Pat Taub
GUEST POST by JANET WEIL
In south Gaza, in one of many online videos I have watched, a Palestinian grandmother cooked stew over a small open fire – outdoors, because her home had been bombed by the Israeli military. She showed her granddaughter how to make pita bread, talking to her gently all the time.
Another short video showed a moment of relief: “God has given us water,” said a smiling young boy, filling a bucket with rainwater running off a roof, as the rain washed his hair and clothing.
I know, I know: just seeing one soaked child is enough to make you cry. To make you want to carry that boy out of the rain, change his wet clothes, give him a good meal, lead him to a warm safe bed. Just watching one grandmother is enough to make you rage: why was her home destroyed?
The elders who hold the memories and the wisdom – what will happen to them in such relentless deprivation?
Elder women of Gaza mourning murdered loved ones (Arab News)
And I have cried and raged. I have awakened with my jaws aching from clenching my teeth through nightmares. I pause before drinking water, thinking of the people in Gaza without clean water. I have yelled at the TV. In November I was hospitalized with a literal heartache until an angiogram showed no blocked artery, just a psychosomatic ache in my left ribcage.
But emotions are not enough. No one – not the Palestinians, not the Israeli hostages – is helped by our private expression of emotions, and certainly not by our excuses for remaining inactive, as Caitlin Johnstone points out in her harsh but accurate blog post: https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/02/02/five-things-liberals-say-to-avoid-taking-a-real-position-on-gaza/
As Americans, whatever our politics or religion (or lack of same), we are the ones who can pressure our government, the most powerful supporter and funder of the Israeli military assault on Gaza. We CAN save lives.
In towns across America, citizens have been unrelenting in their protests for a ceasefire, like these Mainers who staged a peaceful protest in front of Sen. King’s home on Xmas day, 2023
Things we can do:
If you are a teacher (retired or active), please join me in sending a thank you message to the American Federation of Teachers for supporting a ceasefire: https://www.aft.org/contact Ready to do more? Contact organizations you belong to and ask them to support a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to Gaza. If they have done so, thank them.
Teachers and their young pupils lobbying for a ceasefire in the halls of Congress, Jan. 26, 2024 (Codepink)
Contact your member of Congress. The switchboard number, 202-224-3121, works for all representatives and senators. Find your representative here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative
Demand that they support a permanent ceasefire and humanitarian aid. Ready to do more? Get together with a few friends and take your message to the district office of your member of Congress.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper calling on electeds to push for a permanent ceasefire. LTE writing tips here: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-letter-to-the-editor Ready to do more? Organize a letter-writing party at your home or a local hangout.
The Chicago City Council became the latest big city to pass a resolution calling for ceasefire, joining San Francisco, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, and others. Spread the news! Ready to do more? To get a ceasefire resolution started in your city, start here.
Brandon Johnson, Chicago’s mayor, breaking a tie vote to pass Chicago’s resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza, 1/31/24
In Oakland, a federal court found that the U.S. is providing “unflagging support” for a “plausible” genocide in Gaza. A friend of mine with inoperable lung cancer stood in the chill rain for hours with thousands of supporters of Palestinian human rights during the lawsuit hearing and afterward, during the press conference outside the Federal Building. In a long phone call, she described this experience as deeply moving.
Protesters outside the federal court house in Oakland offering support for the case accusing Biden of genocide in Gaza
The Palestinian plaintiffs, who have all lost family members in Gaza, told the assembled crowd how they were strengthened by the public support.
Public activism for justice is how we can use our emotions as fuel for sustained effort. Let’s not just get depressed or overwhelmed. Let’s help stop a genocide which is supported by our tax dollars and carried out using weapons made by US corporations. Let’s help prevent a wider war in the Middle East before it starts in deadly earnest.
We can all do something.
A retired ESL teacher and fired-up peace and climate justice activist, Janet Weil resides in Palm Desert, California, with her husband. An associate (non-military) member of Veterans For Peace, Janet serves on the Climate Crisis and Militarism Project. When not engaged in activism, she enjoys travel, visiting libraries, photographing desert flora, and time with friends and family.
