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.Shabbat Shalom everyone.
With things in Israel and Gaza escalating further, my family home no longer feels alone in paying attention to the news. American and Israeli news channels are full of live updates and stories of people scared and scarred. Many people have reached out to me to check on me, my family & my friends’ safety. I appreciate you all doing this and showing care in our shared community.
Everyone has been impacted. Family friends with children kidnapped or killed, friends called back to reserves, and people no longer living in their homes because their homes don’t have safe spaces for them to stay in.
Last week I called Edden as she walked her dog. Her walk and our call were cut short because she heard explosions from far away. The sounds of explosions are a tiny part of the experience of living in war. Missiles and airstrikes will continue bombarding the sky and make everyone, Palestinian and Israeli, feel unsafe and actively destabilize lives.
My friends are scared that they won’t have a safe home in Israel within our generation. And they’re nervous about being sent into Gaza to “end” Hamas once and for all, an urban area with high levels of bloodshed during ground tactics. My friends and mutual friends are scared for their lives right now, and I’m scared for them.
I’m pro-peace and, while that feels like an easy stance to take in an escalating war, I understand that the violence we experience today turns into hatred and violence tomorrow. Israelis and Jews feel scared and want to gain back our basic need for security (I highly recommend Alan Watts’ book on Feeling Secure). People in Gaza want the same for themselves — long lives, full of friends, family, and purpose in the world.
As Israel offers basic necessities to Gaza (putting the geopolitical reasons aside, which I know is hard to do), Israel acts in a position of care for the people living in Gaza. Israel recently cut off access to basic needs for millions who need it to survive. All civilians deserve access to basic needs, like water, food, electricity, and physical/psychological safety.
As we enter this next segment of the cycle of violence in Gaza that has been building up in spurts throughout my life, I want to ask people for two things:
Find ways to take care of yourself and the people in your life. It seems like people are continuously finding new ways to support each other, and I am grateful to witness such actions made by you all.
Please remember that Palestinian civilians are not the same as Hamas fighters. When Israel fights for its security, recognize that real people — mothers who’ve lost kids, doctors who want to save lives, and people with similar goals in life as you — live in Gaza.
There are a couple of voices I’ve heard/read and want to elevate:
Maya Rimer (shared via Charles Eisenstein’s newsletter) shares the story of her murdered son and her call for peace.
A conversation I had at a Moishe House in San Diego aligned with this article drawing parallels between the US’s post-9/11 strategy and people saying Israel should destroy Hamas once and for all.
Peter Schwartzstein’s article on peace-building through environmental projects reminds me that — no matter the borders we draw in the sand — we still share the ecosystems, life-giving resources, and a dependence on one another to keep the environment clean (read the entire article or read about how pollution due to poor infrastructure in Gaza shut down Ashkelon’s desalination plant in 2016.
I’m starting to write a new newsletter,
, where I share short actions you can take in your life to bring your own slice of peace and happiness into your day. I just published a short piece on appreciating the small things. Especially when thousands have lost loved ones, millions are having their water and electricity turned off, and when the safety of home no longer feels safe, appreciating the small things is a small act we can do to show ourselves the humanity that we can foster within a moment. And to remember how much we truly have.One last thing. I’ve been editing my post before Shabbat and there’s one sentence I won’t delete for my own conscious’ sake: I’m pro-Israel and will always want to call that piece of land my home — I was born there, I have family & deep friendships there, and know that I will always have a connection to land in that place. Because it matters to me, my family, and my community, I’m writing to you. Please find time to practice caring for others this week!