Jewish New Yorkers occupy Statue of Liberty to demand Gaza ceasefire
Activists from Jewish Voice for Peace group unfurl banners reading ‘Palestinians should be free’ at the base of New York landmark.
Activists from Jewish Voice for Peace occupy the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. [Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via AFP]
Published On 7 Nov 2023
Hundreds of US Jewish activists have peacefully occupied New York’s Statue of Liberty to demand an end to Israel’s “genocidal bombardment” of civilians in Gaza and a ceasefire.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans “Jews demand ceasefire now” or “Not in our name”, the protesters from the Jewish Voice for Peace group on Monday unfurled banners reading “The whole world is watching” and “Palestinians should be free” at the base of New York’s landmark.
It was the latest pro-Palestinian protest to take place in the United States since the start of the war a month ago.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, gathered in Washington, DC to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce US policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of people occupied the huge Grand Central station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from US Jewish organisations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
Published On 7 Nov 2023
Hundreds of US Jewish activists have peacefully occupied New York’s Statue of Liberty to demand an end to Israel’s “genocidal bombardment” of civilians in Gaza and a ceasefire.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans “Jews demand ceasefire now” or “Not in our name”, the protesters from the Jewish Voice for Peace group on Monday unfurled banners reading “The whole world is watching” and “Palestinians should be free” at the base of New York’s landmark.
It was the latest pro-Palestinian protest to take place in the United States since the start of the war a month ago.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, gathered in Washington, DC to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce US policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of people occupied the huge Grand Central station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from US Jewish organisations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
Over the past month, the group has staged protests in several high-profile New York City locations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Protestoers unfurled banners reading 'The whole world is watching' and 'Palestinians should be free' at the base of the landmark.
The huge copper statue sits on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.
Participants from the Institute for Middle East Understanding demanded 'an end to Israel's genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza'.
Protesters also denounced President Joe Biden's military and diplomatic support for Israel.
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000 people on Monday, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health.
Activists from Jewish Voice for Peace return to the ferry after occupying the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
[Stephanie Keith/Getty Images via AFP]
Jewish-led peace activists protest at Statue of Liberty to demand Gaza ceasefire
REUTERS
07 November 2023
REUTERS
07 November 2023
Activists from Jewish Voice for Peace occupy the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty on November 6, 2023 in New York City. (AFP)
- The Jewish-led organization opposes the Israeli government’s policies toward Palestinians as a form of apartheid
NEW YORK: Hundreds of protesters, many from the group Jewish Voice for Peace, staged a sit-in on Monday outside New York’s Statue of Liberty, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Video on social media, including footage posted by the group itself, showed throngs of activists sitting at the base of the statue chanting, “Never again for anyone, never again is now,” echoing a Jewish rallying cry in the aftermath of the Holocaust.
Others stood on the statue’s pedestal, draping large banners over the side that read “Ceasefire Now!” and “The Whole World is Watching.”
The group, which has mounted similar demonstrations in recent weeks at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan and at the Canon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, said the demonstration drew 500 people.
The Jewish-led organization opposes the Israeli government’s policies toward Palestinians as a form of apartheid.
“Just like Palestinians, so many of our ancestors yearned to breathe free,” the group said on X, formerly Twitter, referring to a line from the sonnet composed by the 19th-century Jewish-activist poet Emma Lazarus that is inscribed in bronze on the pedestal of the statue.
There was no word from organizers or the US Park Police, which patrols the island, about whether there were any arrests stemming from the demonstration.
The protest came as Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza said the death toll from Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave had surpassed 10,000, including more than 4,000 children.
Amplifying international pressure for a halt to hostilities on both sides in the conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the blockaded territory had become a “graveyard for children.”
The latest wave of Arab-Israeli bloodshed began on Oct. 7 with a surprise cross-border rampage by Iranian-backed Hamas militants in southern Israel from Gaza, killing some 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and abducting more than 240 hostages.
Vowing to crush Hamas in retaliation, Israel’s military unleashed an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza followed by a ground offensive into the crowded coastal enclave. Both Israel and the Hamas militants who control Gaza have rebuffed calls for a ceasefire.
