Open Community Letter to Cameron Mitchell
TO: Cameron Mitchell and the Cameron Mitchell Restaurants Operating Board,
We were deeply disappointed to learn that Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (CMR) sponsors “Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) - Ohio.” In the wake of three years of continued genocide against Palestinians - from daily bombings in Gaza to the continued murder and dispossession of Palestinians in the West Bank - we find this position unconscionable and demand that CMR cease supporting the FIDF.
FIDF is an organization whose sole focus is to raise funds for members of a foreign armed group - Israeli occupation forces - who, according to multiple human rights groups, are engaged in crimes against humanity and numerous flagrant violations of international law. While using such rosy words as “supporting lone soldiers,” including their latest Ohio event which sought to raise money for the medical treatment of Israeli soldiers, a large portion of money donated to the FIDF goes towards auxiliary facilities on Israeli occupation bases. These bases, dozens of which exist illegally in the West Bank, are a launching point for Israeli military forces to raid Palestinian towns, support settler pogroms, carry out mass arrests, and shoot Palestinians in their homes. Other bases, such as the infamous Sde Teman near Gaza, were used as camps where hundreds of Palestinians were abducted and subjected to torture and sexual violence. It is no exaggeration to say that the FIDF works to sanitize the reputations of murderers and war criminals and reward them for perpetrating a genocide.
FIDF - Ohio is particularly vulgar in its support of war crimes, sponsoring the Gaza Division and Northern Gaza Divisions of the Israeli occupation forces, the perpetrators of some of the most heinous war crimes committed in modern history. In 2018-2019, soldiers in these divisions opened fire and shot over 8,000 peaceful protesters, leading to at least 30 children having limbs amputated and over 230 Palestinians being killed. The scale of crimes from 2023-2026, however, makes 2019 pale in comparison: In the year following October 2023, Israeli air strikes, tank fire, and live ammunition killed over 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza City and Northern Gaza. After August 2024, conditions in these areas were obliterated by Israeli forces to the point where no geographical information could even be collected on deaths: Over 90% of structures had been demolished, nearly all electrical and water infrastructure destroyed, roads bombed, and food stores destroyed. At least 525 Palestinian bodies have been recovered from mass graves across Gaza, a majority of which were adjacent to the Shifa, Kamal Adwan, and Nasser hospitals. UNICEF reports that over 21,000 Palestinian children have been killed by the IDF since 2023, and over 44,000 wounded - with an estimated 1,200 requiring one or more limbs to be amputated. The FIDF is dedicated to collecting money from local communities and businesses like yours to reward the perpetrators of what the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Doctors Without Borders all agree is a genocide.
It is hypocritical for CMR to position itself as a benefactor to Nationwide Children's Hospital while, through FIDF, supporting the perpetrators of the deadliest modern crisis for children. The UN found that the number of children killed in the first year surpassed the total number of children killed in four years of wars worldwide. In fact, some children shot by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip have been treated at Nationwide Children’s Hospital due to the IDF's systematic elimination of hospitals and healthcare workers. It is equally counterproductive for CMR to provide food for those in need at home while supporting a foreign army which subjects over two million people to starvation conditions as a matter of policy: As far back as 2005, Israel and its forces imposed a brutal siege on Gaza, limiting what entered Gaza down to how many calories of food could be allowed in.
We ask that Cameron Mitchell Restaurants does the following:
- Rescind support for FIDF - Ohio and any other FIDF chapters,
- Refrain from sponsoring, contributing to, or otherwise promoting FIDF activities,
- Donate to a charity focused on providing medical or food relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The scale of the crimes celebrated and promoted by the FIDF surpasses the worst horrors one can imagine. Our goal is to build a community where we promote justice, human rights, and universal moral values in who we choose to support. Businesses make choices about whom they support. Communities make choices about which businesses they support in return.
Signed:
Baladna - Palestine Society of Columbus
Jewish Voice for Peace - Ohio
Party for Socialism & Liberation - Columbus
Democratic Socialists of America - Columbus
Students for Justice in Palestine - Ohio State University
Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine - Ohio State University
American Muslims for Palestine - Columbus
Young United Souls for Revolutionary Action (YUSRA)