Jewish Voices Protest Israeli Violence, Build Interfaith Solidarity in Spokane

Guest Commentary by Adir Blüm

On Saturday, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Spokane and other local organizations held a protest outside the Thomas S. Foley Courthouse in downtown Spokane. Co-sponsors of the rally included Veterans for Peace Chapter 35, Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, the Communist Party USA Eastern Washington and the Inland Northwest Coalition for the Liberation of Palestine (INWCLP) and Spokane Democratic Socialists of America

Amid rain, hail and strong winds, we gathered outside the courthouse to protest the recent escalation of Israeli-perpetrated violence in Rafah, including the June 8 Nuseirat refugee camp massacre that killed at least 276 Palestinians.

Challenging Local Support for Israeli Occupation

However, the emergent crisis is only an ongoing symptom of a larger issue: Israel’s 76-year campaign of apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people. We as Jews of conscience stand in firm opposition against the concept that Jewish safety must come at the expense of another group of people. We also stand against the mis-informed ideology that Zionism (the political ideology) is equivalent to Judaism (the ethno-religion).

We collectively challenge the positions that local politicians and companies have taken in support of Israel. During the rally, as JVP, we noted that $1.18 billion of federal tax dollars collected in Washington are sent to Israel to support their military. Washington state police officers have also received training from Israeli officials in “counter-terrorism methods.”

The INWCLP speaker, CJ Countryman, pointed out that the Caterpillar company (which has an office in Spokane) supplies Israel with bulldozing equipment that has been used to illegally demolish Palestinian residences in the West Bank.

Inclusive Coalitions, Rejecting Antisemitism Claims

Another goal of the emergency rally was to build solidarity with other local progressive organizations. JVP seeks to challenge the narrative that pro-Palestinian activism is antisemitic or harmful to Jews.

Since JVP Spokane was formed this year, local pro-Palestinian activists and organizations have jumped at the opportunity to include us in their actions. In fact, every action we have taken so far has been in collaboration with groups that include local Muslims and Christians, as well as people from a diverse array of cultural, racial and ethnic backgrounds. These efforts towards inclusion and religious plurality demonstrate to Spokane not antisemitism or hatred, but love and cooperation.

Conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism is particularly dangerous because it distracts from the very real threats of white supremacy and neo-Nazi movements. Since 1960, 64% of major attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States have been carried out by antisemitic white supremacists. As the events of the Holocaust taught the world, antisemitism is a dangerous and deadly ideology.

Solidarity Against White Supremacy

We as Jews also stand in solidarity with our friends and family in the local Muslim and Arab communities. Since Oct. 7, anti-Muslim incidents have reached an all-time record high since the Council on American-Islamic Relations began keeping records around 30 years ago. Between October 2023 and March 2024, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee reported 2,500 anti-Arab incidents — a 400% increase since the same period in 2022-2023.

Antisemitism, islamophobia and anti-Arab hatred all have a common perpetrator: white supremacy. JVP Spokane acknowledges that our safety as Jews is deeply intertwined with the safety of Muslim, Arab and BIPOC community members.

Even if a ceasefire is announced tomorrow, the oppression of Palestinians has been ongoing for decades and will continue as long as the land remains occupied. JVP is committed to engaging long-term to resist genocide and to combat the harm of racism, white supremacy, Islamophobia and antisemitism in Spokane and Washington state.

Adir Blüm is an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace Spokane. 

The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.