Maya Edery
Overview
Maya Edery was arrested in 2017 during a protest outside the headquarters of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as part of the Deadly Exchange campaign launched by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).Edery was a member of JVP NYC and its 2018 Campus Coordinator.
Edery also reportedly gave a workshop and [00:00:35] appeared in a video of the 2018 National SJP Conference.The 2018 National SJP conference was held on November 16-18, 2018 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The conference was themed “Radical Hope: Resistance in the Face of Adversity.” The conference website stated: “[t]he reason we can have hope is that Zionism...can be destroyed.”
She promoted the #returnthebirthright initiative launched by JVP against the Birthright Jewish heritage tour and has expressed support for anti-Israel agitators.
As of April 2019, Edery’s LinkedIn profile said that she received a bachelor’s degree from Kalamazoo College (KZOO), in Anthropology/Sociology in 2015. It also said she was a Residential Assistant at KZOO.
As of the same date, her Facebook page indicated she was located in New York City, NY.
Also as of April 2019, Edery used the name “Maya Jed” on Facebook.
Promoting the Deadly Exchange Campaign
On November 8, 2017, Edery was arrested, along with six other JVP activists, during a demonstration at the ADL headquarters that called on the ADL to end sponsorship of exchanges between U.S. and Israeli police departments.Edery also appeared [00:01:30] in a JVP 2018 End of Year Video published on February 27, 2019. Edery can be seen getting arrested [00:01:31] at the November 2017 protest and holding [00:02:01] a sign that said: “Safety through Solidarity...End The Deadly Exchange.”
In 2017, JVP launched the “Deadly Exchange” (DX) campaign, accusing American Jewish organizations of promoting human rights abuses by coordinating exchange programs between American and Israeli security personnel to advance “worst practices" and racist policies. The campaign blamed [00:04:04] Jewish organizations for violence against Black and Brown communities, immigrants and activists in the U.S.
JVP Activism
On September 25, 2018, as JVP Campus Coordinator, Edery sent an e-mail asking recipients to sign a statement of support for University of Michigan Professor John Cheney-Lippold.Cheney-Lippold was disciplined after he reneged on his agreement to write a recommendation for a student's study in Israel application because of his support for BDS.
On May 19, 2018, Edery held a sign at a JVP NYC event titled: “70 years of Nakba - Remember, Resist, Return - Palestine.” The sign Edery held said: “End U.S. Aid to Israel Now.”
The event Facebook description also said: “Israeli forces killed over 60 Palestinians in besieged Gaza and wounded thousands. This is the response to the near-culmination of the historic #GreatReturnMarch.”
In May 2018, terror organization Hamas instigated the “March of Return.” Thousands of violent rioters attempted numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence with Gaza, seeking to harm Jews across the border. Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of the fence, some by armed Palestinians. On May 15, 2018, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said the Gaza protests were only a pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
On April 18, 2018, Edery was featured in a JVP video titled: “Four Jews Talk About the Nakba on Israel Independence Day.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a JVP co-organized event titled: “All out for Gaza: Solidarity with the Great March of Return” on April 6, 2018.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Israeli snipers opened fire with live ammunition against the protestors and deployed tear gas against them by drones, killing at least 20 Palestinians.”
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.
The event’s Facebook description said: “We will discuss strategies to develop at the Apartheid Divest campaign at CUNY and Columbia and what we can learn from Columbia's own experience...to end their complicity in Israeli war crimes and racial caste policies. Join us to be part of the historic movement.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to “Israeli Apartheid Week 2018 - Hunter College,” on March 21, 2018.
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of…Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Join the #ApartheidDivestCUNY campaign (Apartheid Divest CUNY) and the Palestine Solidarity Alliance of Hunter College in one or more of the following events as we mobilize in asking CUNY to #divest from Israeli apartheid and war crimes.”
Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
The term “Nakba” is generally translated as “catastrophe” in Arabic, referring to the outcome of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It is a term often used to delegitimize the creation of the State of Israel by defining it as a catastrophe.
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a JVP co-organized event titled: “All out for Gaza: Solidarity with the Great March of Return” on April 6, 2018.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Israeli snipers opened fire with live ammunition against the protestors and deployed tear gas against them by drones, killing at least 20 Palestinians.”
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.
Supporting BDS
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to the event: “Workshop on Divestment on Campus” hosted by Apartheid Divest CUNY and Palestine Solidarity Alliance of Hunter College, on March 14, 2018.The event’s Facebook description said: “We will discuss strategies to develop at the Apartheid Divest campaign at CUNY and Columbia and what we can learn from Columbia's own experience...to end their complicity in Israeli war crimes and racial caste policies. Join us to be part of the historic movement.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to “Israeli Apartheid Week 2018 - Hunter College,” on March 21, 2018.
Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is presented as “an international series of events that seek to raise awareness of…Israel’s settler-colonial project and apartheid system over the Palestinian people” and build support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Join the #ApartheidDivestCUNY campaign (Apartheid Divest CUNY) and the Palestine Solidarity Alliance of Hunter College in one or more of the following events as we mobilize in asking CUNY to #divest from Israeli apartheid and war crimes.”
Return the Birthright Campaign
On February 25, 2019, Edery was featured in a video interview by Al Jazeera English in which she promoted the #ReturntheBirthright campaign and expressed support for the “right of return.”Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Edery stated [00:01:40]: “Returning the Birthright is not only about boycotting all Birthright programs, but also about fighting for Palestinian refugees to be able to return home. So when we say ‘return the birthright’ we are saying young Jews support the Palestinian right of return.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a Return the Birthright and JVP co-hosted event titled: “Boycott Birthright: Protest Birthright Gala & Sheldon Adelson” originally scheduled for December 3, 2017.
The event’s Facebook description said: “There’s nothing to celebrate about a trip that shows only the sanitized Israel that Adelson & co. want us to see, while the truth of Israel's endless occupation, land theft and displacement remains hidden from view.”
The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. International law mandates no absolute right of return and UN Resolution 194, which defined principles for “refugees wishing to return to their homes,” was unanimously rejected by Arab nations following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a Return the Birthright and JVP co-hosted event titled: “Boycott Birthright: Protest Birthright Gala & Sheldon Adelson” originally scheduled for December 3, 2017.
The event’s Facebook description said: “There’s nothing to celebrate about a trip that shows only the sanitized Israel that Adelson & co. want us to see, while the truth of Israel's endless occupation, land theft and displacement remains hidden from view.”
Support for Anti-Israel Agitators
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an event titled: “Rally to Free Ahed Tamimi and All Palestinian Prisoners,” on January 5, 2018.Ahed Tamimi has a long history of physically attacking Israeli soldiers. Tamimi is the daughter of Bassem Tamimi, who is known for exploiting young children as political props in staged confrontations with Israeli soldiers.
The event’s Facebook description said: “All of Ahed's actions were legitimate resistance to Israel’s ongoing military occupation.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to JVP’s co-sponsored event: “Free Ahed Tamimi contingent at the Women’s March,” on January 20, 2018.
The event’s Facebook description said: “Ahed’s dedication to protecting her family and village of Nabi Saleh has made her a symbol of the power of Palestinian women, youth, and resistance.”
Edery indicated on Facebook that she “went” to the event titled: “CNN! We Will Not Be Silent About Marc Lamont Hill #istandwithmlh,” on December 1, 2018.
In November 2018, Marc Lamont Hill was fired from his position as a contributor to CNN (Cable News Network) following controversial comments he made during a meeting held at the United Nations for an “International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.”
During the meeting, Hill reportedly whitewashed Palestinian violence and accused Israel of “state violence and ethnic cleansing.” He also called for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea.”
