Emily Mayer
Overview
Emily Mayer is a founding member of IfNotNow (INN) who was arrested while protesting with INN in April 2016. She has expressed support for violent protesters, trivialized anti-Semitism, demonized the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) and repurposed Jewish rituals to demonize Israel.In July 2019, Mayer was reportedly the “national coordinator” for INN. Also as of July 2019, Mayer was listed as a Trainer at movement incubator Momentum.
Mayer indicated on Facebook that she “went”to a training event that was co-led by Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).
As a national leader of INN, Mayer either made the decision or was complicit in INN’s decision to partner with the anti-Semitic AMP.
In January 2014, Mayer was reportedly in her “last semester” at Haverford College.
Arrest
On April 20, 2016, Mayer was one of 17 INN activists who were arrested for holding a “liberation seder”in the lobby [00:05:44] of the Manhattan building housing the offices of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).A Seder is a Jewish Passover ritual, that involves telling the story of the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt and their travels to the Promised Land.
The activists occupied the lobby, demanding that the ADL and American Jewish leaders publicly oppose Israeli “occupation.”
INN uploaded resources for public use to their website and claimed that approximately 500 people participated in their liberation seders across the country.
Supporting Violent Protesters
On April 9, 2018, Mayer participated [00:36:05] in an INN protest in which activists blocked the doors of United States Senator Chuck Schumer’s New York City office for 90 minutes. Around 40 INN activists entered the lobby of the building and recited the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for Palestinians killed during the Great March of Return Gaza border protests.In a press release, INN stated: “The demonstrators called on him [Schumer] to condemn Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters in Gaza” and referred to The Great March of Return as “a protest which has not injured or endangered Israeli soldiers or civilians.”
March participants sent scores of kites bearing explosive devices across Israel’s border to burn Israeli crops and homes. Participants also attempted to breach the border fence, which caused the Israeli Defense Forces to respond with live fire. Agitators also threw Molotov cocktails and firebombs, shot firearms and threw rocks.
Also on April 9, 2018, Mayer said [00:36:10] in a livestream video posted to Facebook by INN of the protest: “I am here because it pains me a lot to see ways that the American Jewish community and so called progressive politicians are staying silent, as Palestinian protesters, just protesting for their basics, freedom and dignity are shot down in Gaza.”
Most of the Gazans who died between March 30 and April 6, 2018, were identified as terror operatives who were killed while carrying out terrorist attacks, rioting against IDF forces or attempting to breach the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Trivializing Anti-Semitism
On October 8, 2018, Mayer tweeted an article titled: “A New Wave of Democrats Tests the Party’s Blanket Support for Israel.”Mayer wrote: “It’s only a matter of time before Democratic leaders will be forced to comment; let’s hope they don’t go the route of Corbyn critics in the Labour Party and become self-appointed protectors of the Jews so they can thwart the party moving left.”
In 2018, members of the Labour party criticized British political and Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, for his failure to condemn anti-Semitism within the party.
That same year, multiple British Labour Party members, as well as Corbyn, were involved in an anti-Semitism scandal. Corbyn has referred [00:00:05] to members of the terror organizations Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends” and has compared Israel’s government to ISIS.
Demonizing AIPAC
On March 25, 2017, Mayer wrote an article accusing AIPAC of controlling American politicians. She claimed: “The group spends millions of dollars every year making it politically impossible for any elected official to disavow the occupation, creating an atmosphere in Congress that is a far cry from the views of the American people.”The stated mission of AIPAC is to “strengthen, protect and promote the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.”
In the article, Mayer also claimed that Israel’s policies in the West Bank and toward Gaza were based on “racial discrimination and authoritarianism.” She also alleged: “AIPAC has done everything in its power to maintain, strengthen, and perpetuate the occupation, even when it means acting against the whims of the Israeli government itself and getting into bed with anti-Semites and Islamophobes.”
