[News] LA - Jews shut down Israeli Consulate

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Press Release
January 14, 2009

*Available for Interviews: *

Lisa Adler, 917.400.7964 (available for interviews in Spanish)

Eric Romann, 510.285.7240

Tamara Rettino, 323.547.1277

For video footage: Stacy Goldate, 213.255.6950, 
<mailto:stacy at stacygoldate.com>stacy at stacygoldate.com

JEWS SHUT DOWN ISRAELI CONSULATE FOR 3 HOURS 10 JEWS CHAIN TOGETHER TO BLOCK
DRIVEWAY AND ENTRANCE

Early this morning, Jewish activists in a historic first in Los Angeles,
chained themselves to the entrance of the Israeli Consulate and blocked the
driveway to the parking structure, blocking all traffic in and out of the
building. "We sent a clear message to the world that LA Jews are part of
the global majority in opposition to the Israeli siege of Gaza," said Lenny
Potash a 72-year old protester who was cuffed to eight other activists,
blocking the driveway to the consulate. The activists were joined by 50
other supporters and who chanted "LA Jews say, End the Siege of Gaza" and "Not
in Our Name! We will Not be Silent!" Protesters also held up signs reading
"Israeli Consulate: Closed for War Crimes."

"We succeeded today in letting Jews and other Americans of conscience know
that it is safe to speak out against the policies of the Israeli government
and that the Israeli lobby does not speak for everyone," said Robin Ellis, a
Registered Nurse who also risked arrest to block the consulate entrance. "We
are committed to escalating non-violent activities in the future to end the
siege and win justice for Palestinians," Ellis said.

The group of activists were an ad-hoc, multi-generational group of LA
Jewish residents, including members of the recently founded International
Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. They shared a commitment to ending the Israeli
siege on Gaza and an end to Israeli apartheid. The demonstration will kick
off a wave of demonstrations across the United States uniting Palestinians,
Jewish people, and other Americans outraged by the siege.

"We are shocked and outraged at Israeli's latest act of violent aggression
against the Palestinian people. Killing over 950 people, including 250 women
and children, bombing schools and mosques and then calling it
self-defense-that is the worst kind of hypocrisy. It also amounts to war
crimes," said Hannah Howard, a local member of the International Jewish
Anti-Zionist Network. "We shut down the Israeli consulate today because as
Jewish people we cannot allow business as usual while violence is being done
in our name."

Action participants also spoke out against the US government's
unconditional support for Israel's siege and its ongoing war against the
Palestinian people. "While US-funded F16's rain down bombs on the people of
Gaza, our elected officials locally and nationally offer unqualified
support." said Marsha Steinberg, a retired union representative. "Our
government must stop sending billions of dollars in military and economic
aid to the Israeli war machine," Goldberg said. In the coming week,
concerned Americans from all backgrounds will call on the new Presidential
administration to make a 180 degree change in policy.

"While the end of the siege on Gaza is our most immediate priority, this is
only the latest chapter in Palestinians' 60 plus year experience of
occupation and ethnic cleansing. Peace and justice in the region will only
come when Palestinians have freedom and control their own destiny," said
Lisa Adler, a community organizer in Los Angeles and another member of the
International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. "Even before the siege began,
Israel's inhumane months-long blockade of Gaza created a major humanitarian
crisis. We must end the siege. And we are building a nonviolent
international movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions that brings an
end to Israel's policies of occupation and apartheid and advances the
Palestinian struggle for justice," said Adler.

For more information on the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, visit
www.ijsn.net

*Profiles of several Demonstrators*

*Marsha Steinberg* is a retired union representative and long time activist
for social justice.

*Gabriel Strachota* is a 22-year old Jewish native of Massachusetts. His
mother grew up in apartheid South Africa and he has many aunts, uncles, and
cousins living in Israel.

*Robin Ellis* is a 34-year old Registered Nurse, working in Los Angeles'
public health system.. Robin's grandparents and great grandparents fled Nazi
Germany and settled in New York where Robin was born.Registered Nurse

*Lisa Adler* is a 29-year old New York native from a Latin American Jewish
family. She spent several weeks in occupied Palestine in 2002 working in
solidarity with Palestinians resisting the occupation non-violently.

*Eric Romann* is a 31-year old community organizer originally from New
Jersey. Eric's grandparents moved to Palestine to escape Nazism in the
1930's and lost many family members in the Nazi Holocaust. His father spent
the first 15 years of his life in Israel and Eric has many family members
living there.

*Samantha Tess Sunshine* is a queer white Jew who lives in Los Angeles. She
is a trained sex educator who has worked in the field of sexual health for
almost a decade, and is currently a lead facilitator for the Leadership
Development in Interethnic Relations Program at the Asian Pacific American
Legal Center.



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