Ann Arbor Batsheva Protest Report & Photos

Thanks to everyone who helped organize and participated in the Batsheva Dance Company boycott and protest. Seventeen protesters challenged indifference and defeatism on a snowy Saturday night along with twenty-one protesters on a cold, overcast Sunday afternoon. Two hundred leaflets were distributed, there was no violence, and no arrests.

Best of all, Zionist crimes in Palestine and American complicity in them did not go unchallenged when "Israel's leading ambassador" came to Ann Arbor just weeks after the Hanukkah Massacre that killed more than 1,300 Palestinians. Is there any better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by demonstrating your love for justice, peace, and our brothers and sisters in Palestine by answering the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)?

However, the struggle is far from over and this reminder from the BNC is still timely:

Occupied Ramallah, Palestine - 27 December 2008: Now, more than ever, the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee, BNC, calls upon international civil society not just to protest and condemn in diverse forms Israel's massacre in Gaza, but also to join and intensify the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel … Without sustained,effective pressure by people of conscience the world over, Israel will continue with its gradual, rolling acts of genocide against the Palestinians, burying any prospects for a just peace under the blood and rubble of Gaza, Nablus and Jerusalem.

Finally, thanks to the volunteer legal observers from the National Lawyers Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union and to those organizations for dispatching them. Thanks to Alan P. for the photos below (click here to see the rest of his Batsheva protest photos).

Ann Arbor Protest Tomorrow and Sunday--No Dancing on Gaza's Graves

***PLEASE FORWARD***

Please join other people of conscience in Ann Arbor this Saturday and Sunday as we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and answer their collective call for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel. Just a few weeks ago, the Israel rained down death and destruction upon the people of Gaza and now the Batsheva Dance Company, an Israeli government-sponsored group is coming to Ann Arbor, to dance on their graves.

As Ali Abunimah asked while the slaughter was still happening: "... what will happen after the demonstrations disperse and the anger dies down? Will we continue to let Palestinians in Gaza die in silence? Palestinians everywhere are asking for solidarity, real solidarity, in the form of sustained, determined political action. ... The global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement for Palestine provides the framework for this. Now is the time to channel our raw emotions into a long-term commitment to make sure we do not wake up to 'another Gaza' ever again."

NO DANCING ON GAZA'S GRAVES
PROTEST THE ISRAELI APARTHEID DANCE TROUPE COMING TO ANN ARBOR

7:30 PM Sharp, Saturday February 14, 2009
3:30 PM Sharp, Sunday, February 15, 2009
(performances start at 8 PM and 4 PM)
Power Center, 121 Fletcher (at Huron) UMich-Ann Arbor
(for map and directions click here)


Click here to download a PDF file of the most recent Ann Arbor Batsheva Dance Company protest leaflet.

This protest is sponsored by the Middle East Task Force with support from Home for Peace and Justice; MidEast JustPeace; Newaygo County People for Peace; Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends; Ann Arbor Coalition Against War; Palestine Office; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice; the Rev. Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem; and the Israel/Palestine Action Group of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

Please Send an E-Letter
We only need seven (7) more people to send e-letters to reach our goal. If you haven't already done so, please send a Batsheva e-letter today. Click here: http://michiganpeacenetwork.org/eletters/index.php?eid=19

New Graphic for Ann Arbor Batsheva Protest

Nigel Parry has graciously adapted a graphic prepared for the Minneapolis Batsheva protest so that it can be used for the Ann Arbor protest this weekend (see below; click to enlarge).

Chicago Batsheva Protest Photos

Below are two photos from the Chicago Batsheva protest. For more photos click here.

Minneapolis to Protest Batsheva

Reposted from the Minneapolis Anti-War Committee web site.

BOYCOTT & PROTEST THE BATSHEVA DANCE COMPANY

Start: Feb 18 2009 - 7:30pm

7:30 PM Wednesday February 18, 2009
Northrop Auditorium, 84 Church St. SE, University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is bringing the Batsheva Dance Company of Tel Aviv to Minneapolis for one performance. This is a violation of the 2004 Palestinian call to "comprehensively and consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions”and the 2005 call of 171 Palestinian civil society organizations for broad boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. This Dance Company is funded by the Israeli government and is considered a “leading ambassador” of the Israeli government. Particularly in the aftermath of the recent invasion of the Gaza Strip, and the ongoing occupation of Palestinian land, it is time to honor the call for a boycott of Israel called for by Palestinian civil society and solidarity groups around the world, including South Africa. The challenge posed to us today in ending the apartheid like policies of the State of Israel is no different than the challenge that people of good faith faced in the 1980s in
responding to calls to boycott the white supremacist government in South Africa. We urge you to join us as we nonviolently oppose this performance as part of building a sustained BDS campaign.

