Jewish Voice for Peace Nat'l Meeting May 2025

JVP NATIONAL MEMBER MEETING MAY 1-4, 2025

 

Eight years after the last JVP National Member Meeting (NMM), 2,000+ activists gathered in a huge Baltimore convention center to plot the future. Below I’m starting with the conclusions, and then I will go on to describe why I am telling my friends that this was the most inspiring weekend of my very long life. It was friggin’ uplifting and amazing – and I’ll explain how and why as we go over how the leaders are plotting the way forward.

First for context, here are some rough numbers.
JVP has 34 staff, and countless volunteers.
JVP has 32,000 dues-paying members
JVP claims 300,000 active su pporters and well over a million followers on social media.

As a movement that is focused on a free Palestine, we have had to face the horrifying fact that despite our hard work – some of us for 18 months and some of us for 50 years-- we have not managed to save Palestinian lives.

We have, though, changed the reality on the ground in the USA, including in the Jewish community.
• A 2024 CBS poll “showed 61 percent of all Americans said the U.S. should not send weapons to Israel, including 77 percent of Democrats and nearly 40 percent of Republicans.” That’s a major shift.
• The Forward, a slightly ‘progressive’ Jewish publication reported that surveys showed “62% of Jewish voters would support the United States withholding shipment of some weapons to Israel until Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to an American proposal for an immediate ceasefire.”

So here are the overall take-aways from the NMM, and more details follow.

1. If we can stop the US from arming Israel, we can stop the genocide. That must be our focus.
   2. Only a mass movement against the genocide and occupation can begin to influence the direction of the US. Achieving an expanded movement requires broad coalitions of anti-fascists of varied stripes.
   3. That means that all methods of change need to be welcomed: electoral, legislative, street action, media, literature, civil disobedience, etc. There is no longer any room for purism, for us on the left to demand full and total agreement on every issue from coalition partners. (I turned to my closest comrade, who identifies as a liberal whereas I identify as a revolutionary, and whispered jokingly “I feel attacked.” He answered, “I feel vindicated!”)
   4. The key to change is power. It was a word that was repeated numerous times by remarkable leaders of the range of leftist organizations. We need the power to change US policy and direction and we can only gain power by growing the movement.
   5. Each individual should put their energy into projects that most excite them and which make best use of their skills and talents.

THE OPENING PLENARY
The opening plenary set the tone for the four days of the gathering. Chaired by the highly respected JVP Executive Director Stefanie Fox (my comrade called her an “historic figure”), we heard amazing motivating presentations from the likes of Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (who had 2,000 of us weeping as she told us about her family in Palestine), the Gazan photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, and the great academic/activist Angela Davis. Omar Barghouti, the founder of BDS, was blocked by Israel from attending in person and so spoke by video.

The messages I gained from this first plenary were: JVP commands the respect of the most accomplished and principled leaders and thinkers among Palestinians and beyond; and we attendees have to up our game to keep up with the level of thinking through the rest of the weekend.

THIS POLITICAL MOMENT
Amy Goodman chaired this plenary and she was clearly happy to do it. Amy covers the depressing, horrid news day in and day out on Democracy Now!. She interviews incredible people long before the rest of the world recognizes their smarts. She is beloved for platforming so many Palestinians. So, for this panel she had a group of highly accomplished organizers who talked about where the country stands now – in this political moment. The thing is, she had interviewed every single one of them over many years, but had not met a number of them in person so she was thrilled. For the occasion she upped her couture game, in a tilted fedora (was it blue or green?) and flowing matching overshirt. She looked sizzling with confidence and beauty.

It was an amazing discussion. Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian-American physician who has been stopped from returning to Gaza to help, described the USA obstacles of Palestinian-Americans to join other doctors through humanitarian groups. Robin D. G. Kelley, an historian and academic, looked at the rising fascism. The journalist and author Naomi Klein talked about how the uber-rich were planning to suck this world dry and then leave it – by flying to another planet, by owning their own island, by building an impenetrable enclave for themselves, etc. We heard, too, from the Palestinian-American activist, university professor, legal scholar, and human rights attorney Noura Erakat, as well as from Eran Efrati, a former Israeli combat soldier in the Israeli military who is now on JVP’s staff. I was struck by the level of mutual admiration among the panelists and, of course, most of all for Amy, who received standing ovations from the 2,000+ of us.

