Independent Jewish Voices, July 2024

Nothing justifies October 7 but October 7 justifies everything.”

This clever adage of a Lebanese poet perfectly describes the genocidal murder of an indigenous people.

For most people who have not paid attention to Israel Palestine, there was no history before October 7, no erasure of the Palestinian people in 1947 and ‘48 and the cruelty which followed. This is how capitalism works. It focusses on the eternal present. There is no history. But there is Taylor Swift, Instagram, NFL football and all the silly diversions the capitalist system provides “distracted from distraction by distraction, filled with fancies and empty of meaning” as the poet TS Eliot wrote in Burnt Norton.

However, we know there is a history and that history was brilliantly, unpacked by Jewish Israeli historians Simha Flapan,Avi Shlaim,Ilan Pappé,Benny Morris,Tom Segev,Baruch Kimmerling who after decades, got into the secret files of the state and the Israeli Defence Force and concluded that the Palestinian narrative was the correct one: Israel was built on the dispossession of the indigenous Palestinian people.

But October 7, Justified Everything

With the cynical use of Zionist propaganda, namely atrocity rape stories all debunked, genocidal fury was unleashed on the Palestinian people in Gaza, 70 per cent of whom are women and children.50 per cent of Gaza is under 18 years of age.

Most estimates indicate the death count is approximately 200,000. Ralph Nader suggests 300,000.

No words can describe the horrors which Palestinians in Gaza have witnessed for the past year. The majority of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including homes has been severely damaged or outright destroyed.

We have seen hospitals besieged and bombarded, schools and mosques destroyed; we have seen the burning of entire libraries immeasurable amounts of cultural wealth destroyed.116 journalists have been targetted and murdered. No journalist, Israeli or otherwise, have been allowed entry into Gaza. Al Jazeera has been shuttered.

Not since World War II have we seen such wanton murder of innocent people. 2,500 children under two years of age have been killed under bombs provided by the most “religious” nation of all, the United States of America.

And the western world, its governments dripping with sincere claims of human rights and international laws, have shielded Israel from any culpability and have seemingly normalized genocide as acceptable.

Still the prophetic voice is never stilled.

The Independent Jewish Voices has led the way in saying no to the genocidal assault on what Judaism maintains. All humans are b’tselem elohim, made in the image of God. This is the non-negotiable claim of Torah(Gen 1:27).

Many Jewish groups have rejected the claim that Israel is a Jewish state. They have understood that Zionism is not Judaism and have acted accordingly. Canada’s largest religious community the Roman Catholic Church confronted with the insatiable violence unleashed by Israel against the Palestinian people have cowered and near silence, terrified of being considered anti-Semitic

The Kingston Road vigil operates on the theory of the “flying picket” the unpredictable appearance of solidarity. This prevents counter demonstrations which justify genocide in our time.

Vigil will proceed on a three out of four per month basis and the next one will be on Friday, October 11 at 8 AM Kingston Road near Victoria Park, Toronto.

Christians share the Hebrew scriptures as defining values. Islam and Christianity are daughter faiths of Judaism but institutionally have failed to mount a prophetic resistance to a genocide in prime time.

The Kingston Road vigil operates on the “flying picket” theory of resistance: do not be predictable, do not permit an organized counter resistance to your humble but necessary witness.

Provided by Ted Schmidt, Toronto