Michal David
Overview
Michal David is an activist with IfNotNow (INN) who protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and spoke at a training event that was co-led by Taher Herzallah of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP).David also opposed the Birthright Jewish heritage tour, participated in an event that repurposed Jewish rituals, supported violent protesters and opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
As of May 2019, David was also affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).
As of June 2019, David was listed by Momentum as a “Trainer” who “organizes with IfNotNow.”
As of June 2019, David’s LinkedIn page said she was “Jeremiah National Organizer” at Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. David’s LinkedIn page also said she was employed by INN as its “national coordinator of distributed organizing” from January to April 2017.
According to her LinkedIn page, David graduated from Emory University (Emory) with a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology and Psychology in 2013.
Protesting AIPAC
On March 17, 2017, David participated in an INN protest against the AIPAC. INN accused AIPAC of supporting “endless occupation and Islamophobia.”The protesters were arrested for trespassing after they attempted “to occupy the lobby” of AIPAC’s Los Angeles office and blocked the entrance for about 40 minutes.
David reportedly said as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers prepared to arrest protesters: “We are here to say that we’ll occupy this building until AIPAC is ready to stop supporting the endless occupation in Israel-Palestine.”
On March 26, 2017, David participated in an INN protest outside the Washington D.C. venue of the AIPAC Policy Conference. Protestors chained themselves to the entrance of the conference center. Several hundred protesters also marched and chanted for hours outside the venue.
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.”
Four INN activists purchased tickets to the conference as AIPAC delegates, in order to gain access to the building. Once inside, the INN activists dropped [00:00:37] banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
On March 27, 2017, David spoke at an INN-organized 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.
The training event 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 that “We are 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 that lobbies the U.S. Congress to adopt anti-Israel policies and end government 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 then “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.”
Opposing Jewish Heritage Tour
On January 9, 2018, David and fellow INN Bay Area and INN Los Angeles (INN LA) activists gathered at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where Jewish students were preparing to go on their Taglit-Birthright trip to Israel. Activists set up a table offering free coffee, with a sign that read: "Birthrighters: Ask Us About the Occupation & Have a Great Trip."Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
Repurposing Jewish Rituals
On April 20, 2016, David participated in an INN Chicago event titled: “Dayenu! No Liberation with Occupation (Chicago).” Activists blocked the entrance to the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Chicago building.The Facebook description said: “This passover, IfNotNow says dayenu, enough! For too many years, Jews around the world have celebrated our own freedom while actively denying freedom and dignity to the Palestinian people.”
Passover is a Jewish holiday where Jews commemorate the story of the Israelites’ Exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt, to travel to the Promised Land.
Supporting Violent Protesters
David indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an April 11, 2018, INN LA event titled: “Stop the Violence: Vigil & March for Gaza.” The event description alleged: “the killing of 30 innocent Palestinians in Gaza” and said event participants would “recite the Mourner's Kaddish” for them.The Jewish ritual of the Mourner’s Kaddish is a prayer customarily reserved for close relatives or Jews murdered for being Jews.
On March 30, 2018, some 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza approached Israel’s border to take part in “Land Day Protests,” or the “March of Return.” The march was organized and funded by Hamas as a campaign of violent protests to spotlight the Palestinian demand to “return” to Israel. The “right of return” has since been discredited as a means to eliminate Israel.
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.
David also indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a May 20, 2018, INN LA event to “Process The Violence on Gaza.” The event’s Facebook description claimed that “nonviolent Palestinian protesters” had been “massacred” by the IDF and described the riots as an “extremely powerful and inspiring moment of Palestinian resistance.”
In May 2018, terror group Hamas instigated violent riots on the Israeli-Gaza border. Thousands of rioters attempted to breach Israel’s border fence, declaring their intention to harm Jews across the border under the pretext of “peaceful resistance.”
On May 16, 2018, a Hamas senior official, Salah al-Bardawil, stated that 50 out of 62 protesters killed during the May 14 Gaza border protest were Hamas operatives. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also claimed that three of its members were killed at the same protest.