On March 6, 2018, Mayer wrote an article where she said that the “progressive wing [of the Democratic Party] will have to fight hard to loosen AIPAC’s grip on the party.”
Mayer continued: “Progressives of all stripes must demonstrate that the future of the Democratic party lies in policies that push for an end to the occupation…If we succeed, we can truly say goodbye to AIPAC forever.”
On March 21, 2016, Mayer participated in an INN DC protest outside the Washington, D.C. venue of the AIPAC Conference, calling to “#DumpAIPAC.”
INN organizers claimed on Facebook that AIPAC's invitation to the U.S. President revealed AIPAC was “more invested in the politics of hate than in a vision of a peaceful Middle East.”
Protesting AIPAC
Mayer indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN-organized training event in Washington D.C., titled: “ResistAIPAC Anti-Islamophobia Training,” that was “developed and facilitated in coordination” with Taher Herzallah, the Associate Director of Outreach and Grassroots Organizing for AMP, on March 27, 2017.The training event’s Facebook page promised to “continue the theme of the day with an action” that focused on the ways “AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Programs and Operations for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
At the protest, INN organizer Jill Raney said that the training earlier that day taught [00:22:10] her how Islamophobia is closely tied to the “American support for the Occupation.”
During the protest, one leader claimed [00:30:18] that AIPAC is “Islamophobic” and “peddles Islamophobia.” Another INN speaker took the bullhorn to explain [00:09:04] that he came out to “make sure that we continue to resist the awful influence that AIPAC has on the Jewish community and our country as a whole.”
The INN organizers wrote they were “excited to be joined by” Ramah Kudaimi, the Director of Programs and Operations for U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), a coalition of American-based anti-Israel organizations, which lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and to end support for Israel.
INN reported that the event was attended by “55 IfNotNow members from Washington D.C, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City.”
They also reported that the training session looked at “messages of Islamophobia” and “focused on the ways the Jewish institutions in which many of us grew-up teach and propagate these messages.”
INN then listened to Herzallah go into “greater detail about various Jewish institutions that perpetuate Islamophobia support the occupation.”
The training event was followed by a protest outside of AIPAC's Conference at the Mt. Vernon Convention Center that evening to focus “on the ways AIPAC supports Islamophobia.”
At the protest, INN organizer Jill Raney said that the training earlier that day taught [00:22:10] her how Islamophobia is closely tied to the “American support for the Occupation.”
During the protest, one leader claimed [00:30:18] that AIPAC is “Islamophobic” and “peddles Islamophobia.” Another INN speaker took the bullhorn to explain [00:09:04] that he came out to “make sure that we continue to resist the awful influence that AIPAC has on the Jewish community and our country as a whole.”
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On April 9, 2015, Mayer participated with INN activists in an INN-organized: “Freedom for All: #IfNotNow Seder in the Streets.” INN activists “went to the central office of the Jewish Federations of North America” to “renew our commitment to wrestling with our community” over its alleged “support for Israeli military rule over the Palestinian people.”That same day, Mayer tweeted: “Feeling so blessed and honored to be observing Pesach right with @IfNotNowOrg.
Mayer can be seen in multiple pictures from the event posted by IfNotNow on Facebook to the photo album titled: “Freedom for All: #IfNotNow Seder in the Streets.”
Also on April 9, 2015, Mayer tweeted from the protest: “.@IfNotNowOrg 40 strong saying no to occupation and and yes to freedom and dignity to all.”
Again that day, Mayer tweeted an image from the protest and wrote: “.@IfNotNowOrg doing it right - intergenerational struggle for freedom and dignity for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
On September 30, 2014, Mayer hosted an INN event titled: “#ifnotnowTashlich: Confronting the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.”
Tashlich is a Jewish High Holiday ritual in which individuals symbolically cast off their sins.
The Facebook page for the event said: “Join #IfNotNow Philly for our first action, as we hold an alternative Tashlich service and recognize that while we can cast away our sins symbolically, #OurHandsAreNotClean collectively until the Occupation ends and a path is forged for freedom and dignity for all.”
