Query: How are we responding as Quakers to the war in Gaza?
Seeking Quakers is “on the road” again, this time at Old Worthington Library, Wolf Study room from 7-8:30pm Eastern.
Please let me know if you plan to attend (or if you want to join us via zoom and I can send the link) by emailing Brian at edmiston.1@osu.edu
If you have any accommodations questions about the event, please email Brittany at Outreachinreach@gmail.com and if you have questions about accessibility at the library, please call 614-807-2626 or email ask@worthingtonlibraries.org
Old Worthington Library is at 820 High St, Worthington, OH 43085
Resources:
Our topic/query: How as Quakers are we responding to the war in Gaza?
- Some understanding of the competing historical narratives in Israel/Palestine is essential. The host of this insightful podcast interviews a Palestinian-American historian and a Jewish-Israel professor.
Dan Snow’s History Hit: Israel, Gaza and the West Bank: A History. Ep. 1302 Friday, November 3, 2023
https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/israel-gaza-and-the-west-bank-a-history
- The Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank has been a beacon for peace in the region since 1869. Listen to or read this interview with Sa’ed Atshan.
This Palestinian American professor leans on his Quaker faith during conflict
Sa’ed Atshan is a professor of peace and conflict studies at Swarthmore College. He is also a Palestinian American with family still in the West Bank. He grew up going to a Quaker school in Ramallah and through that experience became a Quaker himself. And he is personally tethered to the news in a way I didn’t expect.
Last weekend, three young men of Palestinian descent were shot in Vermont. Those students went to the same Quaker school in the West Bank. Sa’ed knows two of the students well.
- AFSC (The American Friends Service Committee) mourns with those who have lost loved ones and all who are suffering. We will continue to work for the changes needed to end this violence and build a just and lasting peace.
To address the situation, it is important to understand the context in which this violence is taking place. Here are five things you need to know:
https://afsc.org/news/5-things-you-need-know-about-whats-happening-israel-and-gaza
AFSC advocates:
Tell Congress: Call for a cease-fire and humanitarian access in Gaza now!: Urge Congress to do everything they can to end Israel’s bombing of Gaza to protect lives.
Donate to humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza. Through our offices in Gaza, AFSC provides support and assistance to Palestinians facing the most need and vulnerability. Donations received now will be used to support individuals and families impacted by the ongoing attacks.
Join the Apartheid-Free campaign. Ending these attacks is a first step, but it isn’t enough. To bring lasting change, the systems of occupation, apartheid, and settler colonialism that are at the roots of violence in Israel and Palestine must end. Learn more about how you can join AFSC in pushing for the end of these systems of violence so that a just and lasting peace can be realized.
- FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation): Responding to the Crisis in Israel-Palestine
https://www.fcnl.org/updates/2023-11/calling-ceasefire-advocacy-toolkit
If your meeting has passed a minute on the crisis in Israel-Palestine, or would like to, FCNL can help you share it with your members of Congress.
- Quaker Speak: War is Not the Answer
From an interview with Diane Randall, FCNL executive secretary
What does it mean to “live in the power and virtue that takes away the occasion for all war?”
North Columbus Friends Meeting (Quakers) 