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Last update - 10:59 18/12/2008
Leftist U.S. Jewish group backs Israelis who shun IDF enlistment
By Natasha Mozgovaya, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel Defense Forces 

Presumably this initiative will not be welcomed with open arms in Israel, but a group of American Jews has launched a campaign in support of conscientious objectors who refuse mandatory conscription into the Israel Defense Forces.

Supporters of the refuseniks plan on staging a protest near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, where they hope to deliver 20,000 letters from Diaspora Jews backing the initiative to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Some of the letters were written from supporters of the left-wing group "Jewish Voice for Peace," who contributed video testimony from some of the conscientious objectors who explained the reason for their positions in English.
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Although most American Jews are politically aligned with the liberal left, IDF service is generally viewed as an unassailable duty. Thus, officially there has never been a concentrated effort to lobby Israelis to evade conscription.

The Jewish Voice for Peace has recruited actor Ed Asner, historian and author Howard Zinn, and folk singer Ronnie Gilbert to the cause.

"The recent election of anti-war candidate Barack Obama , who by the way received some 80% of the Jewish vote, was evidence of the American people's disenchantment with war and occupation," said Cecilie Surasky, the communications director for Jewish Voice for Peace. "Seven years and untold lives and dollars later, there is almost total agreement in the US that our venture in Iraq has been an unqualified disaster."

"I am an old-time peace activist," Gilbert said. "I have marched and pleaded against the cruel occupation for years. The presence of the Shministim (the Hebrew term for Israeli youths who refuse IDF enlistment) makes me ashamed of sometimes feeling that Israel will never change. You are the change."

"I've been thinking a lot about courage," Zinn, the controversial scholar, wrote in his letter. "Right now, while I'm snug and fed this Thanksgiving holiday in the comfort of my home, halfway around the world a group of teenagers is sitting in a jail cell today, demonstrating the very definition of courage and sacrifice. It's frustrating. Humbling. And I'm damn glad to have the chance to do something big about it."

