LETTER: Hoboken should be praised, not criticized, for Palestinian flag raising

In a letter to the editor, the Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern NJ gives their opinion on why Hoboken should be praised, not criticized, for today’s Palestinian flag raising.

Dear Editor,

Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern New Jersey salutes the city of Hoboken and its mayor, Ravi Bhalla, and city council for their planned raising of the Palestinian flag in a ceremony at City Hall.

Like each of the members of Hoboken’s rich tapestry of ethnic groups, Palestinians deserve to have their heritage acknowledged.

And at this time when people in Palestine are experiencing a tragedy of devastating proportions, it is especially appropriate to show Hoboken’s Palestinian Americans that their neighbors see their humanity.

Astonishingly, there are some who have charged that the flag raising is an antisemitic act. To be sure, the world is rife with conflict, with people on opposite sides of political divides in the larger world.

Expressing sympathy for one group of people may make some others uncomfortable – perhaps Pakistanis seeing Indians honored, or Britons seeing Irish honored, or Lebanese seeing Israelis honored.

But this discomfort cannot be allowed to prevent us from acknowledging the contributions and value of each of the components of the Hoboken community.

Antisemitism is of course a reprehensible ideology. Jewish Voice for Peace and, we hope, all people of goodwill, firmly align themselves in opposition to this vile doctrine.

We must be absolutely clear, however, that expressing respect and compassion for Palestinians has nothing to do with antisemitism.

The flag raising is not a political event. It is not organized as a criticism of Israeli policy.

Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize that criticisms of Israeli policy – whether by Jewish Voice for Peace, many Palestinians, and countlessAmericans of all backgrounds – are not motivated by antipathy toward Jews.

Indeed, for many members of Jewish Voice for Peace, it is precisely the Jewish lessons we learned growing up that lead us to oppose Israel’s current treatment of Palestinians.

When six million Jews were slaughtered in the Holocaust, we were taught that such horrors should never happen again, not to Jews, not to anyone. And we take that lesson seriously.

We have confidence that the mayor, city council, and people of Hoboken will not allow false and weaponized charges of antisemitism to be used to prevent recognition of Hoboken’s Palestinian community at a time of its greatest anguish.

Thank you.

Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern NJ