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https://linktr.ee/ifnotnoworg IF I AM NOT FOR MYSELF, WHO WILL BE FOR ME? We live our Judaism in diverse ways. IF I AM ONLY FOR MYSELF, WHAT AM I? We have chosen.
Every year, our tradition teaches us to remember both the bitterness of slavery and the joy of liberation. We recall the narrow places we’ve left through stories of persecution and resilience, in our own lives and in our people’s history. We carry the imprint of ancestors who struggled for thousands of years to preserve our tradition, who lit candles in the darkness, sang songs in their native tongues, built vibrant homes and communities with their neighbors and refused to dwell in despair. We remember the pain and brokenness that accompanied the light, and the sublime art and timeless wisdom that sustained our people in these times. The resilience of our people and our tradition is a gift we pass from generation to generation. We are Ashkenazi, Sephardic, and Mizrahi, secular and religious, queer and Jews of color - each of us using the freedom our people have fought for to decide what being Jewish means for us. The Jewish tradition has flourished across continents and centuries because each generation of Jews has kept its flame alive by adapting and renewing it for their time and place. Today, our generation is called to reinterpret the tradition so that we too may continue the struggle for Jewish liberation in our age, and so that we may pass the tradition onto the next generation. As we were dehumanized by the oppression we faced, we are now dehumanized by that which we are inflicting. Our elders told many of us that because of our history, we should oppose oppression in all the places it lives, whether it preys upon us or others. But generations of American Jews have now watched as Israel enforces its occupation: a system of violence and separation that deprives Palestinians of civil, political and economic rights. We have watched as the leadership of the American Jewish community has, for decades, offered only justification and excuses for the ongoing denial of the basic freedom and dignity to Palestinians. The occupation is a daily nightmare for those who live under it and a moral disaster for those who support and administer it. The sufferings of Jews and Palestinians are not equal or comparable. And yet, they are deeply intertwined. We know that as long as both peoples are caught in a cycle of violence, neither of us will be safe. That as long as as young Israeli men and women are sent into battle every two years, to kill and be killed, we are not free. That so long as Palestinians cannot walk or drive on the same streets as their Israeli neighbors, or live in constant fear that they may not be able to receive adequate medical attention when their families are sick, peace is but a rhetorical mask for injustice. That as long as a fearful American Jewish community ostracizes those who see the Palestinians as human beings, deserving of the same things we wish for ourselves, we cannot live with dignity. The out-of-touch leadership of the American Jewish establishment tells us - young Jews who believe all people should have freedom and dignity - that our values are incompatible with our tradition. They tell us that our commitment to justice must not extend beyond our shores. We know their view of Israel and the Palestinians is shaped by the history of Jewish oppression and Jewish suffering and Jewish death. We also know that those who act as if we are a people without power condemn us to accepting what we cannot accept: that we must always live by the sword, that we will always be hated, that we are condemned to live in conflict for all eternity. Their pain has curdled from fear into hate. We too are scarred by our people’s trauma. Our families are their families, and our grandparents their parents. We understand how trauma has caused some in our community to interpret history to mean that the world is against us. But we interpret our past differently - as a lesson that our freedom cannot be achieved absent the freedom of our neighbors. IF NOT NOW, WHEN? Today, the Jewish community is faced with a choice. Will we choose a Judaism that supports freedom and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians, or will we let the leadership of the establishment define our tradition as incompatible with our values? Will we continue down the path of isolation and fear that’s destroying the lives of millions of Palestinians and alienating a generation of young Jews? Or, will we create a vibrant Judaism that emerges from the trauma of our past to bring our tradition to life in the present? We are building a Jewish community that recognizes we cannot be free absent the freedom of Palestinians. No longer will our community be used by American politicians and the American public to justify the violation of Palestinian rights. Like those born wandering in the desert, we are rising from our people’s trauma in order to move us toward the ongoing promise of liberation. We will be the generation to transform our community’s support for the occupation into a call for freedom and dignity for all.
The Oscar®-shortlisted film (and last month’s Film Club feature from IfNotNow and Albi) HOLDING LIAT HOLDING LIAT is now available to watch on digital 📺
In the weeks unfolding after Liat is kidnapped, her father resists efforts to use her captivity to justify escalating violence in Gaza, exposing political and emotional rifts within his family as they struggle to find a way to bring her home.
WATCH NOW on Apple TV, Google Play, and Kinema: http://holdingliat.com
10/02/2026
A delegation of 23 IfNotNow members and staff — alongside our longtime movement partner, the Center for Jewish Nonviolence — recently returned from visiting Palestinian partners and Israeli solidarity activists throughout the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
After bearing witness up close to the realities of Israel’s system of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide — facilitated by endless U.S. military support — our Shared Safety Delegation has gained renewed inspiration from Palestinian resistance and Israeli solidarity.
Now it’s time for us to share what we witnessed and experienced with our U.S. Jewish community members and allies so that we can take action together for shared safety— of Palestinians and Israelis, our neighbors and ourselves.
Join our call on Tuesday, October 20 at 8pm ET to meet the Shared Safety Delegation, hear our stories from the ground, and learn how to take action with us. Register now: 🔗 innmvmt.org/delegationreportback 🔗
10/01/2026
For the next Film Club screening, we are thrilled to present the award-winning documentary Lyd followed by a discussion with director Sarah Ema Friedland. Join us Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm ET.
Visit 🎟️ innmvmt.org/filmclub 🎟️ and donate any contribution of $10 or more to register for this virtual screening.
“LYD follows the rise and fall of Lyd – a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948 and was renamed Lod. Lyd dares to ask the question: what would the city be like had the Israeli occupation of Lyd never happened?”