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      1.   Refusal: A Frankenstein created by the Left in Israel 03:48  |  Jake 18/12/08
      2.   And I`m ashamed of Ronnie Gilbert, et al. 04:32  |  IW 18/12/08
      3.   Nothing else to do! 05:32  |  Harry 18/12/08
      4.   Conscription is Slavery 05:32  |  David Howard 18/12/08
      5.   David Howard 06:59  |  Connie 18/12/08
      6.   David Howard 07:19  |  Bob 18/12/08
      7.   This is just as wrong 07:25  |  Mark Lincoln 18/12/08
      8.   #5Connie Israel is an independent country... 07:57  |  Maureen Ann 18/12/08
      9.   GROSS INTERFERENCE!!!!!! 08:34  |  NS 18/12/08
      10.   A Voice to Listen 08:46  |  Leo 18/12/08
      11.   jewish voice for peace 08:53  |  i love you 18/12/08
      12.   @1: And what about all the Hareidim, Settlers? 09:23  |  Mick 18/12/08
      13.   Connie 09:46  |  Myles 18/12/08
      14.   Disenchantment with war so we should neglect self defence? 10:05  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 18/12/08
      15.   Definition of courage 10:17  |  Jeremie 18/12/08
      16.   As always the truth is somewhere in the middle..... 10:28  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/12/08
      17.   #1, Jake, right 10:29  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/12/08
      18.   #4, David Howard 10:39  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/12/08
      19.   come to support the refuseniks at Tel Aviv 11:27  |  today 18:00 18/12/08
      20.   Israel is not a third world country! 11:27  |  Joseph 18/12/08
      21.   Draw the line 11:35  |  Joe 18/12/08
      22.   Mick, so its the Fascist thing again! 11:52  |  Zev Davis 18/12/08
      23.   DEMO Today 18:00 Kaplan Gate-near Mini of Defense Tel-Aviv 11:59  |  YESH GVUL-TODAY! 18/12/08
      24.   Thanks Yitzhak Ed Asnar! 12:30  |  WORLD_GUARDIAN 18/12/08
      25.   Not all Jews are MAD-OFF like Bernard MADOFF 13:02  |  Let My People Go! 18/12/08
      26.   Shame on you! 13:16  |  Ros 18/12/08
      27.   Every time I see a soldier in uniform, 13:16  |  Robert Haymond 18/12/08
      28.   The courageous Shministim 14:35  |  Janice 18/12/08
      29.   Well , Zev: In what ways do the Hareidim serve? 14:37  |  Mick 18/12/08
      30.   WORLD_GUARDIAN Will Ed Asner have his life on the line 14:44  |  PETER SM 18/12/08
      31.   Really dangerous to play Lou Grant - worse than qassams 15:10  |  x-ray 18/12/08
      32.   what a waste of a generation. taught nothing but leftist drible 15:40  |  ralph 18/12/08
      33.   No problem 15:57  |  Arie 18/12/08
      34.   why don`t these "agents of evil" assist Moslems? 16:06  |  alan 18/12/08
      35.   The low of the lows . 16:44  |  TOMY 18/12/08
      36.   #4 David Howard and slavery. 16:53  |  John Allen 18/12/08
      37.   SWISS Service in the Swiss army guarding stolen money 17:00  |  PETER SM 18/12/08
      38.   American Jews................ 17:05  |  John Allen 18/12/08
      39.   D.HOWARD Ever heard of Social obligations? Do you pay taxes? 17:18  |  PETER SM 18/12/08
      40.   #17 CIPORA 18:08  |  oetis 18/12/08
      41.   John Allen, should the US reinstate the draft? 18:27  |  BBSNews 18/12/08
      42.   These Folks Desrve Each Other 18:50  |  Tod Zuckerman 18/12/08
      43.   question 18:54  |  max 18/12/08
      44.   Not "refuseniks" but draft dodgers 19:18  |  Realist 18/12/08
      45.   jewish voice for peace is`ANTI ZIONIST 19:30  |  Zody 18/12/08
      46.   #16 Swiss , Tell me , before 1967 it was okey 19:43  |  TOMY 18/12/08
      47.   None of the three 19:44  |  San Francisco Jew 18/12/08
      48.   The Left have turned the word `peace` into an expletive 19:52  |  Jake 18/12/08
      49.   `Shministim` LOL 19:55  |  Jake 18/12/08
      50.   Big surprise - hatemongers hate 20:01  |  Menno 18/12/08
      51.   To Myles #13, RE Gandhi 20:18  |  Jake 18/12/08
      52.   Notice they encourage Israel not to fight but not Arabs 20:19  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 18/12/08
      53.   To Menno #50 20:21  |  Jake 18/12/08
      54.   i don`t know how i became a member of `jewish voice for peace` 20:25  |  but i am glad 18/12/08
