The meeting was over.
We had just heard a talk by a Palestinian activist sharing what his life
is like under military occupation. As we stood to leave, a man in front of me,
his name tag read, “Ben,” turned around
and said, “It’s discouraging. But, what can I do? I guess the best thing is to
just pray.”
Here are a few suggestions for Ben:
1 – BUMPER STICKERS
Some say, “I don’t want to use my car to make a political
statement.” I say, Why not? If we believe in something, a bumper sticker
is an easy way to show our solidarity with the suffering people of Palestine and stand up
for peace and justice. I have had a FREE
PALESTINE sticker on my car for 15 years and I remember getting the ‘finger”
only once. On the other hand, it has been a great conversation starter.
I returned to my car, parked on a city side street, and
there stood a woman staring at my bumper.
O Boy, I thought, now I am going to get my head knocked off.
“Is this
your car?” she asked,
“Yes.”
“I agree.” And, she said, “I am
Jewish. I feel lonely at my
synagogue. It feels good to know that I
am not alone.”
From bushy bearded motorcycle riders to totally covered
Muslim ladies, I have received expression of appreciation from those who do not
want to feel alone. All a bumper sticker
does is show solidarity, but how valuable that is.[1]
2 – LISTEN AND
CONFRONT
While sitting at a table for ten in a restaurant, a man I
hardy knew, said something about the stupid Palestinians firing rockets. He was too far away to engage in a
conversation without turning the dinner party into a shouting match, so, I made
a face as though I had been whiffed by a smell from a sewer. He got
my message and I could only hope it made him uncomfortable.
Under different circumstances, we might see it as an
opportunity to say something like, “I used to think that way. But, then I read
Elias Chacour’s book, BLOOD BROTHERS and it pointed out another way.” There are
many books, many by Jewish authors, which have helped me to better understand
that situation and my part in it. [2]
3 – FLAG
On May 15, Nakba Day, and March 16th, the
anniversary of the crushing of Rachael Corrie, people walking by will see a Palestinian flag
flying in front of our house. It is a
small way to show solidarity with those oppressed by Israel ’s occupation and has led to
meeting several like minded friends.
4 – JEWISH VOICE for
PEACE
Ben could also send $100 to Jewish Voice for Peace,[3] This is a nation wide organization of Jews committed
to the ethical teaching of their scriptures, such as Jeremiah, Isaiah and the
Psalms. At great rick of being isolated from family, friends and religious
community, they live out the historical mandate of their faith by marching,
demonstrating and teaching justice for all, especially those oppressed by
religion, racism or pariah nations.
Jewish Voice for Peace is growing in number and
influence. Anyone experiencing
discrimination will have a friend in JVP.
5 – BDS
Ben could join
hundreds of thousands of world wide supporters of BDS, (Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions), a call from Palestinian civil and religious leaders to pressure Israel to end the occupation. Sanctions are the
actions of governments. Divestments are the actions of corporations. But,
individuals, like Ben, can boycott those companies that profit from the
occupation, such as Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, and any business that sells
soda stream, to name a few.[4]
6 – WRITE LETTERS
Letters to the Editor on the Israel/Palestine crisis seldom
get published, but every now and then, one will get through. At least, they are read by the editor.
I often write letters to my elected officials which I am
convinced are never read. I get back a form letter addressing none of my
concerns. But, who knows. If our representatives in Congress got ten letters
from ten different people expressing concern over the same issue, it might get
mentioned at their staff meeting. Every little
bit of awareness might help. At least,
it helps me to write them.
7 – READ AND
RECOMMEND BOOKS
There are a hundred books out there addressing Israel ’s brutal
oppression of the Palestinians. Ben
could read any one of them and be motivated to take a little risk and share it
with a friend. We do not get an honest
representation of what is happening from our media, our politicians or even
from out pulpits. Our best resource for
accurate reporting can be found in books and in the social media. A great place to start is with the Website Mondoweiss.
8 – Then Ben could pray.
But unless he, and all of us, do the kind of things listed above, it
will do little good to pray.
I understand that Ben is discouraged. I want to say, That is
OK. Go ahead and be discouraged, even
get depressed and feel like quitting. It's a normal part of working for justice for any cause. Take off a day, or two, even let it go for a week. But, then get back up, dust yourself off, and
get right back in the fight.
Thomas Are
May 10, 2015
[1] FREE
PALESTINE bumper stickers may be purchased for $2 from the Palestine Online
Store, a not-for-profit that has been promoting Palestine products since 2005.
[2] I
recommend: Mark Braverman – FATAL EMBRACE
Max Blumenthal,
GOLIATH,
Mico Peled – THE GENERAL’S
SON.
Paul Finley – THEY
DARE TO SPEAK OUT.
A
valued internet resource is: www.mondoweiss.com
And a
must see documentary is: PEACE, PROPAGANDA and the PROMISED LAND
Media Education Foundation, 60 Masonic St Northampton ,
MA
01060
Email: sales@mediaed.org
Phone (510) 465-1777 Email:
info@jvp.org
[4] Google
BDS for a more comprehensive story of the BDS movement, a boycott list and
suggestions for actions toward divestment.
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