February 25, 2010, Pikesville Maryland, USA.
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This morning, Jews for Human Rights celebrated the Jewish Holiday of Purim with a Purim Protest Parade Against Israeli Apartheid in Pikesville, Maryland. In celebration of Purim, Jewish residents of Baltimore paraded down Reisterstown Road, wearing festive costumes with crowns, capes and signs reading “Purim Protest Parade Against Israeli Apartheid” and handing out misloach manot (gifts of candy) to pedestrians and shop patrons along the parade route. The gifts, adorned with festive Purim stickers, included a note explaining the connection between Purim and the struggle for human rights, and detailing a specific example of Israeli Apartheid policy, the closure of Shuhada Street in Hebron to Palestinians.

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Before ending the Purim Protest Parade Against Israeli Apartheid at the Pikesville Armory, the group slowly crossed Reisterstown Road holding a banner reading: “Human Rights for all in Hebron,” in solidarity with Palestinians’ call for international actions highlighting the State of Israel’s Apartheid policies throughout Israel/Palestine, and commemorating the Baruch Goldstein massacre of 29 Palestinians in Hebron. Today’s actions demand the re-opening of Shuhada Street in Hebron to Palestinians and the respect of human rights for all.

Jews for Human Rights’ parade down Reisterstown Road comes just days before Purim, on the traditional fast day, an reminds Jews and other residents of Pikesville the moral of the Purim story. Purim marks the celebration of Jews’ escape from the threat of Apartheid and near annihilation under the rule of the Persian Empire. “Today, the Fast of Esther,” said Annie Sommer Kaufman of Jews for Human Rights, “We Jews have a responsibility to reflect and remember our escape from annihilation by Haman. This responsibility transfers to the situation in Hebron, where Israeli Apartheid policies violate Palestinians' human rights. Today, we must demand that everyone’s human rights be respected.”

www.openshuhadastreet.org/

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Background:

Twenty-five hundred years ago, the Prime Minister of Persia, Haman cast a genocidal plan to murder the Jews of the kingdom. Mordechai, a Jew, refused to bow to Haman, who took this act of rebellion as a threat to his authority. While Haman prepared gallows, the Jews organized, prepared for the confrontation, fasted and prayed. Queen Esther, Mordechai's niece, committed an act of civil disobedience by illegally approaching the King in his chamber, revealing her Jewish identity and telling him about Haman's plan to massacre her people. The King had Haman executed, and the Jews celebrated their liberation and escape from the threat of Apartheid.

On February 25, 1994 (Purim 5754), a Jewish-American settler, Baruch Goldstein, entered the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Cave of the Patriarchs wearing his Israeli Army uniform and opened fire. He killed 29 and wounded 150 Palestinians who were praying at the mosque.

In the aftermath of the massacre, the Israeli Occupying Forces enacted restrictions on Palestinian movement through the city of Hebron. Shuhada Street, a major commercial artery in Hebron, was closed to Palestinian vehicular traffic and commerce in 1994 and reopened to traffic in accordance with the Hebron Protocol in 1997. In 2000, Shuhada Street was completely closed to traffic and partially to Palestinian pedestrians. Since 2002, it has been completely closed to Palestinians, severely restricting their freedom of movement in their own city, whereas Israeli settlers, who make up less than 1% of the city's population, are able to freely move about.

On February 25, Jews for Human Rights joined with activists and organizations around the world to protest against these measures. As Baltimore Jews committed to justice in Palestine and Israel, we remember the liberatory spirit of Purim as we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian residents of Hebron who have chosen this day to protest Israeli Apartheid, and demand the re-opening of Shuhada Street to Palestinians, and an end to the occupation of Palestinian lands.