Jewish Voice for Peace holds rally to demand arms embargo on Israel

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Jewish Voice for Peace held a rally Sunday afternoon in Albany, ahead of the Jewish holiday Sukkot. Organizers said as war in Gaza continues, this year, the holiday has a deeper meaning.

“We’re here because we believe that we can end it and we believe that we will see a free Palestine,” said Ava Agree.

Ava Agree is a member of the Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Steering Committee. She spoke to dozens of people Sunday afternoon, the night before the Jewish holiday Sukkot began.

“It’s a harvest festival where Jewish people around the world are going to gather in a temporary structure known as Sukkah and celebrate abundance in our lives,” said Agree.

That structure is traditionally decorated with fruits of the harvest and even filled with messages of hope. This year the Sukkah was adorned with flowers, posters and organizers said, a deeper meaning.

“This year as we gather for Sukkot, we are very aware that though we may have abundance in our lives, in Gaza there’s no food, there’s no grain, there’s no place to live and they’re suffering going on two full years of genocide,” said Agree.

Oct. 7 marks two years since Hamas attacked Israel and conflict ensued — a mark in time that Brooklyn Rabbi and JVP member Abby Stein said is way too long.

“Every time we show up to a rally I’m like this should be the last one,” said Stein.

Yet, so far that hasn’t been the case. Stein demonstrated part of the Sukkot tradition on Sunday — putting together four different plant species to symbolize four different ideas and meanings.

“When I tie these together, I envision a Jewish community that can truly come together to say that fighting for a free Palestine is in the essence what Judaism is and should be about,” said Stein.

Kids and adults also got the chance to create their own paper art and messages of hope to be placed in the Sukkah. Organizers said their main goal is for an arms embargo on Israel and an immediate ceasefire.

Anyone interested in staying up to date with further JVP events, can join their mailing list found on their website. They are also raising funds for the Gaza Soup Kitchen — which they said is one of the only organizations that is still able to get food into Gaza.

Vanessa Blasi

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