“The latest Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) – supported by a large majority of Palestinian civil society – does not target Jews or Israelis qua Jews; on the contrary, it actually addresses conscientious Israeli Jews, urging them to support efforts to bring about Israel’s compliance with international law and fundamental human rights, both necessary elements in reaching true peace based on justice. Many around the world recognize the extent of Israel’s breach of international law. The real challenge now is to do something about it. Only by applying effective international pressure against Israel similar in scope and comprehensiveness to that successfully used to end apartheid in South Africa will intellectuals and academics be fulfilling their moral obligation to stand up for right, for justice, for equality and for a chance to validate the prevalence of universal ethical principles. By doing so, they will also serve
in the most effective manner the cause of coexistence and real peace.” by Omar Barghouti (a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel)

What you can do:
1. Call, write, or send an e-letter to Ben Johnson, Director of Concerts and Lectures, asking him to cancel the show and honor the boycott against Israel: phone 612-624-4473, fax 612-626-1750, email benjohn@umn.edu,
Department of Concerts and Lectures, 109 Northrop, 84 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
2. Write letters to the editor of the Minnesota Daily and local media
3. Don't buy tickets to the Batsheva performance. If you already have tickets then exchange them for another show
4. Please join us in nonviolently protesting the Batsheva perform

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee’s call to boycott is supported by The Middle East Committee of WAMM, Coalition for Palestinian Rights, Middle East Peace Now, Jewish anti-Zionist Network-Twin Cities (IJAN-TC), the Palestinian Institute of Minnesota, the Anti-War Committee and other people of conscience who are taking a moral stand against Israel’s oppressive policies
More info: http://www.pacbi.org/ http://www.bdsmovement.net/

Update: 6 Days to Go--No Dancing on Gaza's Graves

***PLEASE FORWARD***

In this update:
1. Protest reminder
2. E-letters at 80% of goal
3. New supporters
4. New Batsheva article on Palestine Think Tank
5. Photos from Pittsburgh protest

1. 08 Feb 2009 - Israel's apartheid Batsheva Dance Company comes to Ann Arbor next Saturday. This recital is part of an ongoing campaign to polish the image of Israel in the American consciousness and, thus, to help secure continued American financial, diplomatic, and military support of the Jewish state even in the aftermath of the recent Israeli massacre in Gaza. Please plan to come and nonviolently protest the Batsheva Dance Company on Saturday and Sunday. Let us answer the call of the Palestinian people for broad boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

Click here to download a PDF file of the most recent Ann Arbor Batsheva Dance Company protest leaflet. Click here or see below for protest details and more updates.


The Batsheva Dance Company:

• Israel's leading cultural ambassador
• Israeli government-funded
• Israeli soldier dancers
• No Arab dancers

NO DANCING ON GAZA'S GRAVES--PROTEST THE ISRAELI APARTHEID DANCE TROUPE COMING TO ANN ARBOR
7:30 PM Sharp, Saturday February 14, 2009
3:30 PM Sharp, Sunday, February 15, 2009
(performances start at 8 PM and 4 PM)
Power Center, 121 Fletcher (at Huron) UMich-Ann Arbor
(for map and directions click here)

This protest is sponsored by the Middle East Task Force with support from Home for Peace and Justice; MidEast JustPeace; Newaygo County People for Peace; Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends; Ann Arbor Coalition Against War; Palestine Office; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice; the Rev. Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem; and the Israel/Palestine Action Group of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

2. The Middle East Task Force's e-letter has now reached 80% of its goal. If you haven't already done so, there's still time to sign the e-letter and you don't have to live in Michigan or Ann Arbor to take a stand against Israeli apartheid. Please sign today. Click here to sign the e-letter or see a list of those who have already signed. The purpose of the e-letter is to ask University Musical Society (UMS) Executive Director Ken Fischer and members of the UMS Board of Directors to honor the Palestinian people's boycott against Israel by canceling the Batsheva Dance Company performances and by ending all scheduling of Israeli performers.

3. Since the last update the Dearborn-based Palestine Office and the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice have stepped up to support the Batsheva boycott and protest. Other new supporters include the Rev. Naim Ateek, Director of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem and the Israel/Palestine Action Group of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. Thanks to everyone for their support. It's not too late add your organization's name to the list of supporters.

