Thousands Protest Durban III in NYC

Thousands Protest Durban III in NYC

As hundreds of diplomats and heads of state descended upon NYC to attend the UN General Assembly sessions, thousands of supporters of Israel from over 20 states gathered outside the UN Headquarters in protest of the UN’s third World Conference against Racism (Durban III).  Conveniently scheduled to coincide with the Palestinian bid for statehood, the UN’s World Conference against Racism is notorious for its anti-Semitic rhetoric and baseless condemnation of the State of Israel.

Mobilizing a coalition of organizations and Israeli government officials, the Jerusalem Institute of Justice sponsored and organized the protest on September 21 to demonstrate support for the State of Israel and challenge the UN to actually address racial discrimination, anti-Semitism, and human rights abuses worldwide.  While JIJ and the demonstration received major positive news coverage in the Israeli media, the American Jewish press chose to highlight a controversy which arose in the New York Jewish community over the fact that JIJ, an organization which fights to protect the civil rights of Messianic Jews, sponsored the event. Athough American Jewish news outlets downplayed the demonstration, labelling it as an Evangelical Christian event with only several hundred participants, in reality, over 3,500 people from various religious backgrounds participated in the protest.

Students from Stern College and Yeshiva University took part in the demonstration while other groups came from as far as Ohio and California.   According to a NYC radio station, JIJ’s demonstration was by far the largest and most impressive protest of those staged outside the UN during the entire General Assembly week. Calev Myers was interviewed by both CNN and Fox News directly following President Obama’s address to the UN General Assembly.

With over 3,500 people from various religious backgrounds standing together on behalf of the State of Israel, the demonstration was considered an exceptional success.  At least 14 nations ultimately boycotted the Durban event while others sent only low level diplomats.  Moreover, there was very little media coverage of the conference as other pressing issues took center stage, consequently overshadowing any projected fanfare.

The Jerusalem Institute of Justice would like to thank all of those who partnered with us in the demonstration and enabled JIJ to facilitate such a massive event. We invite you to continue raising your voice on behalf of Israel and advancing truth, justice, and democracy around the world.