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We are writing on behalf of Keshev, a group of Bangor-area Jews working for a lasting peace in Israel and Palestine by supporting peacemakers on the ground. We are appalled by the war of extremists in Gaza and Israel, heartbroken by the suffering and death of thousands of innocents, and deeply worried by divisive government actions here in the U.S.
Of the many recent acts of the Trump Administration reminiscent of the rise of dictators across the world, we are particularly alarmed by the cynical centering of Jews in the recent attacks on free speech and due process.
Claiming to defend Jews from antisemitism, Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk, students at Columbia and Tufts respectively, and here legally, were abducted in March and sent without due process to a Louisiana prison. Khalil was abducted for protesting the Israel/Gaza war, and Ozturk for co-authoring an article criticizing Tufts for its handling of a pro-Palestinian movement on campus. As of this writing they have not been released.
Jews have not asked for these and other crackdowns on free speech on college campuses or elsewhere, nor do we support the detention of Muslims exercising their First Amendment rights. We will both pray and fight for the safety of these and others who are being targeted, intimidated, and abducted throughout our country.
The Trump Administration’s repression of free speech “in our defense” serves only to inflame hatred of Jews across our country. It makes us less safe.
Jennifer Goldenberg
Laura Levenson
Orono
