Friend --
On Tuesday, J Street joined with a broad coalition of Jewish organizations to oppose the detention and possible expulsion of American student Lara Alqasem by telling the Israeli government to #LetHerStay.
Today, we have some good news to report. Lara Alqasem has won her appeal and will be allowed to study human rights at Hebrew University.
By making calls to Israeli diplomatic missions, tweeting to diplomats and showing your support online and in the streets, YOU stood up for Israel’s democracy and helped to protect the education of a future human rights advocate in the region.
Lara’s lawyer told us that she was astounded by the outpouring of support from activists and advocates from around the world, and J Street was proud to join the coalition of progressive, pro-Israel organizations that stood behind her.
Thank you again to our friends at Ameinu, Americans for Peace Now, NCJW, New Israel Fund, Partners for Progressive Israel, Reconstructing Judaism and T’ruah for rallying behind Lara and fighting this injustice. Together we can fight for a bright, democratic future for Israel and the region.
This is great news, but we must stay vigilant. The law used to detain Alqasem is still in effect and will continue to undermine Israel’s democracy until it is overturned. We stand firm in our belief that banning activists for non-violent actions is deeply wrong and does nothing to counter their arguments or advance Israel’s interests. The right way to deal with opinions you don’t like is to engage with them, not silence them.
Thank you for all that you do and keep up the great work.
Jessica Rosenblum
J Street Vice President of Public Engagement
