Partners For Progressive Israel
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Partners for Progressive Israel is an American
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
and registered
501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
dedicated to the achievement of a durable, secure, and just peace between
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and its neighbors, including a
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
to the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
. Partners for Progressive Israel is devoted to civil rights in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and to
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
throughout the area under Israel's control, as well as to
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
,
equality Equality generally refers to the fact of being equal, of having the same value. In specific contexts, equality may refer to: Society * Egalitarianism, a trend of thought that favors equality for all people ** Political egalitarianism, in which ...
,
religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
, and
environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecolog ...
. Partners for Progressive Israel seeks to deepen American Jews' understanding of the complexities of Israeli society in order to enhance their advocacy for a progressive Israel. In October 2024, Partners for Progressive Israel became the first Zionist group in the United States to call on the United States government to suspend its sale of offensive arms to Israel, calling on the American government to redirect its aid to Israel to peacebuilding efforts.


Activities

Partners for Progressive Israel is the American branch of the World Union of Meretz. The organization's activities in the U.S. include: * A webinar series, entitled “Conversations with Israel and Palestine” * ''Kolot'' – Voices of Hope: Profiles of progressive civil society work being done by organizations and individuals in Israel * ''Israel Horizons'' – relaunched in 2017 as an online magazine that informs its readers about the activities, ideas, and issues of the Israeli left and its American supporters. (The original ''Israel Horizons'' magazine was published by the organization in print from 1952 until 2011. It was founded by journalist Richard Yaffe, Avraham Schenker, Valia Hirsch, Moshe Kagan and Zvi Lurie. * Public lectures and events * Theodore Bikel Peace and Justice Internship Program (formerly the “Intern in Israel Initiative”), awarding grants to young activists who volunteer in Israel to advance civil and human rights, social and
environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...
, women’s rights, or LGBTQ rights * A regularly updated blog * Participation in the
Celebrate Israel Parade Israel Day on Fifth (formerly the Salute to Israel Parade and then the Celebrate Israel Parade) is an annual parade in support of Israel that takes place along Fifth Avenue in New York. The parade travels north on Fifth Avenue from 57th Street t ...
as a member of the "progressive cluster" with the
New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF; ; ) is a United States–based NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil society ...
,
Ameinu Ameinu (, "our people") is a left-wing American Jewish Zionist organization. Established in 2004 as the successor to the Labor Zionist Alliance, it is the continuation of Labor Zionist activity in the United States that began with the founding ...
,
Americans for Peace Now Americans for Peace Now (APN) is a left-wing nonprofit organization based in the United States whose stated aim is to help achieve a comprehensive political resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Founded in 1981 as the sister organiza ...
, B’Tselem USA, and
T'ruah T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, often referred to as T'ruah, is a left-wing nonprofit organization of rabbis who act on the Jewish imperative to respect and protect the human rights of all people in North America, Israel, and the Pal ...
(formerly Rabbis for Human Rights-North America). * Street demonstrations The organization's activities in Israel include: * The Israel Symposium, an annual week-long study trip to Israel. Symposium participants meet with Israeli and
Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...
officials, as well as with activists and journalists. * Participation in the elections to and the meetings of the
World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...
, the governing body of the
World Zionist Organization The World Zionist Organization (; ''HaHistadrut HaTzionit Ha'Olamit''), or WZO, is a non-governmental organization that promotes Zionism. It was founded as the Zionist Organization (ZO; 1897–1960) at the initiative of Theodor Herzl at the F ...
(WZO). In recent years, Partners for Progressive Israel has been a leading organization in the progressive Zionist Hatikvah Slate, which has sent U.S. delegates and alternates to the
World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...
. In 2015, the slate won eight delegates and sixteen alternates, up from five and ten, respectively, the previous election. In February, 2015, Partners for Progressive Israel delegates to the Va’ad Hapoel (General Council) of the WZO, which meets between Congresses, working with colleagues in the U.S. and elsewhere from the World Labour Zionist Movement and Arzenu (representing the Reform Zionist stream), proposed, and ultimately passed, two resolutions as part of a wider campaign to take back control of the budget of the Settlement Division of the WZO from the Israeli government. Both resolutions passed by wide margins. Partners for Progressive Israel has its national offices in New York City.


