Action Alert and Call for Mobilization as Philadelphia Sponsors Anti-Israel Event
Greater Philadelphia ZOA ACTION ALERT and Call for MOBILIZATION
ALERT: The city of Philadelphia is staging an official event on November 29 marking the U.N.’s “International Day of Solidarity with the ‘Palestinian’ People” – a commemoration denigrating the re-establishment of Israel and denigrating Jewish rights and heritage; official city poster (see below) supports violence against Jewish community. Politicians, others slated to speak at event.
Action: Greater Philadelphia ZOA will lead a vigil on Nov. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. on the peri
meter of the city event — around the plaza of the Municipal Services Building at 1401 Kennedy Boulevard – please bring Israeli AND American flags, and signs (see examples of messages for signs below). Together, we will show the city and the community-at-large that Israel belongs to the Jewish People, that we have the right to self-determination in our legal and historic homeland, and that we reject the violent imagery and messaging of the Palestinian-Arabs and their supporters.
Please help spread the word – we want as many supporters of Israel as possible to be present. If you care about Israel, and you oppose attacks against the Jewish People and denial of Jewish rights, come out and be seen with our flags.
Please let congregations, schools, organizations know about this event; alert your email lists; post on social media.
Additional Action: Contact Philadelphia officials and other politicians to object to this event (see information below). Ask them to oppose the Philadelphia anti-Israel event and to join us in holding Israeli and American flags in support of Israel and the Jewish People.
Call: 215-686-2182 — Mayor’s Office (Christina Pastrana Hernandez is chief of staff – email her at: [email protected])
215-683-2060 — Philadelphia city representative’s office (Sheila Hess is the Philadelphia City Representative: [email protected])
215-686-0876 — Office of immigrant affairs. (Amy Eusebio is director: [email protected])
When you call or write: Please be civil, polite and concise. Ask to speak to the top person in each office/department. Ask why the city is promoting Jew-hatred, attacks against Jews and the delegitimization of Jewish rights.
In addition: contact elected officials from the city and suburbs to please ask them to oppose this event and to join us in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish community.
Background: For the second consecutive year, the city of Philadelphia and Mayor Jim Kenney are officially joining an international United Nations-spearheaded event that essentially calls into question the re-establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. Note the violent themes in the city’s poster: clenched fists and PLO flags. The PLO, under that flag, have murdered and maimed thousands of Jews and scores of Americans and other civilians. The poster that carries the official designations of the City of Philadelphia’s City Representative, and Mayor Jim Kenney’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
The date – November 29 – coincides with the United Nations General Assembly vote (UNGA Resolution 181) on that date in 1947 to partition the British-controlled Mandate of “Palestine” into two states: A Jewish state and an Arab (not “Palestinian”!) state. The Jewish community accepted the outcome of the vote, but the Arab League rejected the partition.
“International Day of Solidarity with the ‘Palestinian’ People” was created by the UN in 1977 on the 30th anniversary of the partition vote.
It is important to be aware of the fact that the Jewish People accepted a mere 22% of the territory that the League of Nations (predecessor of the UN) dedicated for the re-establishment of the Jewish homeland. In 1922, Britain took away 78% of this territory to create what is today the Arab nation of Jordan – there was no such place ever before – and Jordan’s population today is about 70% Palestinian. Throughout history, there has never been an independent nation called “Palestine” and the Arabs have rejected every offer for such a state.
Prior to Israel’s declaration of independence, the Jewish People in the land were known as the Palestinians, and nearly every Jewish institution there had “Palestine” or “Palestinian” as part of its name.
Additional points: There is no Israeli “occupation” – the label “occupation” under international law requires that the territory that is “occupied” had to previously belong to another sovereign nation. Yet no other sovereign nation had control of the territories. Further, Israel came to control the Gaza Strip, the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria (a k a “the West Bank”) in a defensive war. Egypt committed an act of war, and Jordan attacked Israel.
Anti-Jewish claims that Israel commits “apartheid” are patently false: Arabs in Israel have equal rights, which are the same for all Israeli citizens regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or gender. Arabs serve in Israel’s parliament, in the Israel Defense Forces, in the diplomatic corps and in all walks of life. In the Gaza Strip, Arabs are under the complete control of Hamas. In Judea and Samaria, 98% of Arabs are governed by the Palestinian Authority. It is Hamas and the PA that deny them civil rights and human rights.
When the City of Philadelphia and Mayor Kenney had a similar event last year, it was shocking (you can read about it within the report at the link https://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2022/03/report-philadelphia-anti-jewish-f1.pdf that details many of the city’s official anti-Jewish activities that Greater Philadelphia ZOA compiled). Having this event a second time makes clear the positions of Mayor Kenney, and the Philadelphia City Council members and other officials who will attend and speak at this year’s event about the Jewish state of Israel, Jewish self-determination, Jewish rights and Jewish heritage.
Slogans for signs should be in support Israel and Jewish rights, and condemnation of violence against Jews. Messages could include:
“The Land of Israel Belongs to the Jewish People”
“Israel is here to stay”
“Oppose Jew-hatred and attacks against Jews”
“Why all of the PLO flags? — The PLO pays people to murder Jews?”
“Stop supporting terrorism against Jews”
“The Palestinian-Arabs have rejected every peace offer”
For more information about this event or Greater Philadelphia ZOA, contact us at [email protected] or 610-660-9466. Please support our vitally important work. To donate, go to
https://zoa.org/donate/philly/
For educational and advocacy materials, go to the “Take action” tab at: https://philly.zoa.org/
See a PDF of this ACTION ALERT at: