Back when Jewish Fast For Gaza was regularly calling for monthly fasts for Gaza, was when I first read posts on the blog of this American Jewish Rabbi, and I so admired this man and respected his viewpoints.
Outrage in Gaza Redux « Shalom Rav
I am reading his comments about the present Gaza operation, and his views are so much like mine. Wow, he speaks of people praying for peace on both sides as essentially revolting him, but I do get the point he is making. It's like if someone said when the people of South Africa struggled for freedom from Apartheid, we must equally pray for each side to renounce violence, as if that were simply a war between two nations.
And he says about the conflict in Palestine:
"When will we be ready to accept that this is not a “balanced” conflict or even a “war” by any reasonable definition – and that it never was? When will we face the painful truth that this is not a story about one side versus the other but about one side oppressing the other? Frankly, all the well-meaning liberal comments about “praying for peace on both sides” and leave me cold. Worse, I find them insidious because they simply serve to support the myth that this is a conflict between two equal parties. It is not. And peace will not come until we admit this – until we admit that there is an essential injustice at the heart of this tragedy and that try as it might, Israel will never be able to make it go away through the sheer force of its increasingly massive military might."
And he speaks about the growing international movement of people of conscience everywhere in the world, to take a stand against the Occupation of Palestine, I think about the amazing BDS Movement.
"Beyond the rage, IÂ’m heartened that this time around there is a growing community of conscience that is speaking out publicly and in no uncertain terms to protest IsraelÂ’s latest outrage in Gaza. I am so deeply grateful for my friends and colleagues at Jewish Voice for Peace, who is alone in the Jewish world in condemning this latest assault. I urge you to read JVPÂ’s courageous statement, which I know gives voice to increasing numbers of Jews and non-Jews, young and old, religious and secular, who are coming together through the courage of their conscience."
Jewish Voice For Peace is a wonderful organization. When Christain churches were trying to vote on Divestment from Companies profiting off the Occupation earlier this year, Methodists and Presbytereans, it was amazing to watch how this Jewish organization and Christians worked together to try to get Divestment proposals passed. I think Jewish Voice For Peace committed more resources into that cause than the Presbyterean Christians themselves did. People of conscience working together to oppose the Occupation and all of the Injustices and human rights abuses embraced by it, that is something beautiful to watch.
And Rabbi Brant Rosen says about the present Gaza operation:
"It’s happening again. Once again 1.7 million people, mostly refugees, who have been living in what amounts to the world’s largest open air prison, are being subjected to a massive military assault at the hands of the world’s most militarized nation, using mostly US-made weapons. And our President is not only looking on – he is defending Israel’s onslaught by saying it has a right to “self-defense in light of the barrage of rocket attacks being launched from Gaza against Israeli civilians.”"
And there appers in his article a photo of the baby burned alive that I address in the OP of this thread.
Sherri
