The Jewish establishment has banned these four valiant Jews. Why?

Lots of lessons here --

This is an excellent description of one subset of the broader actors and forces who are trying to contain and divide Ferguson and other solidarity movements in St. Louis.  

This is a good background for understanding why the Museum, pressured by the JCRC and the ADL, censored the Ayotzinapa-Palestine-Ferguson event.  

This also why Washington University engaged in a serious breach of academic freedom when it censored an open academic debate on the BDS movement last year. 

This also details why, following these courageous figures, we must resist censorship and racism in all their forms.  Definitely worth reading...

From Mondoweiss:

The Jewish establishment has banned these four valiant Jews. Why?

"Levy said the demand is something out of the Spanish Inquisition. “There’s a single definition of being Jewish: I have to be a Zionist, 110 percent uncritical of Israel, otherwise I can’t call myself a Jew. And I think there’s something wrong with that.”

Rubin said the thought control reminds him of Communist days, when friends said he should never criticize the Soviet Union because Russia was the savior of the working class, and criticism would hurt the movement.

    “Now Israel is the savior of the Jewish community so don’t say anything. Israel is supposed to be a Jewish country–and they don’t want Jews to argue? This is not the way that Jews do business.”

Zellner said Israel is not a Jewish country, any more than the U.S. was a white country when 12 percent of the country was back. But she said the demands of Jewish nationalism have made Jews sick.

    “What’s happening now in the Jewish community, the enforced loyalty to the state of Israel, has made us sick. We are a sick population, we are under such extreme tension. We have people storming out of seder meals, and we in Jews Say No, when we’re out on the street. I have seen normal people who you would not look at twice go from zero to 60 in a second and become raving maniacs. Calling us everything that you can possibly say. We are in a situation where people can’t ask the questions and they can’t talk. “

She said the young Jews in the room were the “prize” that the older Jews are fighting over, and the Fingerhuts will lose.  READ THE REST OF THE STORY

More on censorship at the Missouri History Museum: ADL and JCRC pressured museum to exclude Palestine (press release and news stories below)

Compiling various press accounts (see bottom of this post).

For immediate release: March 26, 2015
CONTACT: JVP: Maya Harris & Arielle Klagsbrun; stl@jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Sunshine request reveals JCRC board member demanded Missouri History Museum exclude Palestine from Public Event
Through a Sunshine request with the Missouri History Museum, St. Louis Jewish Voice for Peace revealed that pressure from a Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director Batya Abramson-Goldstein lead to the museum’s last minute demand to exclude Palestine from a public dialogue on activism including Ferguson and Ayotzinapa.
Facing criticism for the censorship of Palestinian voices, the Missouri History Museum attributed the panel’s cancellation to miscommunication between Museum staff and event organizers. Panelists and partner organizations refused to break their coalition ties between people of color by removing Palestine from the event.
Organizers and community members rallied on the museum’s front steps in support of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee.
“I had absolutely no intent to silence you,” said Missouri History Museum President Frances Levine to St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee member Sandra Tamari before the rally in front of the museum.
The following day, St. Louis Jewish Voice for Peace officially submitted a Sunshine request under the Freedom of Information Act to the Missouri History Museum, requesting access to museum emails containing specific terms such as “JCRC”.
In a series of emails obtained, Abramson-Goldstein calls for the removal of Palestine from the panel; she wrote to Levine “ "I am writing because I have been receiving emails and phone calls expressing dismay at the upcoming History Museum Program: Ferguson to Ayotzinapa to Palestine: Solidarity and Collaborative Action. I can understand the dismay.”
After the event’s cancellation, Abramson-Goldstein wrote to Levine “When you and I eventually have our breakfast/lunch/coffee we can look back at this incident as an illustration of a potentially damaging incident defused."
Regional director of the Anti-Defamation League Karen Aroesty also expressed concern over the event when she wrote to Levine “[I] wonder if you have contacted Metro PD to let them know you may need additional personnel.”
In a post from their website, The St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee states “in [our] work to promote freedom, equality and justice in Palestine and Israel, we reaffirm our commitment to principles of anti-racism and anti-oppression... We stand opposed to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, all forms of racism, and any other expressions of bigotry directed at any person or group.”
"Our organization affirms that support of black struggle in Ferguson while at the same time supporting Jewish privilege in Israel are incompatible stances and must be rejected,” said St. Louis Jewish Voice for Peace member Maya Harris.
“When Ferguson started, I found it very interesting that the Jewish organization, the Anti-Defamation League put out no fewer than three statements saying ‘don’t compare Ferguson and Palestine,’” Tamari says. “Our solidarity is obviously very powerful and people are scared of us joining forces. The event at the museum is just one example of how we are challenging the status quo.”
###
Emails obtained from the Sunshine Request are available from JVP upon request.
Video Sources:
Frances quote:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10155299220290181&pnref=story

