Last December Tal Mitnick, 18, announced that he would refuse mandatory military service in Israel. In response the government sentenced him to serve 30-days in a military prison. Upon his release he was issued another draft order which he, also, intends to refuse.
“I refuse to agree with the idea that killing civilians in Gaza would provide security for anyone,” he said. “It doesn’t bring security to anyone, neither to the people of Gaza nor to the people of Israel. I believe that the only path to security and peace lies in coexistence.”
(Common Dreams, 12/27/23 by Brett Wilkins, reprinted in Portside.)
According to Oren Ziv in +972 Magazine (9/2/22) “military conscription is mandatory for most Jewish Israelis, both men and women, and refusal or evasion to enlist without the army’s approval is a punishable offense. Conscientious objectors, commonly nicknamed ‘refuseniks,’ are typically tried at the Recruitment Center and sentenced to prison terms of between 10 and 21 days. Upon their release, they are called to report back to the Recruitment Center, where they usually announce again that they still refuse to enlist. Thus, refuseniks can often spend months in prison over several consecutive periods, until the army decides to discharge them.”
Tal Mitnick is one of several young Israelis defying military service but he is the first to be sent to military prison during his country’s war with Hamas.
On January 19th Tal was interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! Click here to see this interview.
On December 25, 2023 Tal Mitnick posted the above message on X (formerly Twitter.) The words he chose are lyrics from the song “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” written by Anne Feeney. Anne recorded the song in 2000 and distributed it on a CD by the same name.
Peter, Paul, & Mary also recorded “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” on two of their CDs and, according to the Zinn Education Project, the song became a staple of their live performances. And “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” was featured in three documentary films.
Tal Mitnick lives in Tel Aviv and is the son of parents who immigrated from the U.S. to Israel before he was born.
My question is this: how did Tal Minick — an 18-year old Israeli-born citizen — learn the words to an Anne Feeney’s protest song? Did he learn it from a sound recording in his parent’s music collection? Did he discover it during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-21) when so many Gen Z young people spent most of their lives online?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Photo: Soul Behar Tsalik, Mesarvot Network.
With thanks to Peter Jones.
Have you been to jail for justice?
Words and music by Anne Feeney.
To listen click here.
Was it Cesar Chavez? Maybe it was Dorothy Day
Some will say Dr. King or Gandhi set them on their way
No matter who your mentors are it’s pretty plain to see
That, if you’ve been to jail for justice, you’re in good company
Have you been to jail for justice? I want to shake your hand
Cause sitting in and lyin’ down are ways to take a stand
Have you sung a song for freedom? or marched that picket line?
Have you been to jail for justice? Oh, you’re a friend of mine
You law abiding citizens, come listen to this song
Laws were made by people, and people can be wrong
Once unions were against the law, but slavery was fine
Women were denied the vote and children worked the mine
The more you study history the less you can deny it
A rotten law stays on the books ’til folks with guts defy it
The law’s supposed to serve us, and so are the police
And when the system fails, it’s up to us to speak our peace
It takes eternal vigilance for justice to prevail
So get courage from your convictions
Let them haul you off to jail!
Anne Feeney bought a Martin guitar and did her first public performance in 1969 singing Phil Ochs songs at an anti-war rally. In 1972, while a student at the University of Pittsburgh, she co-founded Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. She was arrested at the Republican National Convention in 1972 protesting Richard Nixon; she graduated from the Pitt School of Law in 1978 and worked for 12 years as a trial attorney.
She served as president of the Pittsburgh Musicians’ Union and was elected as president of her local National Organization of Women (NOW) chapter. In 1991 she gave up her career as a lawyer and hit the road as a labor and protest singer.
“Music is a fantastic way of empowering people and giving them strength and energy,” she said. Anne generously gave her time and support to help-jump start the careers of many young and up-and-coming songwriters and activists. She received the Joe Hill Award from the Labor Heritage Foundation in 2005.
Anne Feeney died of Covid on Feb. 3, 2021, age 69. She would have been thrilled to know that one of her songs inspired Tal Mitnick, an Israeli conscientious objector.
Saul Schniderman, Editor
You may be able to purchase Anne’s cd
on ebay.
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 
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