Apr 28, 2021
On Tuesday 27th April, the New York based Human Rights Watch declared that Israel’s rule over the Palestinians constitutes the crime of apartheid, a crime of the highest order. The criminality applies both at the collective level (to the state of Israel) and to named individuals within that state for their role in the crime.
Significantly, the report acknowledges the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) central role in Israel’s system of apartheid.
The report notes how “semi-governmental bodies like the JNF, Jewish Agency, and WZO that serve the Jewish community and no other constituency” ensure Palestinians are excluded from land in Israel.
Moreover, the report analyses the JNF’s contemporary role in advancing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
The JNF is a racist organisation, which is complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, both during the Nakba of 1948, and with the land seizures and house demolitions that have continued relentlessly.
The JNF established the British Park on three destroyed and ethnically cleansed Palestinian villages. It is active in the destruction of Palestinians villages like Umm al Hiran, replaced by an exclusively Jewish village, and Al Araqib, destroyed 185 times to make way for a JNF ‘forest’.
Despite this, the JNF’s UK branch is a registered charity.
Defining Israel as a state practising apartheid brings responsibilities for the international community to end their complicity. This includes the removal of the JNF UK’s charitable status.
Find out more about the role of the JNF by coming to the meeting with Illan Pappe on Saturday 8th May.
Oct 12, 2020
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE:
Since occupying East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has imposed policies to drive Palestinians from the city, including through home demolition, eviction and forced displacement. Amal Sumarin, and her extended family face eviction from the home they have lived in for decades in Silwan, East Jerusalem. The eviction is being pursued in the Israeli courts by Himanuta, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund. JNF UK has charity status in this country.
The attempted eviction of the family has caused international outcry, including in the UK, with a cross-party group of 71 MPs endorsing Early Day Motion 529 condemning the eviction, and urging the UK government to uphold human rights and international law.
Amal Sumarin will be joined by Israeli human rights activist Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Torat Tzedek, Dr Yousef Jabareen, Member of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) for the Joint List, and Richard Burgon, Labour Party MP for Leeds East. The speakers will describe why the Sumarin family case is of importance across all of occupied East Jerusalem and internationally and will set the actions of the JNF in a political and historical context.
Mar 23, 2013
by Susan Landau, Philly BDS
Original posting on Modoweiss
“Ethnic cleansing is a crime – justice now in Palestine!” Chanting with great energy and exuberance, the Philadelphia Coalition for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel (Philly BDS) was once again a colorful and vocal presence in protest at the annual local fundraiser for The Jewish National Fund.
This year’s JNF fundraiser, “March Madness Poker Tournament” was held in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk on Thursday, March 21. Under the banner “STOP THE JNF’s APARTHEID ROYALE,” members of Philly BDS and allies costumed themselves as playing cards bearing the words “Stop the JNF!” Carrying signs reinforcing their message “Land Theft is not Charity,” protesters positioned themselves strategically on both sides of the driveway entrance to the event. Informational postcards and conversation were available to attendees and passers-by.
The demonstration called attention to the role of the Jewish National Fund in ethnically cleansing indigenous 
Palestinians from their homes. Since 1948, the JNF was re-branded as an environmental organization focused on forestation, while inflicting environmental devastation through fires, bulldozers, and pesticides in order to cover up Palestinian history. Each year, the JNF raises over $60 million in the United States alone. Despite its role in ethnic cleansing and apartheid, the JNF continues to enjoy charitable status.
“Protesting the JNF makes a slam dunk case for apartheid within Israel,” said Nathaniel Miller, longtime activist and founding member of Philly BDS. “Acquiring land and property rights exclusively for Jewish Israelis is an unambiguous example of Israeli apartheid and makes the case for the need to respond to the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Philly BDS challenges the JNF to end its racist policies. We are committed to ending the occupation, full equality for all people of Israel-Palestine, and the Right of Return for refugees.”
Today’s protest is in support of the international “Stop the JNF” campaign that has been gaining ground in the UK, Europe and elsewhere. “We must work to revoke the tax-exempt charitable status of the JNF,” adds Miller.
The chanting continues non-stop, “Bulldozing homes, stealing land- it’s all part of the JNF plan!”
The Philly BDS consumer boycott targeting Sabra Hummus and Tribe Hummus is directly connected to the JNF. Tribe Hummus is owned by Osem foods, a company that contributes its profits to the Jewish National Fund. Since launching its campaign targeting Sabra Hummus and Tribe Hummus in October 2010, Philly BDS continues to stand for justice with Palestinians by responding to the 2005 Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel until it meets it obligations under international law.
