In an email sent by IfNotNow on Friday, the vehemently anti-Israel group boasted: “Now that we have exposed the moral disaster at the heart of Birthright, we’re demanding that by April 5th Birthright make a change — confront the crisis and stop hiding the reality in Israel/Palestine.”
“If they refuse,” the email threatens, using the tone often used by kidnappers and blackmailers, “hundreds of young American Jews will gather at Birthright headquarters in New York City to ask Birthright one last time, ‘Will you confront the crisis of the Occupation?’”
But wait, there’s more: “Over the next month, we’ll be showing up at Jewish institutions across the country and asking them to join us in demanding that Birthright educate its participants about the daily nightmare of the Occupation,” the email promises. “If Birthright refuses to make the clear moral choice, hundreds of young American Jews will show up at Birthright’s headquarters on April 5th, bringing each and every one of the signatures with us.”
The group says outright that its aim is to take over large-scale, Zionist initiatives such as birthright, and to use the force of its several hundred extremist members to subdue the pro-Israel institutions into submission with brutish harassment:
“With 50,000 young American Jews going every year, Birthright is the largest Jewish educational institution in the world. Instead of following right-wing billionaires like Sheldon Adelson, Birthright and all American Jewish institutions must choose — join us and confront the crisis, or continue supporting the status quo of endless Occupation.”
Pointing out proudly how much can be achieved by a few dedicated volunteered ready to go all the way against the Jewish-American establishment, the email reminds its recipients that “in December, Haaretz reported that registration was down up to 50%.” OK, so they don’t have line-editors to untie that confusing statement. The fact is they’re getting results. Which apparently makes them the ultimate representatives of “our generation,” which, they claim, “wants a change, but still Birthright has refused to listen.”
“They have until April 5th,” the email warns, using simple text, when cutout letters from magazines would have been so much more appropriate.