‘Not in my name:’ Jewish group urges cease-fire at Boise rally, support for Palestinians
Several menorahs lit up the Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial along the Boise Greenbelt on Wednesday night when a newly formed Jewish group led a gathering to support Palestinian rights in the Mideast and call for a cease-fire in Gaza.
Boise residents Nathaniel Hoffman and Jessie Duvall started an Idaho chapter of a national movement called IfNotNow and held the first rally of about 50 people on the seventh day of Hanukkah. IfNotNow is a “movement of American Jews” who want to “end U.S. support” for Israel because they believe the Israeli government has created an “apartheid system,” according to the national website.
“We are calling for more light in the darkness, for a permanent cease-fire and end to the Israeli assault on Gaza, and for justice and freedom for Palestine,” Hoffman said in an email.
The group also hopes to convince U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, to use his power to help halt any U.S. military aid to Israel. Risch is a staunch supporter of Israel.
At the gathering, Hoffman highlighted important Jewish symbols and traditions, including reading a passage from Anne Frank’s diary and singing Jewish songs.
“These stories have been co-opted by the state of Israel and Zionism to justify the unconscionable violence that we have seen perpetrated on the Palestinian people, both in the two months since the terrifying Hamas attacks in southern Israel, and also in the 75 years of occupation and oppression of Palestinian people,” Hoffman told the crowd in Boise.
Duvall encouraged people in attendance to take out their cellphones and begin calling lawmakers. The group’s leaders handed out information that included phone numbers and phone scripts.
Duvall told the Idaho Statesman that she doesn’t think being Jewish means she has to support all decisions of the Israeli government.
“As a Jew, I feel personally responsible to say, ‘No, this is not in my name. This is not OK,’” Duvall said. “There’s a big difference between Israel and Judaism ... and helping our country and our people around us understand that it’s OK to say, ‘I don’t think what Israel is doing is right.’”
Hoffman said IfNotNow Idaho is working closely with local organizers at Boise To Palestine, and members have attended marches at the Idaho Capitol with them. Groups supporting both sides in the longstanding Mideast conflict have held rallies at the Capitol.
Members of the organization Wednesday night encouraged others in the area who want to get involved to reach out to ifnotnowidaho@gmail.com.
This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 8:05 PM.
