My name is Theodore Bikel. I am
a man of many hats. I am a singer and
musician, a stage and screen actor, and an author. I am an activist for human rights and an
advocate for the arts. I am a humanist,
a proud Jew and an unabashed Zionist.
I am a wholehearted believer in Israel's right to exist as a national homeland
for the Jewish people, and as a democracy for all its citizens. And precisely - davka - because of that, I am an equally adamant opponent of
Israel's settlement policy and 44-year occupation of Palestinian territories.
I also wear the hat of Chair of Partners for
Progressive Israel - known until recently as Meretz USA. And as we prepare to kindle the Hanukkah
lights and then bid farewell to 2011, I am writing to urge you to renew your support for this special
organization. (Your gift could also be doubled through our matching
grant campaign - but more about that in a moment.)
I am affiliated with
Partners for Progressive Israel (or "Partners" as we like to say) because it is
the only Zionist organization in the US that is driven by an undiluted commitment to progressive
principles and values
On Monday, October
17, 2011, Partners for Progressive Israel (Meretz USA) President Dina B.
Charnin, Chair Theodore Bikel, and Executive Director Ron Skolnik issued the
following statement on behalf of the organization:
On September 23, 2011, Mahmoud Abbas, President of the
Palestinian Authority, submitted an application for full membership in the
United Nations for the State of Palestine.
After carefully reviewing its text, Partners
for Progressive Israel (Meretz USA) is encouraged to find that the
Palestinian application contains four positive elements, which, if embraced by
the government of Israel, could provide new momentum for the negotiating
process. In our statement of September 18, we urged President Abbas
to incorporate these elements in the Palestinian application to the UN, and we
are pleased by their inclusion in the documents submitted.
We wish to highlight these positive elements, particularly in
light of the unfortunate decision of many American Jewish organizations to
characterize the Palestinian application as an attack on Israel and an effort
to avoid a two-state resolution of the conflict:
On October 12, 2011, Partners for Progressive Israel (formerly Meretz USA) President Dina B. Charnin and Executive Director Ron Skolnik issued this statement on behalf of the organization:
Partners for Progressive Israel (formerly Meretz USA) applauds
the Israeli government's approval of the deal that will secure the release of
Gilad Shalit later this month, after five painful years in captivity. We now wait with baited breath for the deal's
implementation.
Israel will clearly be paying a very high price, including
the release of 279 Palestinian prisoners currently serving life sentences. The deal reminds us, however, that enormous
compromises are often necessary in order to achieve worthy goals. In this light, we are particularly pleased by
the actions of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who had long been opposed to the deal in
principle, but who rose above this to do what was necessary and right.
On Sunday, September 18, 2011, Partners for Progressive Israel (Meretz USA) President Dina B. Charnin, Chair Theodore Bikel, and Executive Director Ron Skolnik issued the following statement on behalf of the organization:
The
Palestinian decision to advance their statehood drive via the United Nations,
and outside the framework of negotiations with Israel, is a diplomatic turning
point that creates risks but also offers new openings for progress toward
peace. For the benefit of both the
Jewish and Palestinian peoples, we urge the government of Israel to focus on
the positive elements we expect to be contained in the Palestinian request, as
outlined below, and to refrain from precipitous responses that would escalate
tension and serve the agenda of both sides' extremists.
In May 2011 I wrapped up my first year of graduate school during which I wrote at least four papers on different aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Being a student of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Middle Eastern politics, I wanted to learn the ins and outs of the conflict- the long history of both sides, the successes and failures of past peace efforts, and the underlying human needs driving the conflict. I had grown up in a reform Jewish household but frankly one that did not engage much in talk of Israel. I was twenty-two when I first visited the country and, like so many people on their first trip to Israel, I finally understood why this place was so beautiful, so unique and so important to so many.
We're very excited to
share some big news. Meretz USA for Israeli Civil Rights and Peace has changed its name. Our new name is - "Partners for Progressive
Israel". Our board of directors made this decision in June, and we're now in the middle of our implementation process.
We've gone through the legal transition and
will soon be rolling out our new logo and website. The Meretz USA website will be automatically redirected to the Partners for Progressive Israel website, once the latter goes live.
My name is Theodore Bikel. I am
a man of many hats. I am a singer and
musician, a stage and screen actor, and an author. I am an activist for human rights and an
advocate for the arts. I am a humanist,
a proud Jew and an unabashed Zionist.
In May 2011 I wrapped up my first year of graduate school during which I wrote at least four papers on different aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Being a student of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Middle Eastern politics, I wanted to learn the ins and outs of the conflict- the long history of both sides, the successes and failures of past peace efforts, and the underlying human needs driving the conflict. I had grown up in a reform Jewish household but frankly one that did not engage much in talk of Israel. I was twenty-two when I first visited the country and, like so many people on their first trip to Israel, I finally understood why this place was so beautiful, so unique and so important to so many. 
