Rebecca Oliver
Overview
Rebecca Oliver is an organizer with IfNotNow (INN), who walked off a Birthright Jewish heritage tour to Israel in July 2018. She has supported violent protesters, opposed the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and protested against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).As of June 2019, Oliver’s LinkedIn page said she was a “Distributed Organizing Coordinator” for INN. The page said her responsibilities were to “coordinate, delegate, and organize teams of volunteers ranging from 3-14 people in Chicago and nationally.”
As of the same date, Oliver was an administrator for the closed Facebook group for the “INN Colorado Swarm.”
Also as of June 2019, Oliver’s LinkedIn page said she was the “Volunteer Engagement Coordinator” for the Greater Chicago Food Depository since March 2019.
Oliver’s LinkedIn page also said she graduated from the University of Colorado - Boulder (UC Boulder) in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, as well as one in Fine Arts, in Cinematography and Video/Film Production.
In an interview with the Forward’s Deputy Opinion Editor published to Facebook on July 23, 2018, Oliver said [00:02:30] that she was an “educator” in Chicago.
As of June 2019, Oliver used the name “Rebeqqa Oliver” on Facebook.
Walking Off Birthright
On July 15, 2018, Oliver was one of several participants who walked-off in protest from a Birthright tour of Israel.Birthright Israel is a heritage trip to Israel for Jewish young adults from across the world.
INN posted a photo of the activists, including Oliver, on Instagram and wrote: “Birthright wouldn’t show the reality and complexity of the Occupation, so earlier today 8 young Jews walked off 2 trips to go find the truth for themselves.”
The activists claimed [00:00:01] Birthright trips were “like visiting the South in the 1950s and not talking about Jim Crow segregation.”
Oliver appeared in a video posted to Facebook by fellow walk-off and INN activist Hallie Berkson-Gold on July 15, 2018. According to INN, Facebook removed the video because it was “bowing down to the right-wing Israel lobby.” Facebook later unblocked the video.
On July 19, 2018, Oliver, along with fellow Birthright walk-offs Berkson-Gold and Sarah Fadem, gave an interview on Facebook to Neveen Ayesh of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Missouri. The activists discussed their activities after walking off the Birthright tour and Fadem talked about joining a tour with the anti-Israel organization Breaking the Silence (BtS).
During the interview, Oliver said [00:15:01] the Jewish National Fund (JNF) has been “actively working to displace Palestinians in the name of an archaeological park, where it’s actually just a guise for settlers to move in.”
Fadem mentioned that she and her fellow activists who walked off the trip had been engaging their fellow Birthright participants about the Occupation and that [00:09:17] “Jews in America have been systematically separated from this knowledge.”
On July 23, 2018, Oliver gave an interview to the Forward, with fellow INN activists and Birthright walk-offs, Noah Wagner and Danielle Raskin.
In the interview, Oliver said [00:28:41] that Birthright “normalizes the violence being imposed on Palestinians every single day” and Raskin said [00:24:12] that walking off of Birthright was “the most Jewish thing that I’ve ever done.”
The activists claimed [00:00:01] Birthright trips were “like visiting the South in the 1950s and not talking about Jim Crow segregation.”
Oliver appeared in a video posted to Facebook by fellow walk-off and INN activist Hallie Berkson-Gold on July 15, 2018. According to INN, Facebook removed the video because it was “bowing down to the right-wing Israel lobby.” Facebook later unblocked the video.
On July 19, 2018, Oliver, along with fellow Birthright walk-offs Berkson-Gold and Sarah Fadem, gave an interview on Facebook to Neveen Ayesh of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) Missouri. The activists discussed their activities after walking off the Birthright tour and Fadem talked about joining a tour with the anti-Israel organization Breaking the Silence (BtS).
During the interview, Oliver said [00:15:01] the Jewish National Fund (JNF) has been “actively working to displace Palestinians in the name of an archaeological park, where it’s actually just a guise for settlers to move in.”
Fadem mentioned that she and her fellow activists who walked off the trip had been engaging their fellow Birthright participants about the Occupation and that [00:09:17] “Jews in America have been systematically separated from this knowledge.”
On July 23, 2018, Oliver gave an interview to the Forward, with fellow INN activists and Birthright walk-offs, Noah Wagner and Danielle Raskin.
In the interview, Oliver said [00:28:41] that Birthright “normalizes the violence being imposed on Palestinians every single day” and Raskin said [00:24:12] that walking off of Birthright was “the most Jewish thing that I’ve ever done.”
Supporting Violent Protesters
On April 20, 2018, Oliver appeared in a Facebook photo from an INN event titled: “IfNotNow Chicago Asks #HowManyMore?”The event’s Facebook description said: “As Palestinians in Gaza have marched by the thousands in nonviolent civil resistance... they have been met with live fire by the Israeli military forces…. Join IfNotNow Chicago Friday morning to say Mourner's Kaddish for those tragically killed in Gaza.”
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.
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.
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.
Oliver indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN Chicago event on May 18, 2018, called: “March of Return: Young Jews Mourn and Condemn Israeli Killings of Palestinians.” The Facebook event page claimed that “Israeli forces killed over 50 Palestinians in Gaza” on May 14, 2018.
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.
Media reports confirmed [00:00:20] the March of Return protesters’ breaches and attempted breaches of Israel’s border fence, some by armed Palestinians. One Hamas leader declared [00:00:30]: “We will take down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies.”
Opposing the Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
Oliver indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN Chicago event on December 7, 2017, called: “Emergency Rally: Jews Say No to Trump Embassy in Jerusalem.”The rally protested the U.S. government’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The INN event’s Facebook page said that the U.S. government’s decision was “a deliberate capitulation to the political whims of the far right, advancing extremist policies.”
Protesting AIPAC
Oliver indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN Colorado event on March 7, 2017, called: “JewishResistance at Aipac: Boulder Community Action Meeting.”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.”
The event’s Facebook page said: “AIPAC has done more to further the Occupation than any other American institution” and claimed “AIPAC demands billions of dollars and unquestioned support for Israel to limit Palestinians’ access to these basic rights.”
The event’s Facebook page also said this meeting was also held “to learn more about our organization and our upcoming action at AIPAC’s policy conference in March.”
Oliver indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN Colorado event on March 10, 2017, called: “JewishResistance at Aipac: Denver Community Action Meeting.” The event’s Facebook page said the meeting was held “to learn more about our organization and our upcoming action at AIPAC’s policy conference in March.”
On March 26, 2017, INN hosted a 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.
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 banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
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/rebecca-oliver-917bab90/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beezy36/ [Private]
INN:http://ifnotnowmovement.org/members/roliver/
The event’s Facebook page also said this meeting was also held “to learn more about our organization and our upcoming action at AIPAC’s policy conference in March.”
Oliver indicated on Facebook that she “went” to an INN Colorado event on March 10, 2017, called: “JewishResistance at Aipac: Denver Community Action Meeting.” The event’s Facebook page said the meeting was held “to learn more about our organization and our upcoming action at AIPAC’s policy conference in March.”
On March 26, 2017, INN hosted a 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.
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 banners from the center’s third floor, stating that they “reject AIPAC and the occupation,” before being removed by security.
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/1081020133LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-oliver-917bab90/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beezy36/ [Private]
INN:http://ifnotnowmovement.org/members/roliver/
- Status:
- Professional
- University:
- Colorado-Boulder
- Organizations:
- INN
- Related Profiles:
- Last Modified:
- 06/23/2025
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