Ariel Vegosen
Move Over Aipac
Host: Basima Farhat
Previously Aired On: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 – Listen to the Show!
Ariel Vegosen is a conflict resolution specialist, professional dialogue facilitator, ropes course instructor, youth educator, peace activist, media wizard, organic therapist,and world traveler. Some of her most inspirational work includes Seeds of Peace, Code Pink Women for Peace, and the political theater piece An Olive on the Seder Plate about Jewish people wrestling with the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. She currently works for Mintwood Media, a progressive PR collective serving the peace movement, organic and Fair Trade farmer movement, and other social justice organizations. Ariel has lead numerous interfaith dialogue based programs, organized and facilitated numerous programs for inner-city and at-risk youth, including facilitation of 15 teenagers on a social justice program in Uganda. Ariel enjoys working in organic gardens, teaching environmental education to youth, learning wilderness skills, performing poetry, motion theater, and aerial dance. She strives to end war, violence, and patriarchy. Ariel received her BA from the University of Maryland and a certificate in experiential education from the Brandeis-Bardin Institute.
Recently, at a demonstration against AIPAC in Washington DC, 5 protestors including Ariel Vegosen disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s AIPAC conference speech.
In response to Netanyahu’s claim that returning to the 1967 borders would be “indefensible,” the protesters called out that various aspects of Israel’s policy were indefensible such as “Bulldozing Homes is Indefensible!” “Silencing Dissent is Indefensible!”. Ariel shouted, “Occupying land is indefensible!” while being escorted out of the building.
“As a young Jewish person it is important for me to stand up today and tell Netanyahu and AIPAC that their voices do not represent me,” Ariel Vegosen, 30, from New York, added. “I will not allow my faith to be misused as a weapon, covering up the theft of Palestinians’ homes and livelihoods. Judaism teaches me to stand up when I see oppression— discrimination is not a Jewish value and does not make Israel safer. Occupying Palestinian land is indefensible.”
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[...] Michaelson, author of “G-d vs. Gay: The Religious Case for Equality” 3. Ariel Vegosen, Activist and director of “Transforming Judaism” 4. Emma Missouri, Activist and Nehirim staff [...]
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