*An old version of this article included the word Tashlich in quotation marks and explained the ritual as tossing bread crumbs or pebbles into the water instead of pinecones.
On Sunday, Sept. 29th, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) held a Tashlich march down North Speer Boulevard, calling for an arms embargo against Israel.
Marchers began at Rep. Diana DeGette’s office in downtown Denver. JVP said the congresswoman hasn’t done enough to support an end to the violence in Gaza. They called DeGette’s office as a group and urged her to accept a new proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders known as the “Joint Resolution of Disapproval,” which would block the U.S. from selling another $20 billion worth of weapons to Israel.
JVP reported they met with DeGette last November. Following that meeting, the congresswoman called for a “cessation of hostilities.” In April, JVP requested another meeting after seeing “no further action” from DeGette. She told JVP leaders she was working “behind the scenes” to help achieve a deal. Leaders expressed disappointment, wishing the congresswoman would be “louder.”
After calling DeGette, the group marched along the Cherry Creek stream and North Speer Boulevard for a mile under the hot sun toward the office of Senator Michael Bennet. JVP claims Bennet also hasn’t done enough to help stop the new round of violence that began last October in the Middle East.
In solidarity with Palestine, the group used speakers to organize chants accusing Colorado lawmakers of supporting genocide.
Tashlich is a Jewish ceremony symbolizing the casting off of sins from the previous year. The ritual involves visiting a body of water and tossing pinecones into it. The group chose to perform the ritual to reflect on the those who have died over the past 12 months in Gaza.
“We cast away our complicity in the Israeli military’s genocide while recommitting to take urgent action to justify peace,” JVP wrote in their media advisory.
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national Jewish organization that advocates for boycotts, divestments and sanctions against Israel. The group is active on many college campuses in the U.S. and held Shabbat sessions every Friday at the University of Denver’s “encampment” last spring.
On Sunday, many participants wore white, which leaders said represented their protest’s peaceful nature and goal of “collective liberation.”
“We wear white as a way of saying there is a place in our hearts for those that have died,” said one speaker. “We will mourn the dead and fight like hell for the living,” they continued.
Before beginning to march, safety marshals instructed the group to adhere to a possible police order of dispersion and stay off the street unless directed otherwise. At various times, marshals stopped traffic to allow the group to cross safely.
At one point, a man sped toward the group as they crossed the street. The marshals gestured for the man to stop, but he moved forward, bumping into marshals and startling the marchers. After marchers pulled out their phones the man stopped and waited for the group to cross.
JVP will be holding high holiday services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this October. The group says they hope to hold a lot more actions this fall as well and that all are welcome to its services regardless of religion.