BUILD TO FIGHT
This plenary asked “How do we build durable people power at a scale big enough to create a more just future?” JVP and other Palestine solidarity organizations experienced a massive influx of members after October 7. No one was prepared with sufficient on-boarding tools; no one had the means to take in all the new people. We were given a number of examples of how local chapters coped. I’ll talk about what happened in NY a bit later in the section below on “Jewish Elders.” But build bigger we must.

PROJECT ESTHER PROJECT SHMESTHER: Fighting Repression under Trump
This workshop was led by Stefanie Fox and Beth Miller, the Political Director of JVP Action.
The slideshow displayed some of the more egregious sections of this fascistic, Christian nationalist document which is fast being implemented. These two highest leaders of JVP discussed how to fight back in the face of vicious repression, especially as many states have codified legislation which makes it illegal to criticize Israel – or rather makes antisemitism illegal and then calls all criticism of Israel antisemitic. For those in Massachusetts, this is alive under the guise of the Special Commission in Combatting Antisemitism. This definition has infected much of Europe as well. However, speakers in various workshops throughout the weekend who mentioned Europe, always added, “except Ireland!”

FIGHT TO WIN - Organizing for material change and to transform our conditions
This was the last plenary I attended. JVP believes its “role in the movement for Palestinian freedom is to erode the U.S.-Israel alliance supporting Israeli apartheid by fundamentally changing the financial, cultural, and political calculus of Jewish support and moral cover for Israeli apartheid, genocide, and Zionism.” Some of the speakers on this panel blew my mind, not the least JVP-NY’s Jay Saper, a key organizer of the beautifully choreographed mass demonstrations JVP has excelled in. Jay Saper talked about “queer and Jewish grief” over Gaza and in response Saper has constructed creative, powerful actions.

And then there was Loan Tran (they/them), National Director of Rising Majority, “a Black-led and people of color-led coalition of movement building organizations developing shared strategy to win a radical democracy and a regenerative economy.” JVP is in this coalition, which I didn’t know much about, and I believe it’s one of the biggest leftist umbrellas in the country. Anyway, as someone who has almost never used the adjectives smart and dumb – because to me it is a matter of opportunity, support, and possibility – I was left slack-jawed when Loan Tran spoke. They were so damned smart and spoke with contagious calm simplicity. Like so many of the brilliant people we heard from all weekend, Tran talked about power and the need to expand our base across all the identities: race, class, sexuality, geography, issues. I personally find coalition organizing difficult and I don’t think it is my strong card, but everyone in the room seemed clear that it is our only road to the power we need to turn things around and to free Palestine from American bombs.

BUILDING A MEDIA TEAM IN YOUR CHAPTER OR POD
There were 5 workshop slots throughout the weekend, and 18 workshops offered in each of those 5 slots. However, because I am on the subcommittee responsible for the distribution of the upcoming video by the Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, I was an eager media student.

The national media team of JVP covered a range of media subjects, some in great detail – too much to include here, although I took extensive notes. We heard from their photographer and their written media people. At the heart of their strategy is building relationships – from the momentary politeness of a photographer getting in the way of people in order to get the best shot to writing with praise and hopefully befriending journalists whose work centers Palestine and the genocide. They talked about spokespeople – who should be reliable and informed; comfortable having their phone number on press releases and with their personal info exposed; and who can think on their feet. Press releases and Op-Eds are best “hooked” to an event or holiday. Most of all, your messaging should be consistent and touch the heart.

OPEN CONVERSATION WITH NYC JEWISH ELDERS (Meet-up group) - "Why organize as Jewish Elders?"
I discovered long-lost friends – some I haven’t seen since the 60s and some since the early 2000s among the NYC Jewish Elders. Mostly aged 65+, they are renowned as a courageous, outrageous affinity group practicing creative civil disobedience. They have many hundreds on their mailing list and are able to quickly mobilize 150 Jewish elders to the streets. Most recently, they took over the lobby of tRump Tower and swarmed with signs around the notorious escalator. The workshop was packed with those of us who don’t live in NYC, but really want to operate with peers and with chutzpah – emphasizing the added value of being Jewish Elders. One unexpected dividend, they told us, was that younger people who were alienated from their families because of their anti-Zionist politics found great comfort meeting these old comrades. This reminded me of all those women who offer hugs at Pride to kids who have been rejected by their families for being queer.