Jewish New Yorkers Occupy Statue of Liberty to Demand Gaza Cease-Fire
November 06, 2023
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK —
Hundreds of U.S. Jewish activists peacefully occupied New York's Statue of Liberty on Monday to demand a cease-fire by Israel and an end to the "genocidal bombardment" of civilians in Gaza.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans "Jews demand ceasefire now" or "Not in our name," the protesters unfurled banners reading, "The whole world is watching" and "Palestinians should be free" at the base of New York's iconic landmark.
The huge copper statue sits on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.
"The famous words of our Jewish ancestor Emma Lazarus etched into this very monument compel us to take action supporting the Palestinians of Gaza yearning to breathe free," Jay Saper of Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, the gathering's organizer, said in a statement, referring to the 19th-century activist who helped Jewish refugees fleeing to New York from Europe.
The statement quotes Lazarus's poem "New Colossus," which is engraved on the statue's base as an ode to U.S. immigrants.
Participants from the Institute for Middle East Understanding demanded "an end to Israel's genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
"As long as the people of Gaza are screaming, we need to yell louder, no matter who attempts to silence us," said photographer Nan Goldin, standing alongside several local elected officials, some with strong roots in the political left.
New York City, a famed melting pot of migrants, has been rocked for the past month by dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The city is home to some 2 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, and it so far has avoided any violence related to the conflict, though tensions are palpable in certain spots such as university campuses.
But opinions are not monolithic in either community.
A liberal segment of American Jewish youth — Jews vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party — has unleashed harsh criticism of Israel, which it accuses of perpetrating "genocide" on Palestinians in Gaza.
They also denounce President Joe Biden's military and diplomatic support for Israel, which has engaged in a month-long bombardment of the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7 attack that Israeli officials said left 1,400 people.
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000 people Monday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, some brought by JVP, gathered in Washington to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce U.S. policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of protesters, many gathered by JVP, occupied the huge Grand Central train station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from U.S. Jewish organizations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
November 06, 2023
Agence France-Presse
This handout picture provided by the Jewish Voice for Peace shows activists calling for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip at the Statue of Liberty in New York, Nov. 6, 2023.
NEW YORK —
Hundreds of U.S. Jewish activists peacefully occupied New York's Statue of Liberty on Monday to demand a cease-fire by Israel and an end to the "genocidal bombardment" of civilians in Gaza.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans "Jews demand ceasefire now" or "Not in our name," the protesters unfurled banners reading, "The whole world is watching" and "Palestinians should be free" at the base of New York's iconic landmark.
The huge copper statue sits on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.
"The famous words of our Jewish ancestor Emma Lazarus etched into this very monument compel us to take action supporting the Palestinians of Gaza yearning to breathe free," Jay Saper of Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, the gathering's organizer, said in a statement, referring to the 19th-century activist who helped Jewish refugees fleeing to New York from Europe.
The statement quotes Lazarus's poem "New Colossus," which is engraved on the statue's base as an ode to U.S. immigrants.
Participants from the Institute for Middle East Understanding demanded "an end to Israel's genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
"As long as the people of Gaza are screaming, we need to yell louder, no matter who attempts to silence us," said photographer Nan Goldin, standing alongside several local elected officials, some with strong roots in the political left.
New York City, a famed melting pot of migrants, has been rocked for the past month by dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The city is home to some 2 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, and it so far has avoided any violence related to the conflict, though tensions are palpable in certain spots such as university campuses.
But opinions are not monolithic in either community.
A liberal segment of American Jewish youth — Jews vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party — has unleashed harsh criticism of Israel, which it accuses of perpetrating "genocide" on Palestinians in Gaza.
They also denounce President Joe Biden's military and diplomatic support for Israel, which has engaged in a month-long bombardment of the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7 attack that Israeli officials said left 1,400 people.
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000 people Monday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, some brought by JVP, gathered in Washington to call for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce U.S. policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of protesters, many gathered by JVP, occupied the huge Grand Central train station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from U.S. Jewish organizations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
Jewish New Yorkers occupy Statue of Liberty to demand Gaza ceasefire
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
06 November, 2023
Hundreds of Jewish peace activists in New York have occupied the iconic Statue of Liberty demanding an immediate ceasefire for Gaza.