Progressive Israel Network

Partners for Progressive Israel is a founding member of the Progressive Israel Network, created in June 2019. Like the other members of the Progressive Israel Network, Partners for Progressive Israel opposes any boycotts of Israel and specifically opposes the BDS campaign.


History

Partners for Progressive Israel (known originally as
Meretz Meretz (, ; ) was a left-wing political party in Israel. The party was formed in 1992 by the merger of Ratz, Mapam and Shinui, and was at its peak between 1992 and 1996 when it had 12 seats. It had no seats in the Knesset following its failure ...
USA, between 1997 and 2011) arose as a merger of several progressive Zionist groups – the Education Fund for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace, which promoted the values of the liberal party, Ratz (the “Movement for Civil Rights and Peace”); Americans for Progressive Israel, which promoted the values of the social-democratic party,
Mapam File:Pre-State_Zionist_Workers'_Parties_chart.png, chart of zionist workers parties, 360px, right rect 167 83 445 250 Hapoel Hatzair rect 450 88 717 265 The non-partisans (pre-state Zionist political movement), Non Partisans rect 721 86 995 243 ...
(“United Workers Party”); and the American Friends of Ratz, which had originally been formed to provide financial support for the Ratz party in Israel – until changes in Israeli law limiting parties to contributions from individuals with Israeli citizenship made this no longer possible. Philosophically, Partners for Progressive Israel represents an integration of two strands of progressive
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
: Socialist Zionism and
Labor Zionism Labor Zionism () or socialist Zionism () is the left-wing, socialist variant of Zionism. For many years, it was the most significant tendency among Zionists and Zionist organizations, and was seen as the Zionist faction of the historic Jewish ...
. Socialist Zionism's principles focused on shared society, peace, and
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
. Following the merger, Meretz USA engaged in advocacy for peaceful negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and worked to promote an open debate among American Jews about the realization of liberal values in Israel. The newly merged Meretz USA applied for membership in the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is the umbrella organization for the American Jewish community. Comprising 53 national Jewish organizations across the political spectrum, ...
, but was rejected on repeated occasions. The reasons cited for the rejection included insufficient membership and budget, but some suspected that the rejection was due to the organization's left-leaning orientation. In 2011, Meretz USA issued a call to buy products made in Israel while refraining from the purchase of products manufactured in Israeli settlements established beyond the Green Line, i.e., the line separating the State of Israel from the territories controlled by Israel beyond the country's internationally recognized boundaries. The campaign was intended to clarify the organization's opposition to an indiscriminate boycott of Israel while reasserting the line between such territories and Israel proper. "Please boycott these brands of food and produce," Partners for Progressive Israel announced on its website in an article entitled "Buy Israeli Produce – Don’t Buy Settlement Produce (They’re not the Same)." Meretz USA President, Dr.
Moises Salinas Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses. Notable people bearing the name include: * Moisés (footballer, born 1948) (1948–2008), Brazilian ...
-Fleitman, and Executive Director Ron Skolnik issued the following statement on behalf of the organization calling to refrain from buying Ahava cosmetics,
SodaStream SodaStream International Ltd. () is an Israel-based manufacturing company best known as the maker of the consumer home carbonation product of the same name. The company's soda machines, in the style of soda siphons, add carbon dioxide to wate ...
carbonated beverage products and Psagot wine and other products. In mid-2011, Meretz USA changed its name to Partners for Progressive Israel due to confusion caused by its former name and to better reflect the organization's objective of bringing together Israelis and Americans who support a progressive Israel and Zionist movement." In 2019, Partners for Progressive Israel, together with other organizations in what would become the Progressive Israel Network, signed letters in support of two resolutions approved by the House of Representatives: H. Res. 246, which expressed opposition to the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...
movement and support for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
; and H. Res 326, which expressed support for a
two-state solution The two-state solution is a proposed approach to resolving the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, by creating two states on the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. It is often contrasted with the one-state solution, which is the esta ...
and opposition to a unilateral annexation of territory by Israel.


Earlier History: Education Fund for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace

The Education Fund for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace was established in 1991 as a nonprofit organization that would educate Americans on questions of democracy and equal rights in Israel and peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. Among its original founders were Harold M. Shapiro and Arthur Obermayer. Shapiro was inspired by a visit to Israel in which he met with Meretz party leadership, prompting him to form an organization that would promote that party's values and principles in the United States. Obermayer's involvement followed a trip to Israel and Egypt, from which he returned optimistic about the chances for Israeli-Arab peace.


