1. The massive scale of the Israeli peace movement in the 1980s can be a source of inspiration for young activists.

I was surprised to learn from Janet Aviad, a longtime leader of Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), that they gained popular support from the majority of Israelis at the height of their activism in the early 1980s. “During the Lebanon War,” Aviad recounted, “which started at 30 or 20 percent [of Israelis] objecting, we finished up with 60, 70 percent. When we did the big demonstration of Sabra and Shatila, we had the majority of Israelis.” I was surprised to learn that they had hundreds of thousands of protesters in the street.

The fact that it was possible to win over the majority of Israelis to an anti-war position was inspiring to me in that it showed the potential of street demonstrations to play a role in mobilizing a movement.

One of the reasons I was surprised by this is because the Israeli peace movement has been very small in my generation. This particular piece of the history of nonviolent protest reminded me one of the values of learning history: challenging one’s assumptions about the immutability of the status quo and being able to dream of new possibilities.

2. There is a wide diversity of political opinion within Palestinian society; we as American Jewish activists should aim to understand this nuance and avoid generalizing. 

Mar’i explained: “Everybody speaks of Palestinians and the Palestinian community and Israel’s Palestinian Arab citizens, but the knowledge is so superficial that we’re all perceived as one voice, one mind, one aspiration…We’re fragmented just like everybody else. And just like the Jews, every two Arabs have three different opinions. That knowledge is very important.”

Speaking with Israeli activists about the contribution of American strands of Jewish religion made me realize that I take it for granted that my religious identity in the U.S. is associated with progressivism and a struggle for justice.

Hearing this perspective reminded me that American Jewish theologies of justice such as that of Rav Heschel should continue to be sources of empowerment for us; they are a treasure of American Judaism. I was particularly reminded of this recently when I saw Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR being escorted from the Senate offices in handcuffs for protesting the Republicanhealthcare bill. As American Jewish activists, we must also remind ourselves that our American Judaism is authentic in and of itself. Instead of outsourcing our Jewish identity to the Israeli state we can find it right here. American Judaism has a rich history of progressive activism which we can continue to draw on for inspiration.

While I respect the decision to adopt anti-normalization as a nonviolent strategy for resistance, I think that we American Jewish anti-occupation activists should also acknowledge that we have a unique potential to work with Israeli initiatives because of our shared Jewish identity and our institutional and personal relationships.

We can simultaneously build pressure from the outside and also support progressive forces within Israel. Mikhael Manekin, Breaking the Silence activist and co-founder of Israeli think tank Molad, shared his vision that American Jewry serve as a liaison to help Israeli progressives build alliances with American progressives, i.e. think tanks, trade unions, Jewish institutions, and the like. He explained: “I would like American Jewry who want to help, to understand that the only way, in my mind, to end the occupation without extreme violence is to do so through getting [Israeli] progressives in power.” Although some would argue that Palestinian activism and international pressure are just as important as a progressive Israeli government in ending the occupation, I was impressed by the point that American Jews have a connection to Israelis by virtue of our cultural/religious identity, and that one way for us to be effective is by helping build progressive forces within and not only pressuring from without.

5. If we as Americans are going to be involved in activism on the ground, we must be sensitive to our status as outsiders, and play support roles rather than lead. 

Yakir Englander of Kids4Peace also expressed dismay over short-term American involvement and a desire that American Jewish peace activists speak with a more diverse section of Israeli society.

He explained: “It’s so easy to come and to be beaten a little bit by the police and then to be a hero back in America….You want to be involved in the conflict? Come, look at the face of the people who disagree with you. Sit with my settler people. Sit with my brother and sister in the ultra-Orthodox community. Come and look at the faces.” Professor Sarai Aharoni echoed this sentiment, expressing her wish that young American Jews who get involved in peace work on the ground maintain contact when they return home and make a commitment to be involved long term.