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August 2, 2002/Av 24 5762, Vol. 54, No. 46
Grass-roots effort favors Palestinian state
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Bruce Robbins is not sure how he became a leader in a grass-roots movement of American Jews urging the United States to pressure Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians.
The Columbia University English professor received an e-mail from a physics professor at New York University with strong views on the Middle East.
Among Alan Sokal's comments was a call for the U.S. government to make aid to Israel conditional on Israel's acceptance of a two-state solution that includes a return to Israel's pre-1967 borders and an evacuation of all Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The next thing he knew, Robbins was seeking additional supporters for an open letter from American Jews to the U.S. government, and working to place a half-page ad in The New York Times.
Last week, a day after an Israeli air strike killed Hamas' military commander and at least 14 civilians in the Gaza Strip, Robbins appeared on MSNBC's "Donahue" program, arguing that the attack was not in Israel's interest.
Since a second, full-page ad ran in the Times in July, more than 1,700 people have signed Robbins' letter, and he is looking for more venues for his views.
A growing number of grass-roots organizations are forming as American Jews are seeking to voice left-wing opinions about the path to Middle East peace that are at odds with those of the Israeli government, the U.S. government and mainstream American Jewish groups.
For their part, leaders of mainstream organizations, even on the left, say they are largely speaking with one voice these days because that view represents the vast majority of American Jews during the intifada.
"There has been substantial unity because there has been substantial unity," said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Reform movement's Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which has not hesitated to criticize the Israeli government in the past when it felt its policies were wrong.
That has left many left-wing Jews feeling they have no one to represent their views to the White House or Congress.
Specifically, they want American Jews to criticize what they consider to be heavy-handed actions the Israeli government has taken, such as incursions into the West Bank, sieges of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters and the alleged expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"I don't know when it happened, but I think the Sharon government crossed a line with people," Robbins said. "A lot of people said, 'Not in my name.' "
In addition to ads, activists have taken to the streets, protesting outside Israeli consulates and holding vigils for Palestinian victims.
Organizers say the grass-roots movements aim to give American Jews who are critical of Israeli actions and U.S. policy the feeling that they are not alone.
Some claim the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby, and other Jewish groups try to keep alternative Jewish voices from being heard on Capitol Hill.
Even when more left-wing voices do get through, some say lawmakers hesitate to act because of AIPAC's influence and fear that they will lose American Jewish political donations or be labeled anti-Semitic.
For its part, AIPAC says it, too, is a grass-roots organization and represents the views of most American Jews.
Yet there are clear differences between the mainstream American Jewish groups and the grass-roots movements.
On its report card for lawmakers, for example, Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel gives a negative rating to any lawmaker that supported a congressional resolution - backed by most American Jewish groups - expressing solidarity with Israel. Jews for Peace claims the bill blamed ongoing violence entirely on the Palestinians.
For their part, the activists compare themselves to those who opened the fight for women's rights or against the Vietnam War.
"Our side is not going to become the prominent side next year," Lerner said. "There is no prospect of people coming to this in the short run."
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