American Jews for a Just Peace supports the Boycott of Arizona called for by the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. The struggle against Arizona’s recent legislation, SB 1070 and SB 2281, has a global context which links it to the struggle for justice in Palestine and the call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. In this spirit, American Jews for a Just Peace endorses the open letter by the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

To read the Letter in full, click here.

AJJP is proud to announce that we will serve as the U.S. Coordinator for the "Jewish Boat to Gaza." The boat, sponsored by a coalition of international Jewish organizations dedicated to peace with justice in Israel/Palestine, is scheduled to sail from an undisclosed location in the Mediterranean this July. It will head toward Gaza in an effort to break the siege imposed by Israel in 2006. Passengers will include Jews from Germany, the U.K., and the United States, including at least one survivor of the Nazi Holocaust.

AJJP joins the "Jüdische Stimme" ('Jewish Voice' for a Just Peace in the Near East) and Jews for Justice for Palestinians (UK) in sending a call to the leaders of the world: help Israel find her way to reason, to a sense of humanity and a life without fear.

The Jewish Boat's captain, Glyn Secker, is a British Jew and a longtime activist with Jews for Justice for Palestinians in the UK. In an impassioned speech at a London demonstration protesting the attack on the Gaza flotilla on May 31, Secker told the crowd, "As Jews we should stand as a beacon for human rights not as an internationally known perpetrator of atrocities." Secker confirmed that the boat will carry school bags and books, donated by German schoolchildren, musical instruments, and art materials, as well as essential medicines and small medical equipment.

Absolutely no weapons will be on board, and all passengers and crew will be trained in and committed to the principles of non-violent action. Organizers are requesting that the Israeli government, the British government, the German government and the Obama Administration guarantee safe passage for the boat, its passengers and cargo.

Please help spread the word. The organizers have asked for support from Jews and allies around the world.

• Sign and circulate our petition to President Obama asking for safe passage for the Jewish Boat. Sign our on-line petition.
• Donate to The Jewish Boat to Gaza via PayPal by clicking here.
• Learn more about the Jewish Boat at www.jewish-ship-to-gaza.jimdo.com.

The moral imperative to end the siege of Gaza is absolute. When governments fail to act, ordinary people must organize to intervene. As ordinary people of conscience, we are determined to act on behalf of the people in Gaza deprived of their right to ordinary lives.

Click here to contribute.