I Stand With Palestine

(banner art designed by Jamie Arpin-Ricci)

Let me start this article with what is most important: I stand in unequivocal solidarity with the people of Palestine as they face an increasingly clear effort at genocide by the state of Israel. The immense suffering and injustice that Palestinians face under what I recognize as an apartheid state cannot be ignored. This is not a conflict of equals but a situation where the state of Israel holds overwhelming power and systematically oppresses the Palestinian population. The Palestinian people deserve the freedom and self-determination to which every human should have access.

Resistance Rooted in Queerness

Despite many detractors arguing that queer people shouldn’t support a people that they claim would kill me if they had a chance, my solidarity with Palestine is actually deeply rooted in my queerness. As part of a community that has long experienced the pain of marginalization and oppression, I understand the critical importance of standing with other oppressed groups. Among the Palestinians who have been killed and those who continue to endure, there are queer individuals whose voices and experiences are often erased. My commitment to intersectional justice, which includes the acknowledgment and support of queer Palestinians, compels me to act against injustice wherever it occurs.

Condemning Genocide

I condemn the active efforts towards genocide against the Palestinian people. I join multiple interfaith voices, including hundreds of Rabbis and thousands of Jews who have been advocating “no genocide in our name,” including those who are part of Canada’s Independent Jewish Voices. I stand in solidarity with all our Jewish siblings who have also spoken out in solidarity with the Palestinian people to advocate for a permanent ceasefire and protections for all lives.

Rabbi Dr. Nachshon Siritsky, founder of Unama’ki Independent Jewish Voices and member of Rabbis for Ceasefire, stated:

“As a queer Rabbi and second-generation Holocaust survivor who is committed to decolonizing themselves and to Truth and Reconciliation here and abroad, I reject the colonial idea that there is an ‘us vs them’. There is only one side in any war that any person of faith can authentically affirm, and that is the side of Life. I stand on the side of…