Dear Editor,
Hello, My name is Joel Albers and my family and I are Culver City residents and long -time customers of Jackson Market. Regretfully, my family and I will no longer be shopping at JM. This is a result of the recent postings on the exterior of the store promoting Jewish Voices for Peace as well as the “Palestinians killed before October 7” poster.
JVP is a radical activist group whose position is Israel does not have the right to exist, Jews and Israelis are racist oppressors, and the Jews are the sole impediment to peace with the Palestinians. First, JVP’s interpretation of the conflict is grounded in a race based, American-centric world view grafted onto a complex foreign conflict they do not understand. The most generous interpretation of JVP’s messaging is they are simply naïve, useful idiots. At worst, JVP deliberately uses their own Jewish identity as moral cover to spread their own perverse world views that are grounded in lies and half-truths. Furthermore, JVP’s public statements and actions since October 7 places the blame not on the murderers – babies, children, elderly butchered and raped, in certain cases beheaded and burned alive then livestreamed for the world to see, sometimes from the victims own social media channels to ensure their family members could view it – but rather on the victims. JVP is not only deranged, but despite the organizations name, does not represent the vast majority (90+%) of Jews. Simply put, the organization’s positions JM is publicly advocating for are no less than disgusting. To support this organization privately is their own business, but to de facto advocate for the organization by attaching the business’ reputation is beyond the pale. JM is spreading lies about Jews.
Regarding the adjacent poster, any innocent who is a victim of the conflict is a tragedy, Israeli or Palestinian and the perpetrators should be held accountable, Israeli or Palestinian. However, the poster is misleading in two ways. First, thousands of innocent Israelis have been murdered prior to 10/7 as a result of being caught in the gears of this conflict- stabbed in a lone wolf attack, on a bus blown up by a suicide bomber, etc. does JM not mourn for Jewish lives? Do Jewish children not matter? Second, many of the individuals on the poster are not innocent – every death is a tragedy, and I am not advocating for anyone to deserve this fate – with rare exception, they did not deserve to die. However, JM is characterizing each of the people as innocent children murdered for no reason, which is many times not the case. Intent matters. When making a moral case, there is a difference between, for example, strapping oneself with a suicide vest and blowing up a crowded bus with the purpose of maximalizing casualties vs. a 17 year old runner for a local gang who gets caught in the crossfire between terror organizations/local gangs and the IDF, who is operating in the West Bank as a response to terror attacks as a result of Palestinian leadership’s failure to enforce any semblance of order.
For these reasons, my family is taking our business elsewhere and have recommended our friends do the same. JM is using its’ standing in the community to frame the conflict as one-sided, demonizing Jews and totally absolving Palestinians of responsibility. This view of the conflict is factually inaccurate, further polarizes the issues and to leverage your business reputation to further these half-truths is shameful.
Sincerely,
Joel Albers
