Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
Action Alert
Action Alert - Completed 2/23/2003
POSTED: February 16, 2003]
VOTE YES ON UAHC AND JLC CALL FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION AND SETTLEMENT FREEZE
ACTION REQUESTED: Fax, phone, or email your local JCRCs asking them to instruct their delegates to the JCPA Plenum to vote Yes on inclusion of a call for a two-state solution and a settlement freeze in the proposed Resolution on Israel
Dear Brit Tzedek members and supporters,
In about a week, delegates of local Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRC¹s) from around the country will be attending the annual plenum of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) in Baltimore, MD, February 22-25, 2003. One of the items on the agenda will be a Resolution on Israel sponsored by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Jewish Labor Committee. This resolution expresses strong support for Israel, while highlighting the need for a two-state solution to the current conflict, and calling for a freeze on all settlement construction as an important step in making a peaceful resolution to the conflict possible.
The inclusion of a call for a two-state solution and a settlement freeze are important aspects of this resolution. In the past, the JCPA Plenum has typically adopted a strongly pro-Israel resolution but not voted to include language about a two-state solution or a settlement freeze.
The Forward has an article in this week's edition that describes the historic nature of the upcoming debate on the call for a two-state solution and a settlement freeze. If the two-state solution section is passed, it will be the first time that the JCPA has gone on record in favor of a Palestinian state. For a full-text version of the Forward Article, click here.
Our local JCRC representatives need to know that there is an alternative voice within the Jewish community that strongly endorses a two-state solution and a settlement freeze. Please let them hear from you.
We ask you to FAX, EMAIL, or CALL your local Jewish Community Relations Council and ask them to instruct their delegates to vote against any amendments to this resolution that would remove the call for a two-state solution and the freezing of all settlement construction. (Information on how to contact your local JCRC and a sample letter provided below.)
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), formerly the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), "the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community, serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 123 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations." "[It] serves as a catalyst that heightens community awareness, encourages civic and social involvement, and deliberates key issues of importance to the Jewish community." [Text in quotes taken from JCPA website.] [read article]
The local constituent agencies of the JCPA are the local Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs). As aptly described on the website of the JCRC of Southern New Jersey, the role of the local JCRC is to coordinate "efforts that help the Jewish community maintain relations with the general community. It seeks to present the broad spectrum of opinion within the Jewish community by seeking representation from every Jewish organization."
We encourage you to forward this message on to your networks of friends, relatives and colleagues. Please let us know that you have responded to our call to support retention of the language calling for a two-state solution and a freeze on all settlement construction in the JCPA Resolution on Israel by cc'ing your email message to advocacy@btvshalom.org, or by sending us an email to let us know that you have phoned or faxed your JCRC.
L'Shalom,
Diane Balser and Steve Masters
Chair and Co-Chair of the Advocacy/Public Policy Committee
How to Contact Your Local JCRC:
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs website provides a list of Jewish Community Relations Councils around the country, with their phone and fax numbers, email or web address, and contact person:
www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
Please cc us if you send an email message, or if you phone or fax, let us know by email as well:
Brit Tzedek Advocacy and Public Policy Committee: E-mail: advocacy@btvshalom.org
Below is a brief sample message you can send; feel free to personalize it. If you are active in one of the constituent organizations in your local JCRC, it would be very helpful to mention that.
Sample Message:
| Subject [for e-mails]: JCPA Plenum - Support a Settlement Freeze Dear [Local JCRC Contact Name - available on JCPA website - see above]: I urge you to ask our local JCRC delegates to vote in favor of language calling for a two-state solution and a settlement freeze in the Draft Resolution on Israel sponsored by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Jewish Labor Committee for action by the 2003 JCPA Plenum and to oppose all efforts to remove this language from the resolution. This resolution voices strong support for Israel on the part of the organized Jewish community, recognizes a two-state solution as the best means to a peaceful and just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and calls on the Israeli government to freeze all settlement construction as an instrumental step in that process. As our local JCRC delegates, I ask you to speak for the majority of [insert your local area, i.e. New York area] Jews who believe that a two-state solution is the only way to secure a safe and peaceful future for Israel. In these difficult times, concrete steps are needed to move this process forward, and which is why a freeze on all settlement construction is so important to endorse at this time. Sincerely, [SIGN YOUR NAME] |