Mar 23, 2013
In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) may grant federal tax-exempt status to certain organizations that are organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes such as, among others, charitable, religious or educational purposes. Just as the IRS grants, so can the IRS take away, or revoke, an organization’s tax-exempt status. Organizations may lose their tax-exempt status for various reasons, including if the organization:
- is not organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes,
- engages in deceptive or improper fundraising practices or
- operates contrary to the United States’ public policy. An organization operates contrary to the United States’ public policy if, for example, the organization’s activities are racially exclusive or discriminatory, increase neighborhood tensions, increase prejudice and discrimination or undermine human and civil rights.
On all of these accounts, the JNF is not an organization that warrants tax-exemption. Yet the JNF raises over $50 million per year in the United States alone and reaps the benefits of a tax-exempt organization. Therefore, Stop the JNF is requesting that the IRS investigate and, based on the existing evidence, revoke the JNF’s charity status.
Complete the petition form below to send a letter to the IRS to help us challenge the JNF’s tax-exempt status in the United States.
You can also download, print this letter and send to the IRS: [wpdm_file id=20]
Download the petition to the IRS: [wpdm_file id=21]
Signature sheets: [wpdm_file id=22]
Note: the letter should be signed by US residents only. To prevent spam you will be asked to confirm your email address before your letter is sent to the IRS.
[emailpetition id=”1″]
Mar 13, 2013
Jonah Aline Daniel, of the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and Stop the JNF Campaign, is excited to share photos, video and stories from the January 2013 Plant-a-Tree In Palestine Delegation on a 9-city organizing tour in the U.S. and Canada this spring.
The goal of the tour is to build the momentum of the Stop the JNF Campaign.
Tour events will include photo and video documentation of the role of the Jewish National Fund in the historic and ongoing colonization of Palestine and strategic conversations about exposing and delegitimizing the JNF.
To be connected with the tour or invite the tour to your city, please be in touch with Jonah: jonahalinedaniel@gmail.com.
Report Back Tour – Dates are approximate:
Minneapolis
Thursday April 4th, 6:30 pm
Cafe SouthSide
3405 Chicago Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Chicago April 5-12
Monday April 8th 6:30 PM
Grace Place
637 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois, 60605
Detroit April April 13-14
Western Mass (University not chosen) April 19-24
Boston April 19-24
NYC April 24-26
Philladelphia April 27-May 2
Baltimore May 2-6
Washington, D.C. May 2-6
Mar 13, 2013
Thursday, 21 March 2013
17:30 in EDT
Beat Street Station Manayunk, 4401 Cresson Street
Facebook event page
Join PhillyBDS at the “STOP the The Jewish National Fund” protest! The must-attend Philly BDS community protest of the year for everyone who cares about justice in Israel-Palestine.
Each year, Philly BDS is a colorful and vocal presence in protest at the annual fundraiser for The Jewish National Fund. Let’s connect the dots: Tribe Hummus is owned by Osem, a company whose profits contribute to the Jewish National Fund. The Jewish National Fund provides the infrastructure for the ethnic cleansing of Palestine, and has since its establishment in 1901. The JNF mandate is the acquisition of land and property rights for the exclusive use of Jewish Israelis. After 1948, the JNF was re-branded as an environmental organization focused on forestation. Each year, the JNF raises over $60 million in the United States alone. Despite its role in ethnic cleansing and apartheid, the JNF continues to enjoy charitable status.
This year’s fundraiser is “March Madness Poker Tournament” and will be held at Beat Street Station Manayunk, in Manayunk on Thursday, March 21. Philly BDS and allies will gather to protest at 5:30 pm at 4401 Cresson Street. We will be bearing the motto “STOP THE JNF’s APARTHEID ROYALE” carrying signs, wearing splashy costumes, walking a picket line, performing raucous street theater, and reciting somber poetry.
The point of the demonstration is to call attention to the human rights abuses against Palestinians by the Jewish National Fund and to encourage activists to work to revoke the tax-exempt status the JNF holds.
Since launching its campaign targeting Sabra Hummus and Tribe Hummus in October 2010, Philly BDS continues to stand for justice with Palestinians by responding to the 2005 Call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel until it meets it obligations under international law.
