FALCON POWERS – Thousands of protesters gathered around a banner that read “Stop Arming Israel” to join two peace advocacy groups led by Jewish activists in Brooklyn, New York, in a simultaneous protest during the Easter holiday.
The organizers stated that they drew inspiration from the relationship between Jewish organizers and African-American civil rights activists who held a “Freedom Seder” dinner, bringing together people of different races and religions on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968 amidst the escalating Vietnam War. The event was organized by the left-leaning organization “Jewish Voice for Peace” and the “If Not Now” movement.
Stefanie Fox, the executive director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said, “Easter is a story of our liberation, and we are commanded to retell it every year. We take our prayers, rituals, and emotions to the streets.”
Fox traveled from Seattle to organize the event at Grand Army Plaza.
She added that Easter urges reflection on “what are the issues of freedom in our day, and there is nothing more prominent than what is happening to Palestinians now.”
The protesters at the event called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, to refrain from supporting military aid to Israel.
The event witnessed the participation of young activists as well as seniors. Syrian and Moroccan Jews also joined, sharing memories of past celebrations with their Muslim neighbors.
Prominent writer Naomi Klein addressed the crowd and expressed her support for the recent wave of protests at American universities calling for an end to the Israeli attack on Gaza, which claimed the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians.
Klein stated that the attack amounts to genocide, a claim that Israel denies.
Reports emerged of the arrest of hundreds of protesters who had blocked streets at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn.
