Rachel Korkodilos

IJAN describes itself as a group struggling against “against Zionism and its manifestation in the State of Israel’s historic and ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people and the confiscation of their land.”

As of May 2018, Korkodilos’ LinkedIn page said she was slated to graduate Wellesley in 2020, with a degree in Women's and Gender Studies. Korkodilos also works at Punch’s Alley in Wellesley, MA.

Demonizing Zionists

In May, 2018, Korkodilos signed an open letter from INN titled: “I Will Confront -- Not Celebrate -- 50 Years of Occupation.” The letter was directed towards the “leaders of the Jewish establishment” and explained, “while you celebrate 50 years of the “reunification” of Jerusalem, I am joining the rising Jewish anti-Occupation movement and confronting 50 years of Occupation.”

The letter attacked the “American Jewish community -- organizations, communal and religious institutions, and its members,” claiming it “supported the violence of the Occupation, both tacitly and openly” and “cheered excessive and illegal military force.”

The letter alleged that “Palestinians cannot walk or drive on the same streets as their Israeli neighbors,” and that the “American Jewish community ostracizes those who see the Palestinians as human beings.”

Condemning Jewish Heritage Tour

On March 8, 2018, Return the Birthright Facebook page posted a picture of Korkodilos holding a sign that read: “I return the ‘Birthright’ because my Judaism is about justice.” The caption on the photo said, “We are proud af to be Jewish, and our Judaism tells us 'justice, justice shall you pursue'. We reject a Birthright trip which paints a rosy, idealized portrait of Israel, because we know the truth- Palestinians deserve to be free.”
 
On May 12, 2018, Korkodilos posted on Facebook two anti-Israel posters from the  #ReturnTheBirthright campaign, writing “With summer - one of the most popular times for birthright trips - right around the corner, I wanted to share with you all a poster campaign that Wellesley Jewish Voice for Peace worked on this semester!”  

The first poster promoted the “Palestinian Right of Return” to Israel. The “right of return” is a Palestinian demand discredited as a means to eliminate Israel. 

Korkodilos’ second poster featured the phrase “Wherever we live, that’s our homeland” in Yiddish and English. The poster, which demonized Birthright, claimed that Birthright “targets” Diaspora Jews in an attempt to re-define Judaism as a national identity.

Return the Birthright Campaign

In September of 2017, JVP issued its  #returnthebirthright campaign manifesto, calling on American Jews to boycott the Birthright Israel (Birthright) program. Birthright was founded by Jewish philanthropists “in 1999 to address the growing divide between young Diaspora Jewish adults and the land and people of Israel.”

After decades of demographic decline in the American Jewish community, Birthright set out “to strengthen Jewish identity, build a lasting bond with the land and people of Israel, and reinforce the solidarity of Jewish people worldwide.” The program offers “the gift of a life-changing, 10-day trip to Israel to young Jewish adults between the ages of 18 and 26.”

JVP’s anti-Birthright campaign was launched precisely to coincide with “the very moment that college students across America are returning to campus and registration for Birthright winter visits are underway.”

The #returnthebirthright manifesto accused Israel of “ethnic cleansing” and alleged “the modern state of Israel is predicated on the ongoing erasure of Palestinians.”

The text claimed: “We reject the offer of a free trip to a state that does not represent us, a trip that is only ‘free’ because it has been paid for by the dispossession of Palestinians.”

The manifesto concluded: “And as we reject this, we commit to promoting the right to return of Palestinian refugees… Israel is not our Birthright… Return the Birthright.”

On June 22, 2017, just prior to the launch of JVP’s #returnthebirthright campaign, JVP received a $140,00 two-year grant for general support for its operations from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF). Since 2015, JVP has received $280,000 from RBF, which has a history of supporting anti-Jewish causes, including BDS campaigns and various organizations that promote BDS campaigns throughout the United States.

Anti-Israel Activity

On March 21, 2017, Korkodilos indicated on Facebook that she “went” to a JVP event called: “Unheard Narratives: Jewish Opposition to Zionism Lecture.”  The Facebook event page detailed that the lecture would cover the “history of anti-Zionist politics within European Jewish communities prior to World War II.” On August 14, 2017, Korkodilos indicated on Facebook that she“went” to a JVP-sponsored event called: “Support the people of Gaza - Demand the Media Cover the Blackout.”

On June 27, 2017 Korkodilos indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an event called:  “JVP-Boston June Meeting: Pinkwashing in the US & Palestine.” The event description said it would discuss Israeli “efforts to cynically use LGBTQ rights as a distraction and normalization of occupation, apartheid, and settler colonialism - a concept known as pinkwashing - come to the fore.”

On April 21, 2018, Korkodilos indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an event called:  “Rally for Palestine! - Education Under Occupation,” which was co-sponsored by several chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).  The event description said the attendees would “rally at Boston Common to demand an end to U.S. support for the Israeli occupation.” 

On May 15, 2018 Korkodilos indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an event called:  “Remember and Resist: 70 Years of Ethnic Cleansing in Palestine.” The event was sponsored by several anti-Israel organizations, including JVP Boston. The event description said, “Palestinians and their allies are marking 70 years of Nakba, or the ethnic cleansing of Palestine since 1948, with an exhibit and solemn procession showcasing the nature of Israel's ongoing crimes.”

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 value.”

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/100000086095723

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-korkodilos/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hellakork/ [Private]