Directed by Sarah Ema Friedland and Rami Younis. Runtime: 1h18m.
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🎞️ IfNotNow Film Club – a virtual film screening and discussion series from IfNotNow and Albi
Meet the Delegation: Liba, IfNotNow Member from New Jersey
“I decided to join the Shared Safety Delegation because I really want to give my kids the education about this place that I never received… the history was erased from much of my Jewish education.”
Shared Safety Delegation participant Liba reflects on our time with Burin community leader Ghassan Najjar, who explained how Israeli authorities routinely conduct mass arrests of Burin residents, including children, “just for fun”.
Join us on Zoom for “Reporting Back” on October 20th at 8pm ET to meet the Shared Safety Delegation, hear our stories from the ground, and learn how to take action with us: 🔗 innmvmt.org/delegationreportback 🔗
09/30/2026
“While any reduction in settler violence is a welcome and necessary step, to end the systematic destruction of Palestinian life and truly facilitate Palestinian self-determination, external pressure from countries around the world will be necessary.” - Israeli-American journalist and commentator Mairav Zonszein for the New York Times
The international community must stop treating settler violence as isolated violations and end the impunity that allows this system to continue.
Cutting military aid to Israel and blocking weapons is a key tangible step the U.S. could take to bring about systemic change.
Email your members of Congress now to urge them to cosponsor and support the Block the Bombs Act: 🔗 innmvmt.org/blockthebombs 🔗
09/28/2026
During Sukkot, Jews build and gather in hut-like structures called sukkahs — celebrating the bounty of the harvest and safe shelter in our Biblical story of freedom from bo***ge.
Just last month, IfNotNow members and staff visited Palestinian partners and Israeli solidarity activists on the ground throughout the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.
This Sukkot, as we have been gathering safely and joyously inside our sukkahs, our thoughts are with the Palestinians we stood with amid the rubble of their homes, demolished by the Israeli government. And we also remember the ruins of homes in Gaza we could see from a hilltop lookout point.
As we celebrate the harvest, we think of the Palestinian olive farmers we met with whose groves have been burned by settlers and soldiers alike and the attacks they face when they harvest them.
Bearing witness to U.S.-enabled apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide along with the steadfastness of Palestinians and the solidarity of Jewish Israeli activists has raised our personal stakes in our campaign to block U.S. weapons to Israel.
This Sukkot, we pray for fortitude in our fight for safety, equality, and justice for all — Palestinians and Israelis, our neighbors and ourselves.
Let us build a world in which all people may take comfort in the protection of sukkat shlomecha — the eternal shelter of holy peace.
May it be so.
וּפְרוֹשׂ עָלֵינוּ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ
Spread above us Your canopy of peace
09/25/2026
IfNotNow Movement is teaming up with Seed the Vote to bring together Jews from across the country to knock doors in Michigan for Abdul El-Sayed.
Join Jews from across the country to help elect Abdul in Michigan and win a thriving future for all. We’ll celebrate Shabbat and talk to Michigan voters together. Travel funds & lodging available!
We’re turning out for two big weekends:
🗓️October 9 - 12 (Indigenous Peoples Day weekend)
🗓️October 30 - November 3 (Get Out the Vote weekend - we’ll be knocking through Election Day on Tuesday, but you’re welcome to join for just the weekend)
Want to learn more? Join an upcoming info session: Sept 30, 9 - 10pm ET, and Oct 18, 6 - 7pm ET.
Sign up at 🔗 innmvmt.org/jewsforabdul 🔗 or comment MICHIGAN to get the link directly in your DMs!
09/24/2026
Join us at Jewish Currents Live, an all-day gathering of performance, learning, and discussion on Sunday, October 11th, 2026 in Brooklyn, NY.
In an era of genocide, mass detention, and authoritarianism, the positions and perspectives of the Jewish left have moved from the margins to the mainstream. In this moment of transformation, we’ll gather for performances, interviews, and conversations on the issues reshaping our communities and culture.
Get your tickets today! 🔗 https://jewishcurrents.org/live/ 🔗
09/23/2026
Happening soon! Next week, IfNotNow Movement is bringing together Jews from across the country for a national call and our first-ever virtual fundraiser to help elect Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to the U.S. Senate.
We’re thrilled to be joined by these exciting guest speakers: Brad Lander, NY-10 Congressional Candidate and former NYC Comptroller, Rabbi Alana Alpert, Founding Director of Detroit Jews for Justice and Rabbi of Congregation T’Chiyah in Detroit, Hayley Sakwa, IfNotNow Member and Michigan Jews for Democracy Organizer, and Jonathan Mendoza, IfNotNow Movement Leader and Seed the Vote Organizer.
In order to win a thriving future for all, we need to elect shared safety champions like Abdul.
In the primary, Abdul took on AIPAC’s billionaire-funded war machine and won. But the battle isn’t over. MAGA, pro-war lobbies, and establishment Jewish institutions are throwing everything they have at this race. That’s why it’s crucial for us to come together and organize, proving once and for all that blocking weapons to Israel and supporting Palestinian human rights are winning positions.
Join IfNotNow Movement and our exciting lineup of guest speakers on September 30 from 8-9pm to find out how you can help elect Abdul to the Senate!
Register at 🔗 innmvmt.org/jewsforabdulcall 🔗 or comment CALL to get the link directly in your DMs!
Today, Yom Kippur 2026/5787, we were honored to have Hana Masud join us for Yizkor.
We refuse to be complicit in ethnic cleansing and land theft in Palestine. We commit to collectively resist settler terrorism and stand in solidarity with the village of Al-Mughayyir, Ramallah (المغير، رام الله), and all Palestinian villages that Israel threatens to destroy.
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