Paul Von Blum reflects on his first and last visit to an Israeli settlement, activism, and how writing can be a powerful tool to channel political anger.
Healing Israel/Palestine
Mourner's Kaddish for Gaza Palestinians
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Instead of mourning privately––a betrayal of Jewish values––Andy Ratto encourages us to follow his example and publicly mourn the death of Palestinians in Gaza in a “not only personal, but also a public act of spiritual and political solidarity.”
Healing Israel/Palestine
URJ's Statement on Gaza and IfNotNow's Response
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We thought our readers might be interested in the Union of Reform Judaism’s statement on Gaza and the response from people aligned with the young people’s activist group “If Not Now.”
Healing Israel/Palestine
Israel@70: Fixing the way we pray for the State
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As we approach Israel’s 70th birthday, Rabbi David Seidenberg, reminding us that peace requires more than inclusion, revises the traditional prayer for the State of Israel so that “our prayer for peace [is] a prayer that teaches peace.”
Healing Israel/Palestine
Sign statement supporting B’tselem’s call to Israelis soldiers to refuse orders to shoot into crowds of unarmed civilians
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B’Tselem recently launched a media campaign calling for Israeli soldiers to refuse orders when asked to open fire on unarmed demonstrators. Please stand in solidarity with B’Tselem and sign our statement!
War & Peace
Gun Violence as State Sponsored Domestic Terrorism
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Henry Giroux tries to make sense of a world in which guns in schools have been normalized: “Instead of confronting the roots of violence in America, [Trump] followed the NRA line of addressing the issue […] with a call to arm more people, putting more guns into play.”
Politics & Society
How the Wars-for-our-Freedoms Narrative Stifles Debate and Undermines Democracy
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“It’s extremely difficult to have a serious discussion about the pros and cons of war when the supporters of said war can use the freedom narrative like a cudgel to verbally bludgeon critics.”
Politics & Society
Patriarchy: A major obstacle to world peace
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In this article, Dr. Adis Duderija contends that the biggest obstacle to world peace is patriarchy: it “can only create exploitation, suffering and grief to human civilization at large and to our individual selves.”
Politics & Society
An Emergency Appeal from Honduras
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Activist and Tikkun contributor David A. Sylvester, recently returned from Honduras, is asking you to “help tip the balance toward peace and away from violence and repression.” Read the full article to find out how you can help!
General News
It's a Sin to Build a Nuclear Weapon
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I pulled out this old “historic” poster and put it up on our refrigerator today, after the false alarm went out to Hawaiians that an incoming (presumably nuclear) missile was on its way. My grown children will recognize the poster, because it was on our refrigerator for years. I began my career as an activist in 1979, when I realized the extent of the very real danger of nuclear war.I was engaged in the peace and anti-nuclear movement the whole time they were growing up. They remember carrying candles and walking from Pioneer Park to the Broad Street Bridge in Nevada City each year on August 6, Hiroshima Day. During the election year of 1984, I was a paid organizer for the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign’s Political Action Committee (PAC), Freeze Voter ’84, which I worked on here in Nevada County.
Healing Israel/Palestine
Finding My Place as an Anti-Occupation Reform Jew
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Netanya Perluss writes about the experience of being an anti-occupation Reform Jew: “My Jewish life encouraged me to call out injustices and work to make our world a better place.”