What to know about DMV vigils, events and rallies planned around Oct. 7

Story by Ellie Silverman
10/3/2024

"Here’s what we know so far about the events planned across the region:

Oct. 5

- Beginning at 4 p.m., advocates for# Gaza will rally in front of the #WhiteHouse to mark “one year of #genocide” and “one year of #resistance” in what the #PalestinianYouthMovement is calling an #InternationalDayOfAction. There are similar protests planned in other cities, including #LosAngeles, #Montreal, #Vancouver, #Indianapolis, #Houston and #NewYork.

Oct. 6

- At 7 p.m., Temple Rodef Shalom in McLean, Va., will have a religious service of remembrance.

Oct. 7

- The Students for Justice in #Palestine group at the University of Maryland is planning to host an #interfaith vigil and educational events throughout the day to mourn people killed in Gaza during the war with #Israel.

- Beginning at 11 a.m. and running through 9 p.m. on Lafayette Square, the Hostages Families Alliance plans a vigil and prayers for the hostages still in Gaza. The group estimated on a National Park Service permit application that 1,500 people will attend.

- Beginning at noon and running until 3 p.m. near the Washington Monument, the Philos Project, a Christian group, plans a rally and march to mourn the dead, remember the hostages and support Israel. Organizers estimated on a National Park Service permit application that 1,500 people will attend.

- From 6 to 8 p.m. at Meridian Hill Park, also known as #MalcolmXPark, the Jewish group #IfNotNow will hold a memorial to mourn all the people — #Israeli and #Palestinian — who have died in the conflict. Planners estimated on a National Park Service permit application that 1,000 people will attend.

- At 7 p.m. at the Anthem, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is hosting an “evening of remembrance, resilience, and hope for a brighter future.”

- At 8 p.m., Hillel at U-Md. is hosting a gathering to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel. Jewish student leaders are also discussing their plans for Oct. 7, including whether it’s possible to hold awareness events on campus, including a display to honor the hostages still in #Hamas captivity."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-to-know-about-dmv-vigils-events-and-rallies-planned-around-oct-7/ar-AA1rDi06

#CeasefireNow #FreePalestine #PeaceNow #WashingtonDC #Vigils #PeaceRallies

Anti-Defamation League Maps Jewish #PeaceRallies With #Antisemitic Attacks

American Jews have mobilized several thousand #Jews across the U.S. to call for a #ceasefire in #Gaza. #ADL calls these Jewish organizations 'hate groups.'

Micah Lee
November 11 2023, 6:00 a.m.

“On October 27, several thousand Jews and their allies shut down the main terminal of Grand Central Station during rush hour in New York City, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, the activists at the peaceful sit-in wore black T-shirts that read 'Not In Our Name.' 'It’s the largest sit-in protest the city has seen in over two decades,' Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman said. About 400 people were arrested, including rabbis.

“The Anti-Defamation League has classified the event — and dozens of other protests led by Jewish groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow — as 'anti-Israel,' according to an analysis by The Intercept, and added them to their database documenting rising antisemitism across the U.S.

“’We’re seeing a genuine rise in antisemitic attacks and white nationalist, white supremacist, antisemitic hate and violence,' Eva Borgwardt, the national spokesperson for IfNotNow, told me. 'When white nationalism is on the rise, to cheapen the accusation of antisemitism by applying it to Palestinian rights advocates, including Jews, is incredibly irresponsible and dangerous.'

“Since Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack on southern Israel where Palestinian militants killed over 1,400 Israelis — most of them civilians — and took over 200 hostages, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group that tracks antisemitism and extremism, has been keeping track of the alarming rise of antisemitic incidents.

“In 2020, over 100 #progressive organizations — including the #MovementForBlackLives, #DemocraticSocialists of America, and Center for Constitutional Rights — signed an open letter asking the progressive community to not partner with ADL because the group 'has a history and ongoing pattern of attacking #SocialJustice movements led by communities of color, #queer people, #immigrants, #Muslims, #Arabs, and other marginalized groups, while aligning itself with #police, right-wing leaders, and perpetrators of state violence.' Now, ADL is targeting a new group of people: #ProgressiveJews.

“Israel’s indiscriminate massacre of civilians in Gaza — killing over 10,000 Palestinians so far in the densely populated Gaza Strip, including over 4,000 children — has led to the largest anti-war protests in the U.S. since the Iraq War, including a surge of renewed activism from progressive Jewish groups. Israel has bombed Gaza nonstop since the October 7 attack, ordered the relocation of over 1 million civilians, launched a ground invasion, and is blocking food, water, medical supplies, and fuel from making it into Gaza, triggering a #HumanitarianCrisis and leading to what legal scholars call a #genocide against #Palestinians.

"While the ADL told The Intercept that it does not consider the ceasefire protests 'antisemitic,' just 'anti-Israel,' its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, has said otherwise. After several thousand Jews and their allies marched on the U.S. Capitol on October 18 calling for a ceasefire, ADL DC released a statement equating #antiZionism with antisemitism. Greenblatt piled on, calling the groups that organized the protest, including Jewish Voice for Peace, 'hate groups.'"

Full article:
https://theintercept.com/2023/11/11/palestine-israel-protests-ceasefire-antisemitic/

#JVP #CeasefireNow