Tells the Internal Revenue Service it doesn’t lobby or attempt to influence legislation, while telling its members that it is “fast becoming a force that our congressional representatives need to reckon with.”

by Bill Levinson

A Jewish Voice for Peace issued us a call-out or challenge at Muzzlewatch.com, a site that accuses the pro-Israel side of attempting to silence criticism of Israel. There are plenty of legends about entities whose names should not be spoken aloud, lest they turn their attention to the speaker. While the First Amendment prevents anyone from “silencing” anyone else in this country, exercise of our own First Amendment rights and the “open debate” that JVP says it wants so much may in fact encourage JVP to silence itself.

Here is what A Jewish Voice for Peace told the Internal Revenue Service about its activities in 2005. This is a screenshot of its Form 990 tax return as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

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Here is what A Jewish Voice for Peace told its members in its 2005 Annual Report.

Letter from the Directors
We’ve grown from an all-volunteer organization to a globally-recognized one, with chapters already in Washington, DC, San Jose, Sacramento, and the San Francisco Bay area, and more on the way. We are able to make a footprint much larger than our means because we think and act strategically – we’re careful when we need to be, and we’re not afraid to take risks when we need to.
JVP is a trusted source for media, and we’re becoming more influential. Thanks to our supporters, we are fast becoming a force that our congressional representatives need to reckon with. Leaders of groups that give Israel their blind support are working hard against us specifically because we not only shatter their myth of representing all Jews – we show they don’t even represent a majority.
If you’ve been a JVP supporter, we hope you’ll remember how you’ve contributed to building this organization as you read on. If not, we hope the coming pages move you to jump in and join us.
Warm regards.
…
Directors of JVP

Furthermore, here is yet another example of how JVFP did not lobby or attempt to influence legislation in 2005.
http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/publish/article_11.shtml

On August 15, about 50 members and supporters gathered in front of Nancy Pelosi’s office to demand that Congress push for the removal of all settlements.

Members of JVP-Bay Area and supporters protest outside of Democratic Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office. Signs say “Remove ALL settlements” and “Gaza is the tip of the iceberg.” Note the “Jewish Voice for Peace” sign in the middle.

This is far from the first time that JVP’s Form 990 tax returns have apparently differed from JFVP’s activities. Here is what A Jewish Voice for Peace told the Internal Revenue Service about its activities in calendar 2003.

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Here is what A Jewish Voice for Peace actually did in 2003. It speaks for itself. The following was no longer available online but it was still cached by Google (we have downloaded it to make sure it does not get lost– it is no longer at Google’s cache.)

San Francisco, April 7, 2003 – Members of A Jewish Voice for Peace, together with other Jewish activists in the anti-war affinity group called “Slicha: Stop the War”, will demonstrate in front of the office of Congresswoman and Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi. They will be demanding that Pelosi strengthen her stand for peace in the Middle East. …Specifically, the demonstrators issued three demands of Pelosi:
1. To support House Resolution 141, which affirms that the United States possesses the right to defend itself against imminent or actual attack, but disavows the doctrine of preemption.
2. To support House Concurrent Resolution 111, which expresses sympathy to the family of Rachel Corrie, who was recently killed by an Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza Strip and calls for a U.S. investigation into her death.

This also was cached by Google.
Jewish Voice for Peace Urges Defeat of California Assembly Resolution ACR 81

San Francisco, April 25, 2003 – A Jewish Voice for Peace, the largest grassroots, Jewish peace organization in the United States, called today for the defeat of California Assembly Concurrent Resolution 81. ACR 81, introduced in early April by Republican Assemblyman Tony Strickland, condemns the Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority alone and holds them entirely to blame for the ongoing violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories.

JEWISH GROUPS CALL ON CONGRESS TO PASS RACHEL CORRIE BILL
Contact: Mitchell Plitnick 510-465-1777 (office) 510-484-6472 (cell) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

San Francisco, April 2, 2003 - Several grassroots Jewish peace organizations today urged Members of Congress to support the Rachel Corrie Resolution (H.Con.Res. 111). …Participating organizations include Jewish Mobilization for a Just Peace and Bubbes and Zaydes for Middle East Peace (Philadelphia), A Jewish Voice for Peace (San Francisco), Jewish Voices Against the Occupation (Seattle), Jews Against the Occupation (New York), Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel (Washington, DC), Not in My Name (Chicago), the Tikkun Community, and Visions of Peace with Justice in Israel/Palestine and Jewish Women for Justice in Israel/Palestine (Boston).

It speaks for itself. We are confident that A Jewish Voice for Peace really does want far more open debate and discussion of these issues as it said at Muzzlewatch, and we will be more than delighted to bring it on. Meanwhile, for anyone who sees a discrepency between JVP’s Form 990 and its actual program achievements for 2005, here is where to write.

Internal Revenue Service
TE/GE Division, Customer Service
P.O. Box 2508
Cincinnati, OH 45201

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Related: Israel, War Against Islamo-fascism, Peace Process

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