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
David indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a December 10, 2017 event titled: “Emergency Rally! Trump: Hands Off Jerusalem!,” against U.S. President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
The event’s Facebook description also said: “Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine!,” “the only way forward is...BDS” and used the hashtags: “#HandsOffJerusalem #FreePalestine #ApartheidIsrael #ZionismIsColonialism #BDS.”
The event was initiated by Al-Awda: Palestine Right to Return Coalition and endorsed by other anti-Israel groups including Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) - Los Angles, Orange County Inland Empire(LA-OC-IE) chapter, AMP and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) - LA.
David also indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a February 15, 2017 event titled: “NoBanNoWall! Jerusalem4All! Oppose Trump/Netanyahu!”
The event was endorsed by Al-Awda, JVP - LA, Palestinian Youth Movement LA-OC-IE as well as Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Greater Los Angeles Chapter, HP Boycott Campaign- LA and the Free Gaza Movement.
On October 5, 2017, David was featured in a video testimonial for INN’s "You Never Told Me" campaign. The campaign calls on Jewish educational organizations and institutions to include information about “the occupation” in their teachings about Israel.
In her video testimonial, David said [00:02:49] she left the Conservative movement: “to think about my own complicity as a Jewish person in the 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.
Some of the testimonials were published as op-ed pieces in publications like The Forward, the JewSchool and 972mag.
On April 30, 2017, David appeared in a photo of INN activists at the INN LA event titled: “IfNotNow Southern California Orientation Training. “
On February 13, 2017, David appeared and was tagged in a photo of INN activists at the INN LA event titled: “IfNowNow LA One-Day Orientation Training.”
The panel event’s Facebook description said the event would cover topics including “the impact that Zionism and the formation of the State of Israel on entrenching intra-Jewish racial hierarchies.”
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).
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michal-david-0a807b55/
David indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a December 10, 2017 event titled: “Emergency Rally! Trump: Hands Off Jerusalem!,” against U.S. President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.
The event’s Facebook description also said: “Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine!,” “the only way forward is...BDS” and used the hashtags: “#HandsOffJerusalem #FreePalestine #ApartheidIsrael #ZionismIsColonialism #BDS.”
The event was initiated by Al-Awda: Palestine Right to Return Coalition and endorsed by other anti-Israel groups including Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) - Los Angles, Orange County Inland Empire(LA-OC-IE) chapter, AMP and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) - LA.
David also indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a February 15, 2017 event titled: “NoBanNoWall! Jerusalem4All! Oppose Trump/Netanyahu!”
The event was endorsed by Al-Awda, JVP - LA, Palestinian Youth Movement LA-OC-IE as well as Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Greater Los Angeles Chapter, HP Boycott Campaign- LA and the Free Gaza Movement.
INN Activity
On December 5, 2017, David was featured in an INN LA Facebook post, presenting at an INN LA training event.On October 5, 2017, David was featured in a video testimonial for INN’s "You Never Told Me" campaign. The campaign calls on Jewish educational organizations and institutions to include information about “the occupation” in their teachings about Israel.
In her video testimonial, David said [00:02:49] she left the Conservative movement: “to think about my own complicity as a Jewish person in the 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.
Some of the testimonials were published as op-ed pieces in publications like The Forward, the JewSchool and 972mag.
On April 30, 2017, David appeared in a photo of INN activists at the INN LA event titled: “IfNotNow Southern California Orientation Training. “
On February 13, 2017, David appeared and was tagged in a photo of INN activists at the INN LA event titled: “IfNowNow LA One-Day Orientation Training.”
Anti-Israel Panel
On May 15, 2019, David spoke [00:34:04] at a JVP at UCLA panel event, titled: “Jewish Experiences of Race: Intersectional and Historical Perspectives.” The event was co-sponsored [00:00:45] by SJP and held [00:01:13] “in conjunction with Nakba week.”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.
The panel event’s Facebook description said the event would cover topics including “the impact that Zionism and the formation of the State of Israel on entrenching intra-Jewish racial hierarchies.”
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: https://www.facebook.com/604715404LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michal-david-0a807b55/
