In a blunder that critics say perfectly encapsulates their tenuous connection to Jewish identity, Jewish Voice for Peace posted a picture of a Kwanzaa kinara while attempting to wish followers "Happy Hanukkah." The gaffe comes from an organization that has spent months defending Hamas's October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians while claiming to represent Jewish voices.
The confusion between a seven-branched Kwanzaa candelabra and the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah might seem like a simple mistake, but it highlights what many see as JVP's fundamental disconnect from Jewish tradition, knowledge, and values. The organization, which openly declares itself anti-Zionist, has been widely criticized for providing cover for antisemitism while wrapping itself in the mantle of Jewish identity.
JVP is an organization that declared in 2019 that you can't be both progressive and Zionist. They've essentially declared that 90% of Jewish Americans, who support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, are by definition reactionary. And now they can't even identify the most basic Jewish religious symbols.
JVP's response to October 7 was particularly telling. While Israeli families were still searching for their kidnapped children, JVP attributed Hamas's actions to "Israeli apartheid and occupation," suggesting the murder of civilians was an inevitable result of oppression. The organization later quietly removed social media posts supporting the "resistance" after questioning from Jewish media.
Their radical stance has led to consequences. Columbia University suspended their chapter for "threatening rhetoric and intimidation," while George Washington University took similar action after the group supported projecting messages like "Glory to our martyrs" on campus buildings. Despite claiming to advocate for peace, the organization has consistently aligned itself with the most extreme anti-Israel positions.
The holiday confusion comes at a particularly sensitive time, as JVP continues to organize protests that mainstream Jewish organizations say create an environment of fear for Jewish students on campus. The Anti-Defamation League has classified JVP as "anti-Israel," noting their pattern of partnering with groups that accuse Israel of genocide while minimizing or justifying violence against Israeli civilians.
JVP's leadership has yet to comment on their holiday confusion, though critics suggest it's unsurprising from a group that seems more focused on attacking Israel than understanding the Jewish tradition they claim to represent. As one community member noted, "When you spend all your time defending terrorists and attacking Israel, I suppose learning the difference between Jewish and African American holiday symbols falls pretty low on your priority list."
The organization, which receives significant funding from progressive foundations and claims over 23,000 members, has become increasingly isolated from mainstream Jewish institutions. Their recent activities, from championing BDS to defending Hamas's actions, have only widened that gulf. As one Jewish leader put it, "If you can't tell a menorah from a kinara, maybe sit this one out when it comes to speaking for the Jewish community."
For many observers, the holiday mix-up serves as a perfect metaphor for JVP's broader credibility problem: an organization so devoted to anti-Israel activism that it has lost touch with the very Jewish identity it claims to represent.
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