John,

You may have noticed we’ve been in touch more often these last two weeks asking you to financially support Justice Democrats and our incumbents in Congress, as the violence in Israel and Palestine worsens. This is a longer email, but I want to take a moment to explain why.

We are collectively witnessing the state of Israel commit public ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza after a long history of violent occupation and nearly two decades of blockading. What we — our elected officials, our media, and ourselves as individuals — do in this moment will undoubtedly have life-changing impacts for generations to come.

While we and every Justice Democrats candidate condemn Hamas's attacks on Israeli citizens and mourn every innocent Israeli and Palestinian life taken, we know that collective punishment against 2.2 million Palestinians (half of whom are under the age of 18) is NOT the answer.

That’s why Justice Democrats-endorsed Representatives Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, Ayanna Pressley, Pramila Jayapal, and Greg Casar are calling for de-escalation through a ceasefire and for urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

You wouldn’t think standing up for human rights and pleading for peace would generate condemnation and hate — but that is what we’ve received from Republicans as well as many members of our own party.

The Democratic Party has historically protected incumbents at all costs — we know this first-hand after being black-listed by the DCCC for supporting progressive primary challengers and facing multi-million dollars of AIPAC-fueled attack ads. But now, they are attacking their own incumbent members with vitriol for criticizing human rights abuses and calling for an end to bloodshed.

Justice Democrats like Summer Lee were first elected by the people of their districts in major primary upsets while running on a platform opposing the violent occupation of Palestine and stopping unconditional military aid to Israel and other forever wars.

AIPAC spent millions trying to stop them and failed. Now, AIPAC is already recruiting candidates to challenge these progressive incumbents, while AIPAC-funded officials like Rep. Josh Gottheimer verbally attack them and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remains silent.

We know the truth: It was never about protecting incumbents — it was about protecting anyone willing to maintain the status quo.

Now, we stand at a crossroads. The Democratic establishment can choose to keep attacking their own colleagues, but Justice Democrats and our collective of progressive Congressmembers will not stop fighting for what is right, no matter what comes our way.

That’s why we’ve been asking for grassroots contributions from folks like you in this critical moment: we are powered by people, and the only way we’re going to re-elect our incumbents and usher in the next generation of progressive leaders who will unapologetically stand up for Palestinian human rights is with your help.

If you can afford to, please make a donation of $3 or more to fuel Justice Democrats and defend progressive leaders standing on the right side of history as we face an onslaught of attacks before the 2024 elections.

Contribute $3

Without you, there would likely not be a coalition of progressives in Congress right now standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine during this pivotal moment in history. The list of ceasefire resolution cosponsors is growing as we keep pressure on the Party to stand up for the human rights of ALL.

Your support truly matters now more than ever.

Thank you,

Alexandra Rojas
Executive Director

 

Do not worry if you cannot afford to make a contribution — we understand that this is a difficult time. There are other ways to make an impact in support of peace and equality in Israel and Palestine: please urge your member of Congress to support a ceasefire through Adalah Justice Project’s petition or by calling them using Jewish Voice for Peace’s dialer here. Your voice matters in this critical moment.