The Peace and Social Justice Committee of Friends Meeting at Cambridge, responding to calls heard for information and action suggestions, offers this resource list. Feel free to suggest other resources. Questions to skipschiel@gmail.com.
Resource list for thinking about the violence in Gaza (human beings at our worst) and what we can do about it (human beings at our potential best)
Selected and organized by Skip Schiel
Information
Light in Gaza, Writings Under Fire, by authors currently in or from Gaza—published by Haymarket Books, organized by the American Friends Service Committee, electronic version currently free (audio book avail in March 2024)
Democracy Now, news broadcast, daily TV/radio Monday thru Friday
Mondoweiss, reliable US-based news source focused on Israel-Palestine, podcast
United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), trustable, daily on-the-ground reports
B’Tselem, Israeli Human Rights Organization in the Occupied Territories
Jewish Currents, “a magazine committed to the rich tradition of thought, activism, and culture on the Jewish left and the left more broadly“
Palestine Portal, news, much of it faith-based
Organizations
Jewish Voice for Peace, anti-Zionist, nonviolent, non-antisemitic activist organization (not necessary to be Jewish)
If Not Now Movement (primarily for Jews and their allies)
Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA)
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine-Boston area rallies and information about water-related topics
Advocacy
Legislators-call for an immediate ceasefire (or permanent?)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Media-writeletters to the editors, comments, etc
Discuss with family, friends, and your communities (like Friends Meeting Cambridge)
Attend and organize rallies, marches, vigils, etc
Join campaigns by the AFSC-Gaza Unlocked and Apartheid Free Congregations and Communities
Visit the region (West Bank and Israel, Gaza perhaps in the future)
Online (and later, onsite) tours with Eyewitness Palestine
Onsite tours with Americans for Peace Now/Mejdi Tours (March 4 - 13, 2024, registration deadline: January 10, 2024)
Tree of Life Educational Foundation (FOSNA)
Memorial Travel Fund from Quakers Advocating Justice for Palestine
FMC actions
TBD: Another session about Gaza on either December 31 or January 7, both Sundays-check FMC announcements for details
Write a minute or statement (examples from AFSC and other Quaker organizations, New England Yearly Meeting, Wellesley Meeting,Northeast Kingdom letter to the editor
For further background
Quakers in Israel-Palestine Time Line
Promised Land: the Jewish Museum of the Palestinian Experience(online and a free traveling exhibit)
Born in Gaza(available on Netflix)
Connecting with the Enemy, a Century of Palestinian-Israeli Joint Nonviolence, by Sheila Katz
Tracing Homelands, Israel, Palestine, and the Claims of Belonging, growing up during the Nakba of 1948 as a Jewish Israeli, by Linda Dittmar
Skip Schiel’s blog and website
Other Quaker organizations focused on Palestine-Israel
Quakers Advocating Justice for Palestine (QAJP)
Israel-Palestine Resource Group in New England Yearly Meeting (IPRG)-
Quaker Palestine Israel Network (QPIN)
Occupied West Bank
Al Jazeera (latest analysis and information, also about Gaza)
Amnesty International (background information)
Of Land and Bread, produced by B’tselem, available on Kanopy
Donations
Many of the organizations listed above accept donations and are reputable and effective.
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