Watch a video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brd6kteV64s
In the wake of October 7th, Jewish diaspora communities have been confronted with questions about Israel, Zionism, and Jewishness more broadly. Please join us in a panel discussion featuring two young Israelis who refused to serve in the IDF and spent months in military prison. This panel will be moderated by Holocaust survivor and trauma expert Gabor Maté.
We will hear anti-Zionist perspectives from within Israel and will have opportunities to ask and discuss how we can contribute to the fight for Palestinian liberation, especially as diaspora Jews living in Canada.
What role do Israeli war refusers have to play in the Palestine solidarity movement? What is our place as Jews in this movement here in Canada?
How might we be unlearning, re-learning, and reconceptualizing aspects of Jewish identity in these painful times?
What is it like to support Palestinian self-determination in today’s Israel?
What hope is there for building an anti-Zionist movement that includes Jewish voices inside and outside of Israel?
These and other questions will be the focus of this dynamic round-table conversation.
Tal Mitnick: In 2023, Tal Mitnick served a sentence of 185 days for being the first conscientious objector to refuse military service after October 7th and sparked a rebellion of youth across Israel who pledged to refuse to serve in Israel’s military while citing the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people as the source for rising fascism.
Einat Gerlitz: In 2022, Einat Gerlitz served a sentence of 87 days for her refusal to serve in the Israeli army and has been involved in the climate justice and queer movements in Israel. Einat is involved in solidarity work with Palestinians in the West Bank.
Dr. Gabor Maté, a Holocaust survivor, Order of Canada recipient, and creator of the “Compassionate Inquiry” psychotherapeutic approach, is a Hungarian-Canadian physician (retired), bestselling author published in 43 languages, known for his work on trauma, stress and childhood development. Once identified as a Zionist, he later revised his stance, and has since openly criticized Israel’s ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands, including the oppression, expulsion and massacres of Palestinians. He visited Occupied Palestine, and witnessed the depredations of Israeli occupation on several occasions. He believes that acknowledging historical context is crucial to understand the current conflict to move forward towards a peace just to both Jews and Palestinians.
Accessibility:
This event space features an elevator, automatic doors and relatively few bumps between the sidewalk and seat for those with accessibility requirements. It will also feature American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters on stage. Please contact us for further inquiries.
This event is hosted by Independent Jewish Voices Canada (IJV), a grassroots organization grounded in Jewish tradition that opposes all forms of racism and advocates for justice and peace for all in Israel-Palestine. Our strength comes from our members. IJV has active chapters in cities and on university campuses across the country.
IJV-Vancouver recognizes that the lands on which we live are the unceded territory of the Tsleil-Waututh (səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ),Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw) and Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) peoples.
Learn more here: https://www.ijvcanada.org/