4. Click here to read a February 2, 2009, action alert about the Batsheva Dance Company on Palestine Think Tank.

5. Click here to see two photos from the Pittsburgh Batsheva protest.

Naim Ateek Supports Ann Arbor Batsheva Protest

The excerpt below is from an e-mail dated January 30, 2009.

Michelle, Thank you for your email. I shared it with Rev. Naim Ateek ... He clearly stands behind any non-violent action that helps bring an end to policies of injustice, and, therefore, supports what you wish to do in boycotting this dance troupe. For your information, I am in contact with a group in Pittsburgh which is taking similar action when the dance company performs there in February. Thank you again for your work for peace and justice. The voice of the Church needs to be heard. Blessings, Tina Whitehead, Sabeel, Jerusalem

Photos from the Pittsburgh Batsheva Protest

Thanks to Fayyad for the two photos below from the Pittsburgh Batsheva protest.

New Batsheva Article on Palestine Think Tank

Reposted from Palestine Think Tank:

No Dancing on Gaza's Graves - Boycott and Protest Batsheva Dance Company

By Guest Post • Feb 2nd, 2009 at 8:24 • Category: Action Alert, Culture and Heritage, Israel, Music, Poetry, Events, Newswire, Palestine, Resistance, Zionism

WRITTEN BY Michelle J. Kinnucan

An Israeli apartheid dance troupe started its North America tour in Houston on Wednesday, January 28, 2009. Between then and March 1, 2009 it will go to fourteen more American and Canadian cities. That troupe, the Batsheva Dance Company, is currently scheduled to perform in Purchase, NY on January 30-31 and then it's on to (in order): Princeton, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Ottawa, ON; Ann Arbor, MI; Minneapolis, MN; Vancouver, BC; Santa Barbara, CA; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and New York, NY.

As I wrote in The Electronic Intifada last November, the Batsheva Dance Company has been a recipient of Israeli public financing since the 1990s. According to a report in The Independent of London, the dance company has no Arab performers and is "proud to be considered Israel's leading ambassador." As I also wrote, "Ohad Naharin, the dance company's current Director, served in the Israeli army. In a 2005 interview with a Canadian newspaper, Naharin stated that 'I continue to do my work, while 20 km from me people are participating in war crimes … the ability to detach oneself from the situation — that is what allows one to go on.' Needless to say, the victims of Israeli 'war crimes' cannot avail themselves of the luxury of detachment." It is particularly egregious that the Batsheva Dance Company is scheduled to perform in Vancouver, British Columbia as part of the 2009 Cultural Olympiad in the run up to the 2010 Olympic Games. Since when is polishing the image of a violent, racist state part of the Olympic spirit?

As Omar Barghouti, a Jerusalem-based freelance choreographer, cultural analyst, and founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (www.PACBI.org) said last month in The Dance Insider: No Israeli dance company "has ever taken a position calling for an end to the occupation, not to mention recognizing UN-sanctioned rights of the refugees or ending racial discrimination against the state's 'non-Jewish' citizens … none of [the dance companies] has ever challenged reserve service in the occupation army, despite the fact that punishment for doing so is minimal in Israel (unlike Germany in the '30s, say). … Those same dancers are part-time occupation soldiers, manning roadblocks, protecting colonies, evacuating homes and demolishing them, killing children and letting pregnant women die at checkpoints by preventing ambulances [from passing through], letting young bleeding youth bleed to death without medical aid, etcetera. What a bunch of liberal dancers! And what do their institutions do? Nothing."

I urge American and Canadian Palestinian solidarity activists to use letters, petitions, leaflets, demonstrations, signs, and other nonviolent means to encourage cultural organizations and their patrons to boycott the Batsheva Dance Company and to raise awareness of Israel's crimes and the BDS campaign to liberate the Palestinian people. Local campaigns are already well underway in Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and other cities, plus the newly formed U.S. Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel is spreading the word, too. As Desmond Tutu used to say during the struggle against South African apartheid–which also employed BDS, including cultural boycotts–it's time join the winning side, the side of justice. Today, that side is the side of the Palestinian people.

For more details on the dance company's performance schedule please go here or check the web site of their North American booking agent, H-Art Management, at www.h-artmanagement.com/calendar.html.

Michelle J. Kinnucan is a member of Middle East Task Force of Ann Arbor. Click here to contact her. Her writing has previously appeared in CommonDreams.org, Critical Moment, Palestine Chronicle, Arab American News, and elsewhere. Her 2004 investigative report on the Global Intelligence Working Group was featured in Censored 2005: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Seven Stories Pr., 2004) and she contributed a chapter to Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise (Peter Lang, 2006).