BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace

Our Manifesto

Barnard and Columbia Jewish Voice for Peace is a collective of anti-Zionist Jews dedicated to dismantling Zionism and fighting for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea. We reject the idea that Zionism is a necessary or permanent part of Jewish identity: in the tradition of our ancestors, we believe true Jewish safety does not come from militancy and isolation, but rather from the diaspora and international solidarity with all oppressed and colonized peoples worldwide. We envision a world where Palestinians, Jews, and all other marginalized groups, are safe no matter where they are, beyond ethnonationalism.

Likewise, we situate ourselves within the long history of Jewish anti-Zionist dissent, recognizing that, at its inception, Zionism and Zionist colonization was not a widely accepted solution to antisemitism. We recognise that the study of  history is a means through which imperialist empires can control and rewrite narratives that expose their aggression, faults, lies, and subjugative nature. Following the first Zionist conference, “great opposition to the movement had developed among the Reform Jews,” and at the seventh annual gathering of the Central Conference of American Rabbis the conference adopted a resolution stating: 

“Resolved, that we totally disapprove of any attempt for the establishment of a Jewish state…. [which] infinitely harms our Jewish brethren where they are still persecuted, by confirming the assertion of their enemies that the Jews are foreigners in the countries in which they are at home, and of which they are everywhere the most loyal and patriotic citizens. We affirm that the object of Judaism is not political nor national, but spiritual, and addresses itself to the continuous growth of peace, justice, and love in the human race, to a Messianic time when all men will recognize that they form one great brotherhood for the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth.” 

We reject all forms of isolationism, and endeavor to provide space for anti-Zionist Jews within and alongside the circles they naturally inhabit. We support the right to resistance (“Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle;” Right of peoples to self-determination/Struggle by all available means)  against an occupying army, which is enshrined in international law and which Jews have practiced throughout our history.

“This is the eighth day of our fight for life. The night of April 19, the Warsaw Ghetto–one of the last–was suddenly surrounded by regular German forces on the way to liquidating surviving Jews. Subsequently, in the first few days, the Germans suffered many losses and were forced to retreat from the Ghetto. Then, with the aid of tanks, armored cars, cannons, and even airplanes, they proceeded formally to besiege the Ghetto and systematically set buildings afire. The number of casualties–men, women, and children–victims of mass execution or burning has been phenomenal. Our days are numbered, yet so long as we possess bullets we shall fight and defend ourselves. [paragraph break] We have rejected the German ultimatum urging us to surrender because the enemy, knowing no mercy, leaves us no alternative. As time runs out, we demand that you remember how we’ve been betrayed; there will come a day of reckoning for our sacred, spilt blood. Send relief to those who will escape the enemy’s grip before the final hour, so they may continue the struggle.” 

“Letter from Mordekhai Anielewicz to Comrades on the Aryan Side,” April 28, 1943, pp. 155-156. Quoted in Mark, Bernard, Uprising in the Warsaw ghetto, 1955.

We aim to separate Zionism from Judaism and Jewish institutions, and uplift Palestinian voices and the voices of other oppressed communities; we always center Palestine in our discussions on Zionism and liberation. We reject Israel’s statehood and apartheid regime and stand in unconditional solidarity and alignment with Columbia’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and their mission. In 2016, JVP and SJP formed Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which was officially reactivated following our suspension through the collective efforts of dozens of student groups. Our goal of divestment can only be achieved as part of a collective, and we fully support the demands and mission of CUAD. 

We further demand that Columbia University:

1. Recognize the distinction between the political ideology of Zionism and the religion of Judaism.
2. Establish a university definition of anti-Semitism that allows for criticism of Israel and Zionism.
3. Ensure that official Jewish spaces on campus are inclusive of all Jewish students, with the guarantee that religious spaces do not enforce a political ideology. 

We advocate for a free Palestine, an end to the occupation, right to return, and an end to militancy in our name. We envision a one-state solution as the only plausible means to achieve justice in Palestine, with the belief that in order to stand in support of the Palestinian cause, we must follow the Thawabit (the principles of Palestinian solidarity). 

1. Unequivocal support for the Palestinian right to resistance against an occupying army. To separate resistance from Palestine is to separate the blood from the body.
2. Defending the unimpeachable right to Palestinian self-determination.
3. Advocating for Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
4. Championing the undeniable right of Palestinian refugees to return (in accordance with UNGA 194).

JVP works to create a communal, cultural, and religious space for anti-Zionist Jews. We know that the burden should not be on oppressed people to educate others on their own humanity, culture, and fight – therefore, JVP serves as a space to educate Jews and non-Jews on the fight for Palestinian liberation, as well as our own histories before and during Zionism. We push and will continue to push for full divestment from the genocidal and illegitimate Israeli state, and call on the Columbia community to fully and wholly support the Palestinian cause on their terms.

Visiting the Museum

Opening times

Group Visits

Check here the registration dates and the proposed routes for each educational level.

Audioguide

An approach to the Museum’s collection through thirteen audio tracks referring to great sculptural works made by pre-Hispanic, European and Argentine cultures.