For our entire generation, going on Birthright has been seen as a rite of passage in our Jewish journey. And, for decades, Birthright’s programming has been funded by right-wing donors and designed to obscure, rationalize, and defend the Israeli Occupation. We can no longer allow a free trip that hides the truth be synonymous with being a young Jewish person in America.
Join us in demanding Birthright confront the crisis of the Occupation.
MARK THE WEST BANK ON EVERY MAP.
EDUCATE PARTICIPANTS ON THE DAILY NIGHTMARE OF THE OCCUPATION .
SHOW A CHECKPOINT FROM A PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVE.
BRING TRIPS TO HEBRON
TO SEE WHAT THE POLICIES OF OCCUPATION HAVE DONE TO THE CITY.
Shira, Ben, and Emily at Umm al Khair
During winter 2018/2019 Birthright trips, three participants were kicked off their trip for asking questions about the border wall and the Occupation. It’s clear — Birthright only wants Jews who will accept their right-wing agenda without question. We refuse to remain silent, and demand that Birthright confront the crisis of the Occupation.
Even though their flights were cancelled and they were left stranded in Tel-Aviv, they went to Umm Al Khair, a village that’s been under threat of demolition for years, along with other anti-Occupation activists to support the community and bear witness to the Occupation.
We have everything you need to ask questions on your trip: maps of the region, facts about Israel/ Palestine, what to do when extending your trip, our Liberation Syllabus for learning more about the Occupation, and more!
This above West Bank map is a physical representation of how the Occupation plays out in the West Bank. The area in blue marks expanding Israeli settlements, while the brown marks Palestinian land. In the map, one sees the blue area of settlements encroaching on Palestinian cities and villages while also cutting them off from one another. This is why the West Bank is sometimes described as 'swiss cheese' or an archipelago; Palestinian areas are becoming increasingly smaller islands distanced from one another by expanding settlements. Not so many years ago, the brown area of Palestinian land was contiguous.
We are building a vibrant and inclusive movement within the American Jewish community, across generations and organizational affiliations. This movement is open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the occupation.
To learn more or get involved visit ifnotnowmovement.org
How do I reconcile with the fact that Birthright, a Jewish space, doesn’t uphold the Jewish values I’ve been taught to cherish? We’re encouraged to analyze, to challenge, to question. But why not here? Birthright is missing a crucial component of our Jewish tradition — asking questions. What does this tradition become if we bury some of its most basic values in that process?
Our movement depends on the generosity and support of our community.
WE DEMAND THAT BIRTHRIGHT CONFRONT THE CRISIS OF THE OCCUPATION AND COMMIT TO MAKING FOUR SIMPLE CHANGES BY APRIL 5TH
Sign this petition if you want Birthright to meet these demands and confront the crisis
Our orientation training is the essential building block of IfNotNow. Through attending one of our trainings, you will get the tools and materials necessary to start participating as a full member of IfNotNow.
To sign up for a training or to express general interest in attending a training, please click here and complete the form. If you express interest in a city where we currently have trainings, you will then receive a Google Form to register for a specific date. If we aren't in your city yet, we hope to be soon.
IfNotNow members and supporters get together regularly, for actions, community events, and meetings. Find out what’s happening near you by locating your city in the map of IfNotNow locations.
Let us know about your Birthright experience.
![Netanyahu is claiming victory in an election that excludes millions of Palestinians, people who are some of the most affected by Israeli policy.
Under Netanyahu, the Occupation has expanded its reach and brutality. We need to keep fighting against it now more than ever.
We have a call tonight at 8pm EST / 5pm PST to reveal our plans for building a new Jewish future that resists Netanyahu and his policies of Occupation. Will you join us? [LINK IN BIO]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5cae087d5404e2176da67e32/1554909313136/)
![“It’s clear now that my campus Hillel feels like it is unable to meaningfully reform its Birthright trip without the approval of Birthright itself, so I’m going to New York in order to confront Birthright at their national headquarters. We are going to loudly and proudly let them know that young Jews won’t accept their bribe anymore.” Birthright is #NotJustAFreeTrip; it is a bribe that leads young Jews to unwittingly support the everyday violence of the Occupation. So, Zak and hundreds of other young Jews are showing up to Birthright Headquarters TOMORROW (April 5th) to demand that Birthright chooses #UsOrTheDonors! [Link in Bio]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5ca65a4136d0c9f5366ee769/1554405959539/)
![“Narratives matter. I spent last summer in the West Bank, meeting dozens of people who welcomed me into their homes, gave me coffee, and shared their stories. Like people all over the world, Palestinians are doing their best to provide for their families and live ‘normal lives,’ a feat made almost impossible by the system of Occupation— checkpoints, armed soldiers, bureaucratic limitations— that permeates their daily routine.
I went on Birthright this past winter to see what semblance of this reality would be reflected back in the narratives given to thousands of young Jews who go on this ‘free trip.’ What I saw deeply saddened me. On Birthright trips, Palestinians were at best erased from the narrative, at worst presented as an omnipresent, dehumanized threat.
I am going to Birthright HQ on April 5th because I want the narratives given to young American Jews to reflect the reality of the millions of real people in this region— on the giving and receiving ends of this moral disaster— not some Disney-Land feel-good story that allows the status quo of Occupation to grow and thrive.” Join Michaela and hundreds of other young Jews on Friday as we demand that Birthright #ConfrontTheCrisis [Link in Bio]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5ca4f91d44cfcf04a2f17591/1554315557172/)
![“I am going to the action on April 5th because Birthright should know that Jewish youth from across America want to know the truth about the Occupation. Palestinian voices must be a part of Birthright.” Birthright brings 40,000 Jews to Israel every year, but none of those Jews will meet a Palestinian or an Israeli Arab on their trip. So, Gilda and hundreds of other young Jews are going to confront Birthright at their headquarters on April 5th. You in? [Link in Bio]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5ca407f174b76c3fb01b91d4/1554253814767/)
![Our demands for Birthright are very simple — stop lying to us.
When you hide the Occupation on your trips, you're lying to an entire generation of Jews. It's past time to confront the crisis, and on April 5th we're saying #LastChanceBirthright. [LINK IN BIO]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5ca399c85404e21694218bdc/1554225612935/)
![“We met on Birthright in 2017. Our families and communities encouraged us to go on this “life-changing trip” that would connect us with our Jewish identities and provide the gift of a transformative educational experience. Instead of learning more about a region and history that had always been described to us as ‘too complicated,’ we were discouraged from asking questions and given a version of the story that hides the Occupation. When asked about the wall, our tour guide explained casually about how insubstantial it was, that people passed through daily for work. He never mentioned the permits or checkpoints that Palestinians need to go through to do so. Birthright has led 650,000 young Jews on trips through Israel, and it holds enormous weight in how our generation understands the conflict. We’re going to the Birthright headquarters on April 5th to demand that Birthright stops enabling our generation to unwittingly support the Occupation.” Join Nicole and Emma at Birthright HQ on April 5th in asking Birthright to #ConfrontTheCrisis [link in bio]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2971d5e2ccd19d5ffa67d4/5b32605ff8370a56d0ca9dd3/5ca2963df9a9b8000109e908/1554159168469/)
