Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on February 17, 2020

(February 17, 2020 / JNS)

A group of pro-Israel activists in North Carolina is calling on the Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill to rescind an invitation to Durham Mayor Steve Schewel to speak at a Feb. 20 event, citing the mayors role in a 2018 city council resolution banning police training with Israel.

We believe the Federations promotion of Schewel is part of a systemic problem plaguing Jewish institutions todaythat is, the normalization of pro-BDS rhetoric that is jeopardizing the Jewish people and silencing strong Zionist voices, according to a letter obtained by JNS from the North Carolina Coalition for Israel and Fight Back Now.

We therefore implore the Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill to rescind its invitation to Schewel to introduce this event. Moreover, we urge Jewish Federations in the United States to implement policies prohibiting BDS activists from being given a platform by the organizations, the group said.

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Schewel is scheduled to offer a special introduction for an event titled Ignited Talks: The State of Black Durham at the Levin Jewish Community Center at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 20.

Its long overdue that our Jewish leaders and institutions actively defend us from the toxic BDS advocates and sympathizers who are making this country so hostile to Zionists, said Kathryn Wolf, a Durham resident and executive director of Fight Back Now, a nonprofit advocacy group battling the Deadly Exchange campaign nationally.

We live in a region in North Carolina that is rife with anti-Zionism, she continued. Its a daily struggle to confront the constant barrage of pro-BDS speakers, seminars and events here. When our leaders undermine us by elevating BDS proponents, its hurtful, of course, but more important, its harmful.

The Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill told JNS in a statement that Schewel is not hosting the event, but that he and Durham City Council Member Mark Anthony Middleton are introducing two important speakers and advocatesHenry McKoy, former North Carolina Assistant Secretary of Commerce, and Camryn Smith, co-director of Neighborhood Allies of Durhamabout their research on the state of African-American-owned businesses and barriers to the success of those businesses in Durham today.

The focus of this event is specifically on the growth of commerce by folks of color in Durham and how the citys growth and gentrification affect those folks (which is why the Mayor and City Council Member are there). Many Durham business owners of color will be in attendance: a partnership that is unprecedented in our community. To focus on Mayor Schewel is to detract from an important, impactful issue in Durham.

The Durham City Council voted in April 2018 to approve a policy banning its police from engaging in international exchanges where officers could receive military-style training in foreign countries.

The resolution was adopted after a coalition of groups, dubbed Demilitarize! Durham2Palestine Coalition, which includes the anti-Israel Jewish Voice for Peace that supports the BDS movement, in addition to other Muslim, pro-Palestinian and civil-rights groups, urged its passage in order to prevent any partnership the citys law-enforcement might enter into with Israels military or police.

Pro-Israel groups say the Deadly Exchange campaign by JVP incorrectly conflates Israel with issues of racial bias or police mistreatment of minority communities in the United States.

Last year, a federal lawsuit was filed by the North Caroline Coalition for Israel and Rabbi Jerome Fox against the City of Durham that accuses the city of promoting anti-Semitic rhetoric and violating open-meetings laws.

Read the original here:
Pro-Israel activists urge Durham Federation to nix event involving mayor tied to BDS resolution - JNS.org

Category: Zionism
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