As we dive into 2021, we want to highlight some of Independent Jewish Voices’ achievements from the last year. It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenge on so many levels. But we pulled through with some amazing victories, and we couldn’t have done it without all of our members, supporters, staff and chapters across the country.
- In January, the dangerously misleading IHRA antisemitism definition was tabled as a motion at Montreal’s city council. After a fierce campaign lead by IJV-Montreal, including meetings with councillors, hundreds of emails, and interventions by members at city hall, the IHRA motion was eventually withdrawn!
- In February, RCMP police invaded Indigenous Wet’suwet’en territory in northern BC to remove land defenders, and make way for a gas pipeline. IJV took a stand in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, and our members participated in solidarity demonstrations from coast to coast. A few months later, we hosted a powerful webinar with Wet’suwet’en land defender Jennifer Wickham.
- Soon after the WHO declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic, IJV began releasing a series of dispatches from Palestine, highlighting the impacts of the Coronavirus in the occupied territories, and taking inspiration from how Palestinians have dealt with lockdowns and curfews in the past.
- As Benjamin Netanyahu pushed forward with his illegal annexation plan in the occupied West Bank, IJV pushed Canadian members of parliament to stop him. Because of the pressure applied by IJV, several allied organizations, and emails from hundreds of our members, 68 members of parliament signed a pledge to oppose the annexation plan.
- Along with our allies at Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) and the United Network for Justice and Peace in Palestine and Israel (UNJPPI), we released a 3-part EKOS survey on Canadians’ opinions on antisemitism, annexation, the status of Jerusalem, and more. The findings of this survey were extremely beneficial in our campaigns around Canada’s bid for a seat on the UN Security Council, annexation, and the IHRA.
- In October, as the IHRA came closer to being voted in as legislation in Ontario through Bill 168, IJV brought together a massive grassroots coalition in opposition, including Palestinian groups, academic groups, labour unions, and civil liberty associations. As a result, the Ontario government was forced to backtrack on adopting the IHRA as legislation, and instead adopted it through an anti-democratic Order in Council. IJV and our allies have pledged to continue to challenge and defy the IHRA in Ontario and elsewhere, while standing up to antisemitism and white supremacy.
- We hit and surpassed our goal during our annual fundraising campaign “Solidarity in Uncertain Times”, setting a new IJV record by bringing in a total of $51,246!
- IJV continues to be a global leader in popular education on Israel-Palestine issues. This year, we produced two videos, held 16 webinars, participated in online conferences around the world, and launched a new website for our No IHRA campaign.
We’re incredibly proud of all of our achievements in 2020. Again, none of this would have been possible without all of our members and supporters.
As we head into another year of fighting for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine, will you help build on our accomplishments this year making a donation to IJV today?