Tell the Mets: No to the Hebron Fund

(November 10, 2009) The New York Mets are allowing the Hebron Fund, a Brooklyn-based non-profit supporting violent and racist Israeli settlers living in the West Bank City of Hebron, to hold a fundraiser at Citi Field on November 21st. These are the settlers whose unchecked violence against the Palestinian population has been described by Israeli newspaper Haaretz as a lynching and a pogrom. (1)

Tell the Mets to cancel the Hebron Fund dinner!

The Mets have to date refused to take action, despite a letter from 11 US, Palestinian and Israeli organizations (2).The letter also demonstrates that the Hebron Fund actively promotes racial discrimination against Palestinians, and it supports, at least indirectly, violence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes in Hebron.

In a tragic irony, the Hebron Fund dinner is being held directly above the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. Jackie Robinson broke the barrier of racial discrimination in baseball, and his legacy is actively promoted by the New York Mets and Major League Baseball.

Please, tell the Mets to say NO to the Hebron Fund.

In addition to sending an email to the Mets, please also consider phoning the New York Mets to register your concerns with their staff:

(718) 803-4032: Heather Collamore, Director Hospitality and Catering Events

(718) 565-4330: Jay Horwitz, Vice President for Media Relations

Communications with the Mets should emphasize one of the following points:

The Hebron Fund supports Israeli settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in violation of international law and US foreign policy. The Hebron Fund may also be violating US nonprofit laws by supporting Israeli settlements while telling the IRS that its "primary exempt purpose" is "to promote social and educational well being."
Israeli settlers in Hebron have repeatedly been photographed and videotaped shooting guns at, beating, slapping, kicking, throwing stones and liquids at, and verbally harassing the Palestinian residents of Hebron, including women and children. Some Hebron Fund dinner honorees have been documented supporting violence and the terrorizing of Palestinians.
Hebron’s settlers support racial discrimination and driving Palestinian residents of Hebron from their homes.
Allowing the Hebron Fund to fundraise at Citi Field contradicts New York Mets and Major League Baseball’s commitment to equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and is an insult to the legacy of Jackie Robinson.

Thanks,

Sydney Levy Jewish Voice for Peace

PS. This action alert is produced in coalition with Adalah-NY, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,Brooklyn For Peace, Coalition of Women for Peace (Israel), CODEPINK Women for Peace, Gush Shalom (Israel), Jews Against the Occupation-NYC, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Jews Say No!, Jewish Voice for Peace, Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (Palestine), US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, WESPAC Foundation.

(1) Hebron settler riots were out and out pogroms . Haaretz, 07/12/2008. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1043795.html

(2) adalahny.org/index.php/letters-a-statements/17-letters/327-mets-hebron-cancel

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