      55.   Thank you Ed Asner 20:26  |  Golani 18/12/08
      56.   Give them 5 years of social work instead! 20:29  |  Daniel 18/12/08
      57.   #25 You are wrong. Howard Zinn is a pacifist. 20:35  |  Jake 18/12/08
      58.   US Iraq vets support IDF refuseniks 20:53  |  Mick 18/12/08
      59.   Leftist fools..... 21:32  |  MEXI 18/12/08
      60.   # 46 TOMY 21:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/12/08
      61.   REFUSE IDF Service - the LEAST ONE CAN EXPECT of MORALIST JEWS! 21:41  |  Leibowitz Yeshayhu 18/12/08
      62.   200 showed up 21:47  |  Arie 18/12/08
      63.   Ronnie Gilbert 21:53  |  ezra 18/12/08
      64.   free omer goldman 22:00  |  leila 18/12/08
      65.   to mick in SC-support 22:03  |  Arie 18/12/08
      66.   they are DRAFT DODGERS who should either serve of be locked up 22:29  |  zionist forever 18/12/08
      67.   Anti-Jews Opposed to Defending SDEROT from Incessant ROCKET ATTAC 22:48  |  Linda Rivera 18/12/08
      68.   Israel is at a state of war, since 1948. 22:50  |  Stephen. 18/12/08
      69.   Don`t do the crime if....................... 22:57  |  Arie 18/12/08
      70.   Support the occupation refuseniks 23:06  |  Yesh Gvul 18/12/08
      71.   `yesh gvul` - probably not Israeli! 23:23  |  Arie 18/12/08
      72.   Zinn is not "controversial" 23:48  |  Raymond Deane 18/12/08
      73.   hypocrites 00:05  |  Ain Gvul 19/12/08
      74.   Margie in Tel Aviv 00:11  |  Rachel Port 19/12/08
      75.   #65 Yes, Israel declared war on the world in 1948 00:37  |  Menno 19/12/08
      76.   leila #61. I don`t think so. 01:20  |  Jake 19/12/08
      77.   Send them to do community service in Sderot 01:21  |  Gee 19/12/08
      78.   #67. I believe you are in breach of copyright. 01:23  |  Jake 19/12/08
      79.   Leftist U.S. Jewish Group 01:28  |  Robert 19/12/08
      80.   These oafs will create 1000x more Right-wing refusers 01:28  |  Jake 19/12/08
      81.   #52 Margie in TA 01:43  |  Boycott 19/12/08
      82.   The only award those guys would get 02:06  |  Alex 19/12/08
      83.   Uh Menno, it seems like 02:39  |  Scharker Yid 19/12/08
      84.   g-d bless you omer goldman 02:49  |  you are the future 19/12/08
      85.   #41 BBS 04:17  |  John Allen 19/12/08
      86.   MENNO Nonsense.Arabs declared "War of Annihilation"of Israel 1948 04:59  |  PETER SM 19/12/08
      87.   Menno #70 facts 05:00  |  Gee 19/12/08
      88.   Its not their war. 05:07  |  Steve J 19/12/08
      89.   Raymond Deane, #72. Zinn certainly is distinguished 05:20  |  Jake 19/12/08
      90.   Steve J #88, is it your war? 05:26  |  Jake 19/12/08
      91.   Rachel Port, #74 05:34  |  Jake 19/12/08
      92.   Peter Sm and Partition 05:49  |  Truth 19/12/08
      93.   #27 Robert Haymond 05:57  |  Jim 19/12/08
      94.   Well done, this leftish Jewish group! 06:04  |  Silvienne 19/12/08
      95.   Ed Asner is a Zero 06:10  |  Ron 19/12/08
      96.   TRUTH War of Annihilation as proclaimed by the Secretary of Arab 06:30  |  PETER SM 19/12/08
      97.   SYLVIENNE Do you support any refusal to fire Qassems at civilians 06:43  |  PETER SM 19/12/08
      98.   Thank you John Allen... 07:00  |  BBSNews 19/12/08
      99.   Israel must increase the penalties of avoiding service.No choice. 07:08  |  EL 19/12/08
      100.   Peter SM and truth 07:32  |  Truth 19/12/08
      101.   Boycott: blindsided 08:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/12/08
      102.   this group should NOT encourage blindly! 08:24  |  eric 19/12/08
      103.   shunning enlistment 09:24  |  Rachel Simson 19/12/08
      104.   @ #45 JVP takes no position on Zionism, two states 09:54  |  Joel 19/12/08
      105.   Re Arie`s (#69) respnse: 12:32  |  Robert Haymond 19/12/08
      106.   In response to Jim, #93, I 12:44  |  Robert Haymond 19/12/08
      107.   shame on you 12:48  |  bless them 19/12/08
      108.   EL, what do you know about how the IDF inducts . . . 23:16  |  Zev Davis 20/12/08
      109.   young refuseniks 19:57  |  Sharline Fulton 21/12/08
      110.   The ad accompanying the article on refuseniks 11:06  |  Marta Sansigre Vidal 22/12/08
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