Activism
Fighting for democracy
In late February 2023, I founded a grassroots movement in Philadelphia with a group of comrades designed to protest the demise of Israeli democracy. Like many other Israelis around the globe, we were concerned about the government's plan to push forward a judicial coup which would eliminate the nation's system of checks and balances on the government.
Our activity proliferated and included Israelis and American Jews from Greater Philadelphia. It soon became one of the most well-known movements outside Israel, primarily due to our effective campaign against the lead donor of the Kohelet Forum, a think-tank whose advocacy in the Israeli parliament fueled this crisis.
While saving Israeli democracy is a noble goal that is very close to my heart, I have constantly reminded myself that it is limited because of the occupation of Palestine. Unlike Israeli Jews, Palestinians do not enjoy full civil rights. Particularly for the Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Israel represents oppression and dispossession. Therefore, I firmly believe that democracy must apply to Palestinians and Jews equally; otherwise, it cannot be called a democracy.
The horrific events of October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza will have an immense impact on the prospects for democracy and peace in Israel/Palestine for generations to come. They make the mission of building a life worth living for all people between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea even more urgent.