In September 2018, during a U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) conference, Hill insinuated [00:31:01] that Israel poisons Palestinian water and seemingly approved [00:30:34] of violence against Israelis.
The event’s Facebook description said: “we will not be silent about CNNs unethical firing of Marc Lamont Hill due to Zionist intimidation.”
Attending the 2018 National SJP Conference
Edery reportedly gave a workshop on anti-Semitism at the 2018 National Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) Conference, held on November 16-18, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA.Edery reportedly said, regarding her workshop: “‘We will talk about how antisemitism intersects with numerous systems of oppression and upholds white supremacy, and why our movements for collective liberation must commit to dismantling and challenging antisemitism.’”
2018 National SJP - Celebrating Violence
During the 2018 National SJP conference, anti-Israel activist Mohammed Nabulsi led the attendees in the chant [00:00:52] “Long Live the Intifada! Intifada! Intifada!”
Since the early 2000’s, the term “intifada” has carried the connotation of violence. The second intifada was characterized by more than 120 suicide bombings targeting Israeli civilians on buses and in cafes.
Anti-Israel activist Omar Zahzah also reportedly [00:00:07] led National SJP attendees in chanting, in Arabic, “With our bodies and our blood, we will free Palestine.”
As of November 2018, the 2018 National SJP website glorified “radical hope and upfront defiance of Zionism,” citing as examples the “early revolts through the Intifadas to the Great Return March.”
The Great Return March of 2018 was organized and funded by the terror group Hamas as a campaign of violent protests along Israel’s border to spotlight the demand of Palestinians to “return” to Israel.
Tens of thousands of rioters gathered on Israel’s Gaza border, attempting numerous breaches of Israel’s border fence, with leaders andparticipants declaring their intention to harm Jews.
National SJP originally promoted a conference logo featuring a keffiyeh-wearing bear, looking toward a kite bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag.
On October 27, 2018, National SJP said the kite signified “the power in the Gaza March of Return.”
Since March 2018, March of Return participants and Hamas’s “Kite Unit” have sent hundreds of kites bearing incendiary devices and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) across the border into Israel to terrorize Israelis. The kites are often marked with swastikas.
By the time National SJP produced its 2018 conference logo highlighting the kites in October 2018, Gazan terror kites and balloons had ignited more than 1,300 fires in Israel, over seven months.
2018 National SJP - Undermining U.S. Support for Israel
On November 18, 2018, the US Palestine Community Network (USPCN) posted on Facebook the 2018 National SJP keynote speech by Hatem Abudayyeh, USPCN’s co-founder.Abudayyeh has supported [00:08:45] convicted terrorists, praised terror organizations, called for Israel’s destruction and is an activist in theBoycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
In his 2018 National SJP Keynote, Abudayyeh said [00:53:01] that the “specific role” of Palestinian and Arab students was to organize [00:53:42] in order to weaken “Zionist Israel” and force [00:54:23] the U.S. to “no longer provide it with diplomatic, political, financial and military cover and support.”
Abudayyeh predicted [00:55:37] that once U.S. support to Israel ends, National SJP attendees would return to Palestine as “conquering heroes,” end [00:54:38] the “occupation and colonization of all Arab lands including the Golan Heights” and replace “Zionist Israel” with a Palestinian state.
2018 National SJP - Whitewashing Terror Organizations
During his keynote speech, Abudayyeh also painted [00:14:01] terrorist organizations as “liberation movements” and “resistance organizations,” stating [00:14:21] “what we also know is that the majority of the resistance organizations in Palestine are on the U.S. state department list of foreign terrorist organizations.”Abudayyeh also celebrated [00:52:00] that all of the “armed resistance” organizations in Gaza are part [00:52:14] of a “unified resistance in Gaza, that includes all of the resistance organizations, working together under a unified military command.”