See also:

Press reports
Wicentowski, Danny. 27 March 2015. "MO History Museum Contacted Jewish Group Before Nixing Ferguson-Palestine Event." Riverfront Times.

Weiss, Philip. 27 March 2015. "Emails show Missouri museum canceled 'Ferguson to Palestine' event under pressure from Jewish Group" Mondweiss.

Story in StudLife, spins the Museum PR version: http://www.studlife.com/news/region/2015/03/26/emails-reveal-communication-between-jewish-group-and-museum-leadership/

Story in Post-Dispatch: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/history-museum-pressured-speakers-panel-to-exclude-palestinian-group-emails/article_c26cfa1b-2b8a-5c34-8aef-24f3b48c11f9.html

In St. Louis Business-Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2015/03/26/jewish-group-contacted-history-museum-before-it.html?ana=twt

Opinion:

Ayah Abo-basha, StudLife. MO History Museum should change its mission statement to "erasing the narratives of people of color"

Alex Leichenger, StudLife. "Whose History do we select?"

Earlier posts:  

Statement of thanks for solidarity support: http://stlouisschoolsproject.blogspot.com/2015/03/message-of-thanks-to-our-allies-in.html

Censorship and more background on history of corruption at MO History Museum.

History Museum cancels Ferguson-Palestine discussion : News

History Museum cancels Ferguson-Palestine discussion : News

Recent discussion on 'ethics' and transparency at the Zoo-Museum District Board (the board which oversees the taxpayers' money), not to be confused with the Museum Board itself, which is mostly private corporate interests.  The two boards are supposed to share power to run the Museum, but in practice there are a number of problems, chief among both, lack of transparency and accountability.

Our local NPR station receives funding from @MoHistoryMuseum.  They have been publishing negative stories about the ZMD side of the arrangement.  I read this as an attempt to discredit the more public side of the governance arrangement, but this is a hypothesis, for the moment.  (Local NPR did not cover the story about the emails that showed pressure from donors to censor the Palestine-related event, a combination of racial discrimination and censorship. But they are covering this story with relish.)

KWMU stories on ZMD code of ethics issues:

Feb 2, 2015: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/zmd-ethics-code-finally-moves-forward

March 9, 2015: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/second-zoo-museum-district-board-member-resigns-less-year

March 19, 2015: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/protest-springs-canceled-museum-event

April 6, 2015: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/zoo-museum-district-cant-agree-ethics-language

Background on corruption and private hijacking of this public institution from the Archibald days:

Dec. 20, 2012: Archibald resigns: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/archibald-resigns-history-museum-president

Jan. 13, 2014: Editorial: stumbling toward transparency  on John Roberts, former Civic Progress head, then chair of MOHM board of trustees

But when about $10 million in taxpayer money passes through your hands every year, the rules are different. Newspapers and the public at large have a right to ask questions.
Then there’s the History Museum, which is used to taking the public’s money and not providing the public any answers. Change is hard.

Jan 21, 2014:  KWMU: New director

April 22, 2014: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/conflict-interest-allegations-lead-zmd-board-resignation-and-push-stronger-regs

Dec. 11, 2014: http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/zoo-museum-district-makes-no-progress-ethics-code-zoo-audit-accepted

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_55f3956e-cd04-5037-9b07-0491964ff349.html#.VQx2Da_ugFc.twitter

http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/new-missouri-history-museum-head-lauded-report-adds-criticism-institution

When public-private 'partnership' means: public giving away money to support the interests of the wealthy political class.