The Intersection of Anti-Occupation and Queer Jewish Organizing

58 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 QUEER SPIRITUALITY AND POLITICS TheIntersectionofAnti-Occupation andQueerJewishOrganizing by Wendy Elisheva Somerson N eartheendoftheanti-OccupationPassover SederheldbyJewishVoiceforPeaceinSeattlethis spring, I looked around at my community of more than one hundred queer Jews and friends and felt an internal shift. After leading the concluding prayer, I told everybody that only six years ago, I didn’t know any other radical Jews with whom to celebrate Pesach. This year, I felt like I was taking a deep nourishing breath after years of shallow breathing. As a queer Jew who is deeply critical of the Israeli government and deeply inspired by Jewish ritual, my desire for bothpoliticalandspiritualfulfillmentwasfinallybeingmet. ThisexperiencehighlightedformehowimportantitisforradicalJewstocreatealternativespiritualandpoliticalspaces ,instead ofbeggingtobeletintoJewishinstitutionalspacesthatofferusinclusion only when we leave our anti-Occupation politics behind. Similar to how Jewish mainstream organizations welcome us as longaswetoethelineonIsrael,mainstreamGLBTorganizations representusonlyifwevalidateheteronormativeinstitutionssuch as marriage, militarism, and the prison industrial complex. In both movements, we need to create spaces outside of institutions thathelpusenvisionaworldinwhichwewanttolive. Our chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) provides a model of queer activism grounded in resistance to institutions that promote militarism and state violence. Queer-identified folks make up the majority of JVP-Seattle, which tries to think beyond mainstreamJewishnotionsofwhatis “inourbestinterest”asJews.We aim to use our Jewish and queer histories of struggle and resistance to become allies to other oppressed groups, including Palestinians. Refusing to let mainstream Jewish groups speak for us, we rejectthedisingenuouswayspro -Occupationgroupsusethenotion ofIsraelasa“gay-friendlyoasis”intheMiddleEasttodivertattention away from Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine. As queer Jews, we will not allow the notion of our supposed safety as both Jewsandqueerstoblindustotheoppressionofothers. As queers, we also hold a broad vision of what is in our “best interests”andinsistonworkingfromtheintersectionofqueerness with other identities. Mainstream GLBT rights organizations increasinglyclamorforGLBTfolkstobeletintoheteronormative mainstream institutions by pouring their energy and resources into legalizing gay marriage, passing hate crimes legislation, and insistingonour“right”toserveinthemilitary.Insteadofknocking on the doors of these notoriously oppressive and homophobic institutions, where so many folks experience abuse, we need to start creating alternative ways to validate relationships, create accountability, and challenge nationalist militarism within our communities. Challenging a Pro-Occupation Rally The summer of 2006 was difficult for many Jews in Seattle, both because of escalating aggression by the Israeli government against Gaza and Lebanon and because of shootings attheJewishFederation.AtaStandwithIsraelrallythatsummer, one week prior to the shootings, a handful of queer Jews brought an alternative voice to the unconditional support for Israeli military aggression. On a hot summer day, we entered the park with signsthatsaid,“AsaJew,Icannotsupportbombingcivilians”and “Judaism taught me to question the justification of war for peace.” When we tried to join the rally, we were Police prevented Jewish protestors from joining a pro-Israel rally. “Finally, several of us just walked into the rally and sat under a tree with our signs,” writes Wendy Somerson (right). (continuedonpage72) Wendy Elisheva Somerson is a queer Jew who helped found JVP-Seattle. In addition to writing, she metal-smiths, makes art, and cavorts with other radical Jews. Her work has appeared in Bitch and other publications. COURTESY OF WENDY ELISHEVA SOMERSON QUEER POLITICS/ANTI-OCCUPATION AND QUEER ORGANIZING 72 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 0 stopped by the police. We were told we couldn’t enter the rally with our signs, yet most folks in the rally carried signs, just ones with different messages. It was increasingly frustrating to be told that we were welcome at the rally only if we left part of ourselves behind. The police didn’t know how to deal with us because we were Jewish protesters . They were told to keep protesters out, but many of us had been invited to the rally by our congregations. Did we belong inside or outside? Finally, several of us just walked into the rally and sat under a tree with our signs. The police left us alone, but various folks at the rally were infuriated by our presence: some insisted that we leave; some tried to talk...