Home > BDS trial: Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb Letter

BDS trial: Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb Letter

by Lynn Gottlieb - Open-Publishing - Thursday 15 March 2012

To Whom It May Concern,

As an American citizen and a practicing rabbi who believes in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard for all people, I want to urge you to drop the charges against three activists, including Olivia Zemor for advocating a boycott of Israeli products.

Boycott is a tool for economic pressure. Although Israeli is violating international law on many fronts as outlined in the Goldstone Report, Amnesty International Reports and by B’Tselem, Israeli Physicians for Human Rights, Al Haq and dozens of other human rights organizations, Israel remains free of consequences.

There is no question that Israel’s Occupation of Palestinian lands is illegal. Boycott is an honored nonviolent method of public resistance that does not cause harm to human life, but does use the instrument of public pressure to influence a change of behavior.

While France does have a historical obligation to French Jewry for the French role in World War II, this does not include inhibiting the right use of limited boycott to exert pressure upon the State of Israel to change state policies that violate Palestinian human rights on a massive scale.

In addition, there are tens of thousands of Jews throughout the world that support the BDS movement, including Jewish Voice for Peace of which I am a member. Jews who support BDS are also doing so out of a love of Israel and a desire to see an end to what we regard as a terrible policy that harms everyone living in the region, Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. Occupation must end.

Boycott is a way to build a social movement for change. I hope you drop all charges.

L’Shalom

Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence Stony Point, NY 10980 The United States of America