The Jewish Elders were originally a JVP affinity group at a time when the organizers were overwhelmed with new members. The elders organized themselves, pulled off creative actions, and have maintained their semi-autonomous, but very connected, relationship to JVP.

PERFORMANCE NIGHT
Despite a sudden, vicious rain storm on our way to the conference center that soaked our clothes and shoes till they were dripping, we grabbed seats for the incredible performances, and the opportunity to feel some joy in the strength of our community of strangers who are united in fighting for a Free Palestine.

The first performer was Wallace Shawn, actor and writer known for “My Dinner with Andre.” He read a piece in the voice of Trump that highlighted the man’s obsession with hamburgers. Next the revered poet Mosab Abu Toha (who won the Pulitzer the next day) deeply moved the room with his honest, distressing work about Palestine. He lost 31 relatives to the present genocide. The singer Jamila Woods at first thought people were walking out of the auditorium, but they were actually streaming to the aisles to dance to her fabulous music. Finally, we had Laura Elkeslassy and her remarkable band. Elkeslassy’s family is from Morocco and she identifies as an Arab Jew – an oxymoron, she said, that colonialists cannot digest. Her music generated an almost ecstatic burst of dancing, including Mosab Abu Toha (surrounded by security) and people of every age. It was the evening we all needed.

The moderators held a fundraiser initiated by the Palestinian Youth Movement between performances, aimed at raising $36,000 on the spot for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, but so quickly reached that goal and they upped it to $50,000 – and we met that and more.

We dripped back to the hotel, sated but wet, and took advantage of the free dryer.

The following are bits and bobs.

MESSAGING
Many speakers made it clear that now that the Palestinians have experienced broken/fake ceasefires, the original demand for a “Ceasefire Now!” was no longer seen as the most useful messaging – (although Mosab Abu Toha sometimes talks about an “Immediate & Permanent Ceasefire”). Instead, most strategic thinkers talked about "Stop Arming Israel." Quite a few of the Palestinians emphasized the need to "End the Occupation." With the US and Israel in greater lockstep than ever, these Palestinian activists do not believe that any ceasefire will be respected or enforced. But all felt that without American arms, Israel could not continue the genocide, not the least because the Israeli economy is tanking and droves of Israelis are emigrating, contributing to a brain drain.

FILMS
Two films were shown:
The Night Won’t End: Biden's War on Gaza, followed by Q&A with the filmmaker Laila Al-Arian.
The Encampments – but I couldn’t see it as I was then flying home.

WHOVA
We were asked to open accounts in WHOVA, an online platform I had never heard of. I moaned and groaned – this movement has forced endless tech learning curves on me – but once I was actually engaging with it, I was quite impressed with its utility. I had assumed it was going to be a hyper-secure messaging app, but in fact I found out from a young woman on the return plane that it is a widely used convention software. That made it all make sense.

ACCESSIBILITY
There was a great deal of attention paid to access, including a desk where one could get advice or help anytime. However, my dodgy knees/feet suffered with the difficult walk between the hotel to the Convention Center on rough city streets (not far enough to call a Lyft/Uber) which was combined with the huge size of the Center with its stone floors. I usually do under 2000 steps per day. One day at the NMM I clocked 9,500 steps! It’s taken me a week to recover.

SECURITY
JVP hired four different movement-friendly teams to handle the security. They were everywhere. They were kind and helpful. They worked together beautifully, despite being from different companies.

FINALE

I had to leave on Sunday morning so I could not attend the final plenary that included two stalwart friends of JVP: Cori Bush and Linda Sarsour. This final session was titled: Steadfastness in the Face of Repression.

Comments

[Leora Skolkin Smith]

Wonderful to read this and that there is forming a great solidarity

[Hilary Shadroui]

Thank you for this blow by blow. So impressed with JVP and love the actions.
In solidarity

[J.Sal]

Sue thank you so much for posting this! NMM went by so fast for me that I found myself at a loss for words (but not emotion) whenever anyone asked me how it went and what happened. I'm sharing this post as far and wide as I can so that people can get a feel for the amazing movement we are a part of. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Oh, and by the way, Amy Goodman was wearing blue. I stood next to her at the check in for the Sheraton the day before.