PORTLAND, Ore. — Protesters calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas blocked the Burnside Bridge in Portland on Thursday afternoon, just ahead of the evening commute.
From around 3:45 p.m., until around 6:00 p.m., dozens of people were gathered on the middle of the bridge. They'd set up a 12-foot-tall white menorah.
The Portland chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) said it organized the demonstration to coincide with the final night of Hanukkah in coordination with groups in at least eight other U.S. cities.
"Hanukkah has a strong theme of rededication," said Zia Laboff, a community organizer with JVP. "As Jews, we are here to say that we are rededicating ourselves to the Palestine movement... the struggle against oppression, this ongoing genocide—and calling an end to the occupation and apartheid that Israel is imposing."
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“As the Jewish grandchild of a Holocaust survivor whose extended family was destroyed, it is with horror and fury that I witness the destruction of entire Palestinian families and cities, paid for with our taxes,” said Rocky Cohen, local Jewish community member and action participant, in a JVP statement. “Jewish safety and Palestinian liberation are not contradictions; no one is free until we are all free. Never Again means never again for everyone.”
Some consider Jewish Voices for Peace a polarizing group within the Jewish community. The Anti-Defamation League calls the organization "radically anti-Israel" and says their demonstrations and rhetoric have encouraged anti-Semitism.
"Many people believe that we are not real Jews for speaking out against Zionism," said Laboff. "But we believe that our Jewish values is what empowers us to speak out we are watching oppression take place."
For those who accuse the group and its movement of being anti-Semitic, Laboff emphasized that Zionism is misconnected to Judaism.
"It is not a religious movement," Laboff explained. "It is a political ideology not connected to our faith but has weaponized our faith in order to further things that are the exact opposite of our faith, which is oppression against Palestinians... Zionism is not Judaism."
In its statement, the group urged U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden to join his colleague from Oregon, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, in calling for a cease-fire. They said they want the Biden administration to stop sending U.S. military aid to Israel.
"By blocking traffic and holding a Ceasefire Now menorah lighting ceremony on the Burnside Bridge today, Jews and allies are amplifying those demands," they added.
Organizers wrapped up the protest around 6 p.m.
Earlier in the day, a group of Republican state lawmakers issued a statement avowing their support for Israel and their opposition to a cease-fire while Hamas remains.
“While we support more humanitarian aid for non-combatant civilians in Gaza, even a humanitarian pause, we oppose calls for a premature ceasefire, which would leave Hamas’s oppressive regime in power and capable of perpetrating more terrorism against Israel," said Reps. Shelly Boshart Davis, Cyrus Javadi and Boomer Wright in a joint statement. "We also stand firm against antisemitism, which has risen by over 300 percent since the October 7 attack and has made members of our Jewish community feel unsafe. That is unacceptable, and we urge all Oregonians to speak out against this vile form of hate.”
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