Jerusalem Day march
There's an alternative Jerusalem Day march
Young Jews have turned the Jerusalem day parade into a violent and racist march and made everyone else, who expect to attend a peaceful march, accomplices in their injustice; thus, the Jerusalem Movement will host an alternative march with a positive atmosphere.
The truth is that I don't like marches. I can blame that on my low cardiovascular endurance in addition to my instinctive dislike for crowds and the Jewish consciousness that inevitably connects "marches" with "death". But if we put my personal reservations aside, we must acknowledge the symbolic value of a march. There's no more effective of way of sending the clear message: "We're here!" and "This is ours!" The march is steeped in the Jewish nation's history. The marchers are the conquerors make clear who the real owner is, the liberators who demand renewed sovereignty, the marginal groups seeking recognition, and the dominant people who solidify their control and more. Not to mention, in the era of tweets and likes, there is no effective substitute for a march.
Now a few painful words about the traditional Jerusalem Day Parade: In recent years, dozens of young Jews have turned the parade into a violent demonstration of nationalism against Jerusalem's Arabs. They have replaced love songs of the city with fascist songs, calling for "the mosque to be burned, and the temple to be built." They have also turned the passage through the Muslim Quarter from an expression of the city's unity into irritating and harmful cries of "death to Arabs" and "Mohammed is dead."
Jerusalem Day march (Photo: Eli Mendelbaum)
These extremists have kidnapped the Jerusalem Day Parade's agenda and have forcefully turned the other marchers, who came to participate in a peaceful march into accomplices of injustice.
Many resolve to not participate in the march. But we cannot be satisfied with that and allow the trouble-makers from all sides to determine the agenda on Jerusalem Day. Public space always belongs to those who are ready to fight for it. And this issue is not one of right against left or secular against religious. Thus, everyone who loves Jerusalem needs to come together in a shared struggle against racism and violence to make clear that loving a city is not racism and diversity is Jerusalem's magic.
In fact, there are groups and organizations from every political and social background which have come together to reclaim the city of peace: Every ugly "price tag" incident is responded to with a positive act and public protests. Moreover, the Lehava youth's control of Zion Square led to the "Speaking in the Square" initiative and the murder of Shira Banki paved the way for the establishment of "The Jerusalem Movement". These are just a few examples.
The Jerusalem Movement has also organized an alternative Jerusalem Day march at the Mesila Park, in which I will march with pleasure. It will be a family march, with a positive atmosphere and a performance by Marsh Dondurma. This diverse group of marchers will say, "We are here" and the word "We" includes all the communities that make up Jerusalem. They will also say, "This is ours" and the word "this" means a tolerant and pluralistic Jerusalem, that advocates for a peace that respects all of its residents. This is Jerusalem.
The contributor is the director of the Jerusalem Movement and an administrator of the Be'eri program at the Shalom Hartman Institute
