Adas Israel Congregation, a leading Jewish organization in Washington, DC, has become a committed voice in the global campaign to end the Uyghur genocide. Last month, they held their 50th consecutive monthly “Stop Uyghur Genocide” protest outside the Chinese Embassy — a powerful act of moral witness. Drawing from their own historical experiences of persecution and diaspora, members of Adas Israel feel a deep responsibility to stand with the Uyghur people. To get their insights, I spoke to Nechama Liss-Levinson and Karen Guberman at Adas Israel’s “Uyghur Crisis Response Team.”
Tahir Imin Uyghurian: What motivates you and your participants to continue showing up for these protests with such commitment?
Adas Israel: We bring to our protests a strong belief in the need to speak out, stand up, and bear witness to the ongoing genocide occurring in East Turkistan. As Jews, we bring our own historical awareness going back centuries of efforts to destroy us as a people, a culture, and a religion. We know what it is like to live in a diaspora. And we know how important it is for allies to be there and protest such actions. We believe that each and every life is valued as a whole world. Efforts to destroy these worlds demand our response. We must continue to protest as long as we can.
Tahir Imin Uyghurian: Do you feel there is a lack of active participation from the Uyghur community in these efforts?
Adas Israel: Over the course of the 4 years that we have been holding these protests and taken other actions on behalf of Uyghurs, we have developed a strong relationship with some members of the Uyghur community who come regularly to the protests and act as advisors. We understand the pressures and threats the Chinese government puts on Uyghurs in the diaspora and how difficult it can therefore be for Uyghurs to speak out and join such protests. We are happy and welcome all who can join us.
Tahir Imin Uyghurian: Do you plan to continue your protests and other support initiatives for Uyghur human rights in the future?
Adas Israel: As long as we believe it is valuable to show the Chinese government that people remember the Uyghur people and recognize the inhumane treatment Uyghurs suffer at the hands of the Chinese government, we will continue to protest and support Uyghurs in whatever ways we can. As long as the Uyghur community finds our actions to be helpful, we will continue them in whatever ways we can.
Tahir Imin Uyghurian: What are your hopes for the Uyghur people?
Adas Israel: We hope to see the end of the abuse, imprisonment, disappearances, forced relocations, forced sterilizations, forced labor, religious and cultural repression of the Uyghur people. We hope that Uyghurs are able to return to their homeland as a free people able to live a full Uyghur life without interference from the Chinese government. In the meantime, we hope that the various Uyghur communities in the diaspora are able to maintain their strong sense of peoplehood and find ways to continue their traditions, their religious practices, knowledge of Uyghur language, music, dance, and poetry, passing them on so the younger generation maintains its pride in being Uyghur.
Tahir Imin Uyghurian: What recommendations would you offer for the future of Uyghur human rights advocacy?
Adas Israel: We hope that Uyghurs are able to strengthen the working partnerships they have with other groups fighting Chinese oppression to continue to raise understanding within the United States, the US Congress, and in other democratic countries regarding the extreme threat China’s totalitarian dictatorship poses. This work needs to be done at the local level as well as nationally and internationally.