Our Principles

These principles are our basic agreements that bind us together and define us as IfNotNow. Actions that violate these principles are not IfNotNow actions. It is all of our responsibility to ensure that they are followed by every member of IfNotNow.

The Israeli government, with the backing of the U.S. government, subjects Palestinians across the entire land to apartheid — a system of inequality and ongoing displacement that is connected to a racial and class hierarchy amongst Israelis. We are calling on those in power to oppose any policies that privilege one group of people over another, in Israel/Palestine and in the U.S.

We speak powerfully and act publicly to call American Jews into action: in the streets, in our communities, and in our politics. To do this, we must take a firm, loving approach to transform our Jewish communities to fight for a vision of Jewish liberation: which means our safety does not come at the expense of others, but is bound with the liberation of all people.

We know that we will not win equality and justice on our own as American Jews. We stand alongside Palestinians, Israelis, and other movements fighting to end racism, antisemitism, inequality, and militarism. We show up for others with humility and a deep commitment to fighting racism and all forms of oppression that keep us from building powerfully together. 

We welcome anyone who shares our vision for equality and justice for all. We commit to grappling together with apartheid, Zionism, and the state of Israel— with what these realities have meant for Jews, and with the harm they have caused for Palestinians. We approach each other and our differences with kindness, curiosity, and respect.

We are committed to building a Jewish community that authentically represents the Jewish past, present, and future. We aim to support the leadership of those of us who have been on the margins of our communal leadership — including younger Jews, Jews of Color, Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Israeli Americans, working class Jews, disabled Jews, and queer and trans Jews. We build deeply with Jews across generations and take pride in our traditions, languages, rituals and practices.

 We remember our ancestors — Jews from across the world in search of safety in the midst of persecution and violence. We remember and witness the ongoing Nakba — where Palestinians have been driven from their homes and denied access to basic resources and rights. We are committed to understanding the impact of U.S. and global imperialism in shaping the current reality on the ground.

We will engage our community in facing where we have collectively made mistakes, where we have remained silent when violence happened in our name, or when we knowingly supported it to continue. As a movement, we will practice teshuva with each other, knowing we will make mistakes. We will learn from our mistakes and make amends. We will build deep, trusting relationships that support each of us to grow.

We take pride in who we are, and we work to end antisemitism, racism, and the culture of Ashkenazi dominance in all their forms. We acknowledge the existence of anti-Jewish oppression, in the world and in ourselves. We learn from each other’s unique experiences as Jews and commit to unlearning the ways that we have failed to see and affirm each other fully. We commit to asking for what we need from each other, our allies, and ourselves, so that we may all be more whole.

We believe that each of us is capable of leading, and that we will only succeed if we empower and support each other to grow. As leaders, we will care for each other and for the movement as a whole by appreciating, valuing, and developing leaders at all levels of the movement, both volunteers and staff.

We believe that nonviolence is how we will win the hearts and minds of our Jewish community. We are committed to ending the cycles of violence that affect us and that we have perpetuated. We also commit to resisting the ways in which commonplace, nonviolent tactics such as boycotts, divestments, and sanctions are delegitimized in an effort to leave Palestinians with no acceptable form of resistance. 

The tradition of Shabbat teaches us that all people deserve love, joy, and rest. Each person’s spiritual and personal well-being is integral to the vitality of our movement.

We know that we will succeed so long as we have the courage and energy to try. We are not discouraged by the task before us, and hope is one of our most powerful tools. We tackle challenges as opportunities to learn and grow together as we build a flourishing, joyous, liberated Jewish community that stands for equality and justice. If not now, when?