Sign the Open Letter from Young Jews to the Jewish Establishment

We are young Jews writing to express our deep disappointment in the Democratic National Committee and the American Jewish Establishment.

The DNC rejected the bold platform represented by Congressman Keith Ellison’s bid for DNC chair, continuing to snub the young progressives like us who have been leading the resistance movement in the streets and were re-energized in the Democratic Party through Ellison’s candidacy.

This past election cycle, Democratic Party failed to promote a visionary political program that could meet the needs of this moment and of everyday people. The void they left has been filled by an administration that feeds off of a toxic combination of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

A strong, progressive movement to resist the white supremacist, right-wing force in our country fits squarely within both the moral and material interests of the American Jewish community.

We are therefore especially disturbed by the role of the Jewish establishment along with Democratic Party insiders in the concerted smear campaign waged against Congressman Ellison portraying him as anti-Semitic. These accusations were based on dubious -- often blatantly Islamophobic claims, decades old statements, and out of context quotes. In addition, Congressman Ellison’s criticism of Israel’s occupation was cited as a key piece of evidence in the case against him.

We as young American Jews agree with Congressman Keith Ellison that the current status quo of endless occupation which denies freedom and dignity to Israelis and Palestinians is untenable.

We cannot continue to let our community’s support of the occupation play a role in standing in the way of bold progressive leadership needed in this current moment.

Attacks on Congressman Ellison throughout his campaign were not made in our interests as young Jews and we will not allow out-of-touch establishment leaders to speak on our behalf, not in the Jewish community and not the Democratic Party.

We know that Jews can only be safe if we join with the multiracial, progressive movement that Congressman Ellison came to represent. We are heartbroken that our community's fears have been drummed up and manipulated to bolster the establishment wing within the Democratic Party at a time when we desperately need new leadership capable of uniting a broad range of people working for real change.

We call on the leadership of the American Jewish community to join us on the moral side of history in the fight for freedom and dignity for all people in this country -- as well as all Israelis and Palestinians.

We will continue to fight alongside all people and for our own freedom as part of a growing mass resistance. We invite all Jewish people to join us in the fight for freedom and dignity for all.

YOUNG JEWS WHO HAVE SIGNED THIS LETTER:

First name

Last name

Organization

Yonah

Lieberman

IfNotNow

Pele

IrgangLaden

IfNotNow

Rebecca

Hornstein

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Adam

Chaikof

Democratic Socialists of America




Tal

Bowen

IfNotNow Philly

Julia

Berkman-Hill


Rachel

Davidson

RRC

Becky

Wasserman


Naomi

Hornstein


Emma

Saltzberg

IfNotNow

Jenn

Pollan

IfNotNow

Sarah

Lerman-Sinkoff


Yonit

Friedman


Jacob

Gross


Charlotte

Rosen


Rebecca

Park


Max

Stern


Asher

Bruskin


Eleanor

Shrier


Amy

Lebowitz


Yonah

London


Molly

Kulwin


Adrian

Durlester


Talia

Jaffe


Victoria

White


Winnie

Wong

People For Bernie

Jonathon

Feinberg


Samara

Carroll


Phoebe

Bisnoff


Sara



Laura

Johnson


Dan

Bloom


Rachel

Marx


Aaron

Berc


Matthew

Shields


Julia

Masters


Lukas

Leffler


Sarah

Kravinsky

Habonim Dror

Abigayle

Schottenfels

IfNotNow

William

Simpson


Gabriela

Marty


Jonah

Lobe


Tom

Corcoran


Meryl

Sands


Kahn

Miller


Mira

Revesz


Zoe

Vallas

IfNotNow NYC

Daniel

Waterman

SDH Den Haag

Zach

Popkin-Hall


Egina

Manachova

Jewish Voice for Peace

Aliza

Shapiro


Rose

Mendelsohn


Aaron

Browne

IfNotNow Philly

Hannah

Klein

DSA

Emet

Tauber


Jordan

Taitel


Lane

Silberstein


Petra

Seitz

IfNotNow

Max

Freedman


Suri

Roth-Katz


Beth

Lauren


Eric

Wimer

IfNotNow

Shlomo

Enkin Lewis


Benjamin

Case


Mackenzie

Reynolds


Rebecca

AbuRakia-Einhorn

IfNotNow

Annie

Kraus


rachel

feinberg


maris

Harmon


Dan

Blacksberg


Sara

Sandmel


Eve

Feldberg


Maria

Bell


Leah

Magidson


Joel

Rice

IfNowNow

Naomi

Dann

Jewish Voice for Peace

Lex

Rofes


Joanna

Barth-Werb


Hannah

Ehlers


Molly

Schulman


Emma

Carlin


Steven

Davidson


Max

Yenkin

IfNotNow

Leora

Matison


Meredith

Sellers


Sylvie

Rosenkalt


Aviva

Stein


Danit

Osborn


Nathan

Taskin


Gabriel

Schwartz

IfNotNow Boston

Ashley

Marcus


Alex

Leichenger


Henry

Wudl


Lior

Gross


Doria

Charlson


Ari

Eisen


Anna-Claire

Steffen

UMass Amherst

Hannah

Chazin


Alex

Werth


Rebecca

Millberg

IfNotNow

Anna

Grant


Mindy

Isser


Joseph

Grant


Sarah

Apt

AFT Local 6056

Joshua

Orol


Dov

Rosenberg

Carolina Jews for Justice

Laura

Grant


Sarah

Bleviss


Francis

Weiss Rabkin


Joseph

Gindi


Alec

Greenwald


Scott

Friedman


Joshua

Friedman


Mitchell

Cain


Haley

Leibovitz

Avodah Alum

Jess

Hock


Emily

Goldman


tamir

rosenblum

Woodlands Community Temple

Jeremy

Voss

J Street U

Haley

Kossek

IfNotNow

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