Hi
My name is Yasmin. I refused Israeli military conscription in 2019 and nowadays I am the coordinator of Mesarvot (which supports youth conscientious objectors in Israel). I am writing you this urgent letter because we are currently under attack by a right wing group who are attempting to shut down Mesarvot and silence the voice of the refusers.
Yasmin, coordinator for Mesarvot
A couple of weeks ago we initiated a crowd-funding campaign in Israel addressed at left-wing friends and supporters, with the goal of reaching $11,500. That would allow us to hire a spokesperson, to raise public awareness of the refusers, and to hold events for the general Israeli public.
Toward the end of our campaign, when we have already managed to raise $9,300 we were attacked by right wing extremists who were trying to silence us. They pressured us by publishing articles in the media accusing us of illegal actions by supporting army refusers. Even worse, they sent a letter to officials in Israel asking them to stop our work, all actions that stand to gravely harm our organizational infrastructure. We need your help to raise the money we still lack to hire for a spokesperson and to demonstrate that attempts to silence us will only make our voices louder.
We hope this hateful attack won’t hurt our efforts to promote a more peaceful society in Israel, but we are not sure which sanctions may be imposed on us going forward. With that being said, nothing will keep us from supporting these youths who are following their conscience and who are refusing to serve a violent system that harms civilians under the guise of “self-defense”. They are the ones doing the right thing!
The refusers' actions have created shockwaves in the Israeli public, who have normalized life in a highly militarized atmosphere and who regard the military as sacred. We believe that these shockwaves are vital in order to awaken the Israeli society from the normalization of the reality of apartheid and military occupation. Even though we have great international support, the walls surrounding us within the Israeli society are getting thicker. A spokesperson could help us reach a wider audience and increase our impact.
We need your help; with everything that has happened, we are not sure our campaign in Israel will be enough to counter this vicious attack and raise locally the full amount of money we need. That is why we are turning to you, as one of our international supporters, to ask for your support. Would you be willing to help us raise the needed amount of $2,200? Every dollar you can contribute is crucial! You can also share this information with people you know will support us in our struggle. With your help we can make sure the the voices of the refusers, those who have spent time in jail for the values we all believe in, are heard loud and clear throughout Israel and in the rest of the world
In solidarity,
Yasmin