Last night I had the privilege of co-moderating a discussion with Rula Daood and Alon-Lee Green, the co-directors of Standing Together, the grassroots movement mobilizing Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel to end the current war, and to promote justice and equality within Israeli society. It was wonderful to see so many CDT members there, and I know there were also folks who saw them speak the previous night. Rula and Alon-Lee spoke about the incredible work they are doing to mobilize Israelis in support of an end to the war, to provide humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, and to accompany Palestinians under threat in the West Bank. One of their most recent campaigns is an attempt to break through the media blackout within Israel on what is actually happening in Gaza, by creating billboards with images of the devastation and starvation which are displayed around the country, in an attempt to awaken Jewish Israelis’ awareness of what is being done in their name.
Rula and Alon-Lee spoke about making the decision, every morning, to get up and keep fighting, and how joining with others in this struggle is the one thing that is giving them hope at an incredibly difficult time. They both made clear the importance of not relying on politicians to make change, and the necessity of people – both there and here – joining together to create movements that can move the needle and change reality when that reality becomes unbearable. Standing Together’s motto is: Where there is struggle, there is hope.
Part of the struggle is putting our resources to work in support of those making change. There is a custom, before lighting Shabbat candles, of putting some coins in a tzedakah box; another version of this custom is to make a contribution to a worthy cause before entering in to Shabbat. Just a reminder that we have a list on our website, which I update periodically, of organizations providing aid, and working on behalf of peace and justice, in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, in the wake of October 7 (including Standing Together) – you can find it here.
As we light our Shabbat candles this week, may we remember that where there is struggle, there is hope. In the light of the candles, may we see the incredible struggles of so many people here in the U.S., in Israel/Palestine, and around the globe, who are working tirelessly on behalf of those who are most vulnerable, on behalf of peace and justice and love. May we join our light, our struggles, to theirs.