Israel's war on Gaza has resulted in unprecedented peace activism from young Jewish Americans [Getty]
Hundreds of US Jewish activists peacefully occupied New York's Statue of Liberty on Monday to demand a ceasefire by Israel and an end to the "genocidal bombardment" of civilians in Gaza.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans "Jews demand ceasefire now" or "Not in our name," the protestors unfurled banners reading "The whole world is watching" and "Palestinians should be free" at the base of New York's iconic landmark.
The huge copper statue sits on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.
"The famous words of our Jewish ancestor Emma Lazarus etched into this very monument compel us to take action supporting the Palestinians of Gaza yearning to breathe free," Jay Saper of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the gathering's organizer, said in a statement, referring to the 19th-century activist who helped Jewish refugees fleeing to New York from Europe.
The statement quotes Lazarus's poem "New Colossus," which is engraved on the statue's base as an ode to US immigrants.
Participants from the Institute for Middle East Understanding demanded "an end to Israel's genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
"As long as the people of Gaza are screaming, we need to yell louder, no matter who attempts to silence us," said photographer Nan Goldin, standing alongside several local elected officials, some with strong roots in the political left.
New York City, a famed melting pot of migrants, has been rocked for the past month by dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The city is home to some two million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, and has so far avoided any violence related to the conflict, though tensions are palpable in certain spots such as university campuses.
But opinions are not monolithic in either community.
A liberal segment of American Jewish youth -- Jews vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party -- has unleashed harsh criticism of Israel, which it accuses of perpetrating "genocide" on Palestinians in Gaza.
They also denounce President Joe Biden's military and diplomatic support for Israel, which has engaged in a month-long bombardment of the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7 attack.
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000 people Monday, according to Gaza's health ministry.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, some brought by JVP, gathered in Washington to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce US policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of protesters, many gathered by JVP, occupied the huge Grand Central station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from US Jewish organizations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
The New Arab Staff & Agencies
06 November, 2023
Hundreds of Jewish peace activists in New York have occupied the iconic Statue of Liberty demanding an immediate ceasefire for Gaza.
Israel's war on Gaza has resulted in unprecedented peace activism from young Jewish Americans [Getty]
Hundreds of US Jewish activists peacefully occupied New York's Statue of Liberty on Monday to demand a ceasefire by Israel and an end to the "genocidal bombardment" of civilians in Gaza.
Dressed in black T-shirts emblazoned with the slogans "Jews demand ceasefire now" or "Not in our name," the protestors unfurled banners reading "The whole world is watching" and "Palestinians should be free" at the base of New York's iconic landmark.
The huge copper statue sits on Liberty Island at the entrance to New York Harbor.
"The famous words of our Jewish ancestor Emma Lazarus etched into this very monument compel us to take action supporting the Palestinians of Gaza yearning to breathe free," Jay Saper of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the gathering's organizer, said in a statement, referring to the 19th-century activist who helped Jewish refugees fleeing to New York from Europe.
The statement quotes Lazarus's poem "New Colossus," which is engraved on the statue's base as an ode to US immigrants.
Participants from the Institute for Middle East Understanding demanded "an end to Israel's genocidal bombardment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
"As long as the people of Gaza are screaming, we need to yell louder, no matter who attempts to silence us," said photographer Nan Goldin, standing alongside several local elected officials, some with strong roots in the political left.
New York City, a famed melting pot of migrants, has been rocked for the past month by dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The city is home to some two million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, and has so far avoided any violence related to the conflict, though tensions are palpable in certain spots such as university campuses.
But opinions are not monolithic in either community.
A liberal segment of American Jewish youth -- Jews vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party -- has unleashed harsh criticism of Israel, which it accuses of perpetrating "genocide" on Palestinians in Gaza.
They also denounce President Joe Biden's military and diplomatic support for Israel, which has engaged in a month-long bombardment of the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7 attack.
The death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000 people Monday, according to Gaza's health ministry.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of demonstrators, some brought by JVP, gathered in Washington to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and to denounce US policy of support for Israel.
In late October, thousands of protesters, many gathered by JVP, occupied the huge Grand Central station in Manhattan with the same demands.
Separately, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, including some from US Jewish organizations, shut down the Brooklyn Bridge, leading from Manhattan to the multicultural and fashionable borough across the East River.
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