Subject: Courage to Refuse to Fight
From: "mitchelcohen-AT-mindspring.com" <mitchelcohen-AT-mindspring.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2002 19:14:27 -0500


Courage to Refuse E-Newsletter Issue #1

MORE THAN 1,000 ISRAELI SOLDIERS REFUSE TO FIGHT IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

PASSOVER: 4 glasses of wine for the Refuseniks!!

Please distribute widely!

COURAGE TO REFUSE CAMPAIGN (C2R) E-Newsletter #1, March 28, 2002
www.couragetorefuse.org

 >>> Building support for and visibility of the growing ranks of courageous 
Israeli military refusers, many of whom declare: "We shall not continue to 
fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and 
humiliate an entire people."

HIGHLIGHTS

* The campaign was launched with the publication of a full-page in the 
Chicago Reader, which included the names of over 80 Chicago Jews. We now 
have a total of more than 250 signers on the campaign and these numbers are 
sure to grow quickly. If you have not yet joined the Courage to Refuse 
campaign, please visit the website immediately and do so!

* Supporters have sent in over $5000 for the campaign and direct support 
for refusers. We need to raise much more money to support our planned ad 
campaigns, speaker tours and direct support efforts, but that is a great 
start. Our deepest thanks to all who have contributed to strengthen the 
voices of the refusers.

* Information about the campaign is spreading rapidly. Most exciting, our 
campaign was listed on the Ohmets Lsarev site: 
http://www.seruv.org.il/defaulteng.asp as "Campaign of American Jews 
Supporting Us" (it now looks to be in the process of moving to a separate 
Links page).  A note from Peretz Kidron of Yesh Gvul: "We're touched by 
your very moving appeal, and we wish you success in your efforts. This is 
the time for Jews everywhere - and all who consider themselves friends of 
Israel - to raise their voices in support of the Israeli opposition."

* The website, www.couragetorefuse.org, is evolved rapidly to meet the 
needs of the campaign. You can join on-line, and we will soon allow you to 
make tax-deductible contributions with credit card directly on the site. 
The Resources page offers several goodies, most importantly for this week a 
Haggadah insert regarding the military refusers, written by Laurie 
Zimmerman. Download it and use in your seders this week! The Refusers Tour 
page will offer comprehensive information about all known refuser tours 
outside of Israel. Check the website regularly for new features and 
updates. Our thanks to Roni Terkel, Yoni Reinberg, Joel Finkel and Aaron 
Lisman for all your efforts in building the C2R website.

* The campaign is sponsoring two tours of refusers in May. Haggai Matar, a 
high school senior who signed the open "Seniors' Letter" to Ariel Sharon, 
will be visiting Chicago (May 5 - 10), Minneapolis (May 11-12), Madison 
(May 13-14) and New York City (May 15-25). Ram Rahat (Yesh Gvul) and Ishai 
Sagi (Ohmets Lesarev) will be in the Bay Area from May 15 to May 22. They 
will then spend time in Chicago, Indiana, Southern Illinois and perhaps 
other locations until June 1. More information on these tours is now 
available on our website; just click on the "Refuser Tours" button.

SEDER OF A THOUSAND REFUSENIKS

[the following announcement was sent out by Yesh Gvul ("There is a Limit!").]

Tuesday April 2, on the hill overlooking Military Prison 6 (Athlit), we 
will hold a FREEDOM SEDER to celebrate Passover (Pesach), the festival of 
freedom, in solidarity with the imprisoned refuseniks who have offered up 
their own freedom in the cause of ensuring the freedom of another people.

This will be the SEDER OF A THOUSAND REFUSENIKS, marking the fact that the 
number of refuseniks - IDF soldiers and reservists who have already refused 
to serve in the occupied territories, or are committed to refusal if posted 
there - now runs into FOUR FIGURES.

We invite all refuseniks - past and future - to come to Athlit and join us 
in raising the FOUR GLASSES of freedom. The ceremony will be held in the 
early afternoon, in good time to get home before the onset of the festival.

To our friends and supporters worldwide: join us in celebrating the 
Refusenik Seder with a similar event in your own community!

[End of message from Peretz Kidron of Yesh Gvul]

ABOUT THE COURAGE TO REFUSE CAMPAIGN

The objective of the C2R campaign is to build support for and visibility of 
the growing ranks of courageous Israeli military refusers. We believe that 
these refusers, who now number over 1000 (corresponding to roughly 40,000 
Americans) will play a critical role in building a successful movement in 
Israel for a just peace and end to the occupation.

Initiated by Not In My Name (www.nimn.org), the campaign consists of a 
range of activities, from publishing ads in media outlets to bringing 
refusers to the United States to tell their stories face-to-face, to direct 
support for imprisoned refusers and their families.

Please join us by visiting www.couragetorefuse.org. Imagine the power of 
1,000 and then 5,000 and then 10,000 American Jews and others coming 
together to raise our voices in support of the refusers...acting as one, we 
can have an impact that will energize our own efforts here in the United 
States and be heard clearly all the way to Israel and the Occupied 
Territories.

TO GET IN TOUCH

If you have any questions about anything in this newsletter or about the 
Courage to Refuse campaign, please send an email to 
newsletter-AT-couragetorefuse.org. You can also call us 312.409.4845 or write 
us at PMB 206
2859 Central St, Evanston, IL  60201 USA. 




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