Earlier History: Americans for Progressive Israel

Americans for Progressive Israel, one of the organizations that merged into Partners for Progressive Israel, had roots in the
Hashomer Hatzair Hashomer Hatzair (, , 'The Young Guard') is a Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary. It was also the name of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party, the ...
youth movement, which was founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary. In 1946-1947, adult former members of Hashomer Hatzair in the United States, who due to World War II were unable to move to the Yishuv (pre-statehood Israel), came together and created the Progressive Zionist League (PZL). In the years immediately following Israel's independence, PZL members sought a means for involving people not from the Hashomer Hatzair movement to share in the political activities; in 1950, PZL formed a related group, Americans for Progressive Israel (API). API was active in promoting peaceful relations between Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs. In 1952, PZL began publication of a magazine, ''Israel Horizons''. Taken over by API a few years after it was formed, Israel Horizons continued print publication until 2011. When the PZL folded in the 1950s, API assumed the mantle of the adult "arm" of the movement represented by Hashomer Hatzair, as well as PZL's representation in the American Zionist movement and its diverse organizations. In 1954-55, PZL and PIP merged to form Americans for Progressive Israel–Hashomer Hatzair (API-HH). Immediately following the Israeli victory in the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
, API-HH was the first Zionist group in the United States to call for direct negotiations between the government of the State of Israel and the Arab states. Many of API-HH's leaders joined with several other left-Zionists in the U.S. to create a number of peace-seeking American Zionist organizations, including such groups as Breira and
Americans for Peace Now Americans for Peace Now (APN) is a left-wing nonprofit organization based in the United States whose stated aim is to help achieve a comprehensive political resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Founded in 1981 as the sister organiza ...
. API-HH also founded a youth organization, Young Americans for Progressive Israel (YAPI). In 1979, API-HH gave its support to another group of post-college young adults, the “
Mordechai Anielewicz Mordechai Anielewicz (; 1919 – 8 May 1943) was the Polish leader of the Jewish Combat Organization (, ŻOB) during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; the largest Jewish resistance movement during the Second World War. Anielewicz inspired further reb ...
Circle of API,” named after the leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. In Israel, many of those adults who had been members of Hashomer Hatzair in the U.S. who had made aliya (moved to Israel) became active in Mapam (the United Workers Party), the political party that was formed to represent the views of the Kibbutz Artzi Federation of Hashomer Hatzair, together with their urban socialists counterparts. In 1992, Mapam, which had been among the first political parties in Israel to discuss openly the need to negotiate with the Palestinians, coalesced with two other parties— Ratz and
Shinui Shinui () was a Zionist, secular, and anti-clerical free market Liberalism worldwide, liberal party and political movement in Israel. The party twice became the third-largest in the Knesset, but both occasions were followed by a split and collaps ...
—under a single ideological banner of peace - the Meretz party, which would include peace-driven politicians such as
Shulamit Aloni Shulamit Aloni (; 27 December 1927 – 24 January 2014) was an Israeli politician. She founded the Ratz (political party), Ratz party, was leader of the Meretz party, Leader of the Opposition (Israel), Leader of the Opposition from 1988 to 1990, ...
, Amnon Rubenstein, and, later,
Yossi Beilin Joseph "Yossi" Beilin (; born 12 June 1948) is an Israeli politician who has served in multiple ministerial and leadership positions in the Israeli government. Much of his political career was in the Labour Party. He also served as chairman of t ...
. In the mid-1990s, Meretz was Yitzhak Rabin's most supportive coalition partner in the pursuit of a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians. In the United States in 1997, API merged with two overlapping organizations, American Friends of Ratz — formed to provide financial support for the Ratz party in Israel — and the Education Fund for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace — formed as a non-profit to promote Ratz's values in the United States. The merger of these three groups gave birth to Meretz USA.


References


External links

* {{official, https://www.progressiveisrael.org/ Zionist organizations in the United States Organizations established in 1992 American Zionist Movement Organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process Peace organizations based in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York City Israeli–Palestinian peace process Meretz