Shame!

This week and next week, synagogues in Melbourne are hosting events with israelis who have been actively involved in perpetrating the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

St Kilda Shul and WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) this week are hosting paratroopers who have participated in missions inside Gaza: they are sharing stories of their genocidal missions in a session entitled “Stories from the Front Line”. Next week, Caulfield Shule, AIJAC (Australia Israel Jewish Affairs Council), and the UIA (United Israel Appeal) are hosting a panel entitled “Israel’s challenges and opportunities in a new Middle East”, with participants including Ayelet Shaked, former Minister for Justice who is infamous for describing Palestinian children as “little snakes”, calling for all Palestinians to be murdered and their homes destroyed. These somewhat benign titles belie the horrific agenda that their participants advocate. The ‘frontline’ is not a heroic war zone but a site of genocide and destruction. ‘Opportunities in the Middle East’ includes the annihilation of the Palestinian population of Gaza and their replacement with Israeli settlers.

It is outrageous that these people are given any space in the community or society, particularly within religious institutions, which are supposed to cater to all members of the community, whether or not they support zionism. These genocidaires must be pushed out. We must condemn and make clear our abhorrence of these synagogues who participate in this zionism, this genocide, this production of more and more racism.

Fuck them all. Their Judaism and Jewishness is one we repudiate entirely.

And this problem is not limited to these two synagogues or these two events. The problem is widespread in the Jewish zionist community. We reject genocide and zionism entirely, and we call on all people of conscience to make clear that they reject these things too. We do not want or need this celebration of genocide. We must be doing everything we can to end the genocide and our communal complicity in it.

Solidarity with Palestine, from the river to the sea.