ACTIONS » We Are the Jewish Vote
Jewish Voters Slam Bush, Declare: "I am the Jewish Vote"
~JWW Owls Hit the Street for Pre-Election Hooting and Hollering~
September 13, 2004/27 Elul, 5764Pundits have tried to claim that this year's Jewish vote belongs to Bush. To counter that misperception, the anonymous group Jewish Women Watching (JWW) has hit the streets with hot pink buttons declaring "I Am The Jewish Vote." An accompanying card, currently being distributed to thousands via a nationwide network of allies, details Bush's deplorable record on issues crucial to Jewish voters, including Israel.
The pins are part of an effort to reassert that the Jewish vote is for progressive values. "The idea that Bush could be 'good for the Jews' is ludicrous," said JWW member Molly Picon. "Far from 'standing with Israel,' the Bush administration endangers Israelis and Palestinians. To quote from our project:
- From the first intifada in 1987 to the end of 2000, 463 Israelis and 1,830 Palestinians died in political violence.
- Since Bush's inauguration more Israelis (over 831) and Palestinians (over 2,757) have been killed than in the previous fourteen years combined."
The Jewish Vote Project is a natural evolution of JWW's work. Member Adah Isaacs Menken noted, "We've been concerned for a long time about the Jewish community's shift to the right. Our projects have raised the alarm about our leaders' alliances with notoriously anti-women, anti-gay, and anti-Semitic Christian evangelists. We have criticized the increasing censorship and self-censorship of Jews who question the Israeli government."
To counter that self-censorship, thousands of "I am the Jewish Vote" pins are being distributed around the country. More than one hundred allies in Jewish communities from Brookline to Salt Lake City and Winston-Salem to Harrisburg are enthusiastically spreading the word: we are the Jewish vote.
"The high holy days are a time of tshuvah - or returning," commented JWW member Miriam the Prophet. "Distributing the pins and cards, especially in swing states, will help us return to our Jewish values of justice and equality."
Jewish Women Watching members will hit the streets in their infamous owl costumes as the election draws closer. Watch for them at a candidate forum in October, and watch this space for details. For more information and a flash presentation of "I am the Jewish vote," visit JWW's web site at www.jewishwomenwatching.org.
About Jewish Women Watching (JWW)Jewish Women Watching is an anonymous activist collective that aims to rouse the public to challenge and change the sexist and other discriminatory practices in the American Jewish community. Since 1999, JWW has been criticizing the Jewish community's narrow-minded priorities in online, print, and street actions.
To arrange an interview, write jww@jewishwomenwatching.com .