On October 2, 2014, Mayer posted to Facebook multiple photos of herself and other INN activists from the event.
INN Activity
On November 7, 2017, Mayer tweeted: “Prophetic promotion of what’s coming next #RamahNeverToldMe @IfNotNowOrg.” Meyer’s tweet included video of an INN protest, where she can be seen holding a sign [00:00:13] “asking Ramah to include “the occupation in it’s Israel programming.”That same day, about 20 INN activists reportedly protested outside the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York “to demand that the Conservative movement’s Camp Ramah start talking about the Israeli occupation.”
The “You Never Told Me” campaign featured INN members providing testimonials about their Israel-related educational experiences with different Jewish organizations, including United Synagogue Youth (USY), Camp Ramah, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Solomon Schechter Day School Network.
Also on November 7, 2017, Meyer tweeted an image from the protest and wrote: “Fierce group of @IfNotNowOrg Ramah alumni to say to their camp #YouNeverToldMe about the occupation.”
Camp Ramah’s Director, Rabbi Mitchell Cohen told to INN, after meeting with INN members, that Ramah would not partner with the group.
INN shared on Facebook an image of a copy of Rabbi Cohen’s response and wrote: “Today the National Ramah Commission (NRC) emailed this statement...the NRC and its Director, Rabbi Mitch Cohen imply that our effort — by 15 Ramah alumni (who are members of IfNotNow) to ensure that Ramah community learns about the Occupation...is anti-Semitic.”
The email reportedly said: “Ramah camps have not engaged — and will not engage — in any way with If Not Now as an organization...we made it very clear to them….we do not allow any anti-Israel, anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist education at Ramah.”
In a statement on June 6, 2018, the NRC said: “a wide variety of positions supporting Israel can be voiced and discussed. We do not, however, permit the sharing of anti-Israel educational messages at camp.”
Again on November 7, 2017, Mayer tweeted: “‘What they’re not teaching is about the occupation...give these campers an opportunity you never gave me.’ #RamahNeverToldMe @IfNotNowOrg.”
On December 26, 2016, Mayer wrote on Facebook that IfNotNow was one of “my organizations” and encouraged readers to “#BecomAMember.”
IfNotNow (INN)
IfNotNow (INN) is an anti-Israel organization founded in 2014, in response to Israel’s Operation Protective Edge (OPE) against Hamas.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to be “young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions” to OPE. INN presents three demands on its website: “Stop the War on Gaza, End the Occupation, and Freedom and Dignity for All.”
INN defines “the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza,” which is land Israel has controlled for nearly 50 years since the 1967 Six-Day War. However, INN leaders have made [00:34:32] the claim [00:13:49] at protests that the occupation is 70 years long, referring to Israel’s founding in 1948.
INN actions have aimed to demonize [00:38:13] Israel, harass [00:05:44] mainstream American Jewish organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and decrease support for Israel among American Jews.
INN has used “public action and imaginative ritual” to achieve its goals, including disruptions where activists were arrested.
One of the high-profile arrests occurred at a May 2018 disruption at a U.S. Senator’s office in Washington, D.C. to protest legislation against the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
At the same incident, INN used [00:07:17] the Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer to mourn [00:09:10] protesters who were killed during the Hamas-organized and funded Great March of Return riots on the Israel-Gaza border.
INN activists have also staged and promoted walk-offs from Birthright Israel trips, a heritage trip to Israel for young Jewish adults from across the world.
INN claims to take no position on the BDS movement and that it is “open to any who seek to shift the American Jewish public away from the status quo that upholds the Occupation.” However, INN organizes with pro-BDS, anti-Israel organizations including American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook:www.facebook.com/1055010190Twitter:https://twitter.com/emilyfmayer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themayerisin/ [Private]
- Status:
- Professional
- University:
- Haverford
- Organizations:
- INN
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 05/04/2026
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