War on Gaza: Jewish opposition to Israel is as old as Zionism itself

Protesters demonstrate outside of the New York office of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a pro-Israel lobby group, for its role in influencing US support for Israel during the ongoing assault on Gaza, on 22 February 2024

European and American Jews have been at the forefront of opposition to Zionism since its birth as a colonial-settler movement at the end of the 19th century 

Last week, hundreds of people protested at the Manhattan headquarters of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most formidable pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States, as well as at the offices of US senators who receive funding from AIPAC, demanding a ceasefire. New York police arrested 12 people.

The action was organised by the New York chapter of the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and was the latest of dozens of Jewish protests against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

In November, Jewish activists occupied the Statue of Liberty, demanding an immediate ceasefire and chanting “Not in our name”. The ongoing protests since 7 October 2023 confirm what pro-Israel groups have feared for the past two decades: that support for Israel is dwindling among American Jews.

In fact, a survey conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute in June and July 2021 found that 22 percent of Jews believed that Israel was “committing genocide against the Palestinians”, while 25 percent agreed that “Israel is an apartheid State”, and 34 percent thought that “Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians is similar to racism in the US”. Of those under 40 years old, 33 percent believed that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. These numbers were collated two years before the current genocide.

Like JVP, a Jewish congregation called Tzedek, founded in 2015, had initially described itself as “non-Zionist” but later redefined itself as “anti-Zionist”. The predominantly younger membership in such organisations also signals a generational shift within US Jewry.

American Jews who oppose Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people are not alone. British Jewish organisations have also been active in the massive demonstrations that have taken place in the UK since October. These include Jewish Voice for Labour and the Jewish Network for Palestine, whose members have also demonstrated under banners such as “Not in our Name”. The British Jewish group Na’amod has been active in opposing Israel’s occupation and apartheid and in staging demonstrations and vigils in support of the Palestinians as well.

In ultra-Zionist France, dozens of prominent Jewish personalities have been active in opposing the ongoing genocide, calling for a ceasefire and even an end to the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. This is hardly a new development in France. In 2018, the Jewish French Union for Peace demanded a complete boycott of Israel despite efforts in France to outlaw such boycotts. As a result, the group, which remains active in marches against the genocide, lost state funding.

The ongoing protests since 7 October 2023 confirm what pro-Israel groups have feared for the last two decades: that support for Israel is dwindling among American Jews.

In Germany, Jewish activists, including artists, writers and professionals, and organisations like Judische Stimme have been at the forefront of opposing Israel’s onslaught and condemning the German state’s crackdown on critics of Israel and its scapegoating of Germany’s Muslim and Arab communities.

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