WHO WE ARE
Jewish Voice for Peace San Diego is a dynamic chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, the largest Jewish organization in the world that supports Palestinian freedom. Our chapter is committed to building a community of Jews and other allies who agree with our vision of justice, equality, and dignity for all people in solidarity with Palestinians’ struggle for freedom. Our all-volunteer chapter has been a leader in supporting Palestinian rights and opposing Zionism for over a decade.
OUR CORE VALUES & HOW WE PRACTICE THEM
JVP San Diego consistently rallies to support and partner with Palestinian-led organizations in protests, marches, vigils, and other actions to mobilize San Diego residents as part of the San Diego for Palestine Coalition.
1. Collective Liberation
Our support of the struggle for Palestinian liberation is support for the struggle for liberation of all people and an end to racism, colonialism, and global systems of domination.
2. Accountability to Palestinian Partners
JVP San Diego is committed to building relationships with and listening to Palestinian-led organizations and coalitions who share the values of freedom, justice, and equality for all people. As part of this work we have joined the San Diego for Palestine Coalition.
3. Commitment to Building Anti-Zionist Jewish Community
JVP San Diego is building a base within San Diego’s Jewish community committed to learning our role as Jews and allies in the Palestinian solidarity movement. We claim our own Judaism and the right to define for ourselves what it means to be a Jew.
We aim to inform our community from a place of authority that Judaism and Zionism are different:
Judaism is an identity: a religion, an ethnicity, a history, a people, a culture, a worldview, or any one or more of these.
Zionism is a political ideology that began with the premise that Jews should create and maintain a state of Israel. As the state of Israel came into being and expanded, Zionism increasingly victimized the existing Palestinian population through discrimination, displacement, expulsion, and violent oppression. Zionism allows and encourages the destruction of the Palestinian people, as we are witnessing today in Gaza.
We understand that “Never Again” applies to everyone. Never again can the world allow the mass murder of any group of people. Never again can Jews believe we have no partners. Jewish Voice for Peace knows Jews cannot be free in a world that limits the rights of any people.
JVP San Diego provides space for Anti-Zionist observances of Jewish holidays and traditions such as Seder and Shabbat.
4. Commitment to Undermining the Alliance Between Israel and the United States
JVP San Diego has maintained consistent pressure on representatives such as Rep. Sarah Jacobs, Sen. Alex Padilla, and Rep. Mike Levin through sit-ins, protests, open letters, press releases, and other actions.
JVP San Diego understands the importance of building a base, leadership, and power strong enough to have a material impact on the United States government’s policies. We are committed to building a political analysis in opposition to Zionism and in support of collective liberation. We are also committed to pressuring those who call themselves our representatives into adopting genuine policies in support of Palestinian liberation.
5. Creating a culture of organizing, collaboration, and belonging
JVP San Diego is committed to dismantling racism, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, classism, antisemitism, and all forms of oppression in our organizing spaces. We strive to build an organizing culture that reflects the just world we are fighting for.