supportive of the policies of any country.? However, this addition did not remove the link to the State Department definition, leaving the door open for actions challenging Israel?s policies to be considered anti-Semitic, that could lead to charges of hate speech, etc. Students are currently protected against discrimination on the basis of their religious beliefs, ethnicity, etc., so SCR 35 is not necessary, except as a vehicle to intimidate students from legitimately criticizing and organizing to challenge the abuses of the Israeli government. * Email Sacramento area Assemblymembers: Kevin McCarty ; Ken Cooley ; Jim Cooper ; Bill Dodd ? Contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to demand that Israel end its abuses of Palestinian children . Tell them to support the call by 19 of their colleagues that the State Department make the protection of Palestinian children a priority in the United States' relationship with Israel. Call 202-224-3121 or click to email: Reps. Matsui ; Bera ; or Garamendi and Sens. Boxer & Feinstein ? Sign petition urging Secretary of State Kerry to press the Netanyahu government not to attack the Gaza flotilla. ? Sign the petition telling UC President Napolitano and the UC Regents that criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic. ? Support Palestinian rights: sign petitions for Palestine at: www.sacbds.org/petitions and don't buy products or invest in companies that support Israel?s occupation & apartheid. ? Stay updated on news affecting Palestinian rights: Ma?an News Agency ; B?Tselem ; Electronic Intifada ; Mondoweiss. Click for more resources . -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: