New York rally: Why some American Jews refuse to 'Celebrate Israel'

 The Celebrate Israel Parade, which saw thousands converge on Fifth Avenue, also brought on a counter-protest by Pro-Palestine activists and young American Jews

Tens of thousands of pro-Israel supporters marched in New York City in a show of solidarity with Israel (MEE/Zainab Iqbal)

By 

Zainab Iqbal

Published date: 23 May 2022 20:53 UTC | Last update: 1 hour 45 mins ago

            

Esther Tsvayg told MEE that she grew up in a secular Jewish household. Her family never attended the Celebrate Israel Parade, and so she says she never took it upon herself to go.

"There was always something devastating happening in Palestine. And especially now, what is happening is very tragic," she said at Sunday's counter-demonstration.

"I think it's incredibly distasteful to have the largest celebration happening right now for a country that ethnically cleanses its population."

She added how statistics show that an increasing number of young American Jews are becoming critical of Israel for its treatment of Palestinians.

She said the 2018 Great March of Return protests, Israel's devastating assault on Gaza last year and the killing of Abu Akleh were all examples of Israeli aggression. 

"You can't deny these things happened," she said. "It's becoming really, really obvious what the reality on the ground is like and what it demands of us politically."

An estimated 40,000 people were at the parade in New York City, on 22 May 2022 (MEE/Zainab Iqbal)

Tsvayg also slammed the tactic of labelling critics of Israel who are non-Jewish "anti-Semites" and those who are Jewish "self-hating Jews".

“It's a terrible, terrible thing," she said. "Is this about Jewish people and their safety? Or is this about a particular vision and fantasy of what Jewish people are and what Jewish people shouldn't be?

"This is not about anti-Semitism, because if it was, then I, as a Jewish person would have my thoughts and opinions and feelings about this issue and not be dehumanised for it."

Ravka Mitnik-Kostanyan said that while she has also been heckled and called a "self-hating Jew", the remarks had not deterred her from speaking out in support of the Palestinians.

She said it was crucial the US listen to Americans and hold Israel accountable for its gross human rights violations.

"We pay taxes and those taxes go towards funding these human rights abuses. And there are certainly many arguments that money could go domestically for health care and housing and everything else."

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