2018 National SJP - Defending Terrorist Rasmea Odeh
During his keynote speech, Abudayyeh claimed [00:08:28] that pro-Israel organizations “go after students like you,” adding [00:08:20] “just like they went after my friend and colleague, Rasmea Odeh.”Odeh was a key military operative with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization. In 1969, she masterminded a PFLP supermarket bombing that killed two college students. She also attempted to bomb the British consulate in Jerusalem. Odeh later moved to the United States but was deported to Jordan in 2017 for immigration fraud.
Abudayyeh added that he was asked [00:08:45] to talk about Odeh’s case, and praised SJP and SDS students who organized [00:09:15] “absolutely valuable” events on behalf [00:9:11] of Odeh, “as she was fighting to stay in the U.S.”
2018 National SJP - Demonizing Israel and Jews
During his keynote speech, Abudayyeh defended [00:27:25] the “Irvine 11” — eleven Muslim Student Union (MSA) members who were arrested in 2010 for repeatedly shouting down former Israeli ambassador Michael Oren during an address at the University of California at Irvine (UC Irvine).Abudayyeh referred [00:27:37] to Oren as a “racist fascist speaker, representative of a racist, fascist country.”
Abudayyeh went on to claim [00:29:48] that “today, even in the United States, Israel is finally being seen as the criminal, apartheid, racist state that it is.”
Abudayyeh also called for increased action in the face of President U.S. Donald Trump, and referred [00:48:41] to Jared Kushner, Trump’s Jewish son-in-law and senior advisor, as “that pig son-in-law of his.”
2018 National SJP - Excluding Students
The 2018 National SJP Conference welcomed only students who were verified and vouched for by an SJP (or otherwise named campus Palestine solidarity group). Media requests needed to be “approved by the NSJP press team” prior to the conference.A November 7, 2018 Columbus Jewish News article reported that the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on UCLA to cancel the 2018 NSJP conference, stating that a “public university should not allow any group to implement a litmus test for event participation on their campus.”
On November 12, 2018, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times that criticized National SJP’s exclusion of members of pro-Israel student groups.
JVP
JVP was founded in Berkeley, California in 1996, as an activist group with an emphasis on the “Jewish tradition” of peace, social justice and human rights. The organization is currently led by Rebecca Vilkomerson and its board members include Israel critics Naomi Klein, Judith Butler, Noam Chomsky and Tony Kushner.
JVP, which generally employs civil disobedience tactics to disrupt pro-Israel speakers and events, consists of American Jews and non-Jewish “allies” highly critical of Israeli policies. A staunch supporter of the BDS movement, JVP claims to aim its campaigns at companies that either support the Israeli military (Hewlett-Packard) or are active in the West Bank (SodaStream).
Although several Jewish groups critical of Israeli policies, like J Street and Partners for a Progressive Israel, make efforts to operate within the mainstream American Jewish community, JVP functions outside. The group is often criticized for serving as a tokenized Jewish voice for the pro-Palestinian camp and is widely regarded as the BDS movement’s “Jewish wing.”
JVP denies the notion of “Jewish peoplehood” and has even gone so far as to refer to its own Ashkenazi (Jews who spent the Diaspora in European countries) leadership as “white supremacy inside of JVP.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has accused JVP of being “the largest and most influential Jewish anti-Zionist group in the United States,” and said the group “exploits Jewish culture and rituals to reassure its own supporters that opposition to Israel not only does not contradict, but is actually consistent with, Jewish values.”
The ADL also claimed that “JVP consistently co-sponsors rallies to oppose Israeli military policy that are marked by signs and slogans comparing Israel to Nazi Germany, demonizing Jews and voicing support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.”
According to the ADL website, JVP “uses its Jewish identity to shield the anti-Israel movement from allegations of anti-Semitism and provide it with a greater degree of legitimacy and credibility.”
Social Media and Weblinks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/532992704Twitter:https://twitter.com/mayaj_30/ [Deleted]
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-edery-2155a847
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mayajed/ [Private]
