Mondoweiss’s summer fundraising campaign is nearly at its goal — just a few thousand left to raise! Here is the perspective of our supporter Donna Nevel, and why she invites you to join her in supporting our work. (Of course, if you’ve already donated, we thank you.)

Over recent months, I have followed the powerful coverage in Mondoweiss of the Great March of Return. What I have read shows vividly the unwavering determination of Palestinians to live with dignity and with the most basic rights—including the right to return home—that each and every person deserves. I feel fortunate to stand with, and gain inspiration from, such courageous seekers of justice.

Donna biked 90 miles this summer wearing a sign: “Criticizing Zionism or the State of Israel is NOT antisemitic.”

Like many Jews, I understood that “Never Again” meant never again for anyone. Also, like many Jews, my Jewish education included learning about Israel and Zionism without ever learning about the Nakba. After learning more about the Nakba and listening to experiences of Palestinians who had been expelled from their homes, I followed where the truth brought me — which did not include supporting Zionism, but, instead, meant standing together with the Palestinian-led movement for justice.

Those of us in Jewish communities must encourage our communities to understand that the Palestinian right of return is just that—a right—for a people who were pushed out of their homeland by Zionism and who continue to experience land theft and dispossession today at the hands of the Israeli government.

This brings me to Mondoweiss. We can count on Mondoweiss—on Phil and Adam and so many more writers on the site. They cover critical issues related to Palestine—both historical and ongoing—with depth and with soul. We can count on them not to sit by while misinformation or “liberal” analyses that don’t get to the core of the issue are put forth. And that’s why I write to you today, asking that you join me in contributing financially to keep Mondoweiss strong.

I have learned so much from reading Mondoweiss. The site always brings forth critical voices and perspectives from Palestine as well as from the US, with analyses rooted in a commitment to truth and to justice. It includes the voices of brilliant thinkers, writers, and activists like Nada Elia, Steven Salaita, and many others whose analyses are deeply penetrating and honest.

For example, I found so much clarity in Steven Salaita’s discussion of the distortions surrounding Gaza. As he wrote in Mondoweiss:

“Only one side colonizes. Only one side demolishes homes, crops, schools, and hospitals. Only one side determines citizenship and belonging. Only one side travels freely. Only one side dominates the airwaves. Only one side has a nuclear arsenal. Only one side ethnically cleanses. Conflating the work of survival with the violence of colonization not only bastardizes history; it also desecrates basic moral reasoning.”

My own commitments led me to work with others to develop a curriculum to encourage U.S. Jews, specifically, as well as others, to learn the history of the Nakba, past and ongoing, to reckon with that history, and to act accordingly.

Through videos, slides, first-hand testimonies, source documents, and readings, Facing the Nakba, as we named our curriculum, offers a lens for understanding the root causes of the call for justice for the Palestinian people. The project was inspired by the work of Zochrot (“remembering” in Hebrew), and BADIL. I am so pleased to be part of the group that created this learning tool, and even more pleased that hundreds of people are drawing upon it to examine their obligations in the face of injustice.

And I am glad every day that Mondoweiss articles expand the information available for such reflection. Mondoweiss goes well beyond just stating facts — which are critical — but also includes perspectives that examine, highlight, and analyze the history of Zionism and the Nakba, both past and ongoing. This level of critical thought is essential to understanding and advancing the struggle for Palestinian freedom today.

Mondoweiss is a resource that pushes us to challenge ourselves and our commitments. And, for those of us outside the Palestinian community, it pushes us to consider how we can be thoughtful, accountable partners to the Palestinian-led movement for justice.

Mondoweiss plays an invaluable and much-needed role in making this work possible. That’s why I support Mondoweiss financially and in any other way I can—and why I urge you today to join me.