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Stories from Israel and Palestine
Today, at 10 AM in Israel, the country stood still for two minutes to pay their respects to the six million Jews who were murdered by Nazis during World War II. Around the world, others stood in solidarity with them. And in Poland, thousands of people marched silently from Auschwitz to Birkenau to remember the victims of the Holocaust who died there, by participating in the annual March of the... more
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Three years ago, my heart pulled me to Israel and Palestine to experience the reality of this iconic conflict for myself, talk to Israelis and Palestinians, and search for ways to support peace. It is one of the hardest places I've ever been, where CryPeace means crying more tears and crying louder for justice than almost anywhere else. This week, as renewed tensions escalate over Jerusalem, my... more
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It's advent - the season of year when Christians await the coming of Jesus anew in our hearts, in remembrance of his birth over 2,000 years ago. To celebrate, we light a candle each Sunday - one for hope, one for peace, one for joy, and one for love. This Sunday, my church asked me to light the candle of peace. As someone called to be a peacemaker, I was grateful for the chance to share some of... more
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I don’t want our kids to meet at encounter groups, to learn to empathise with the “other”
I don’t want them to hear of the Holocaust, to learn how our homelands became our graves
I don’t want them to talk about the Nakba, the right of return, and how long it takes
I don’t want to fear that in my nascent country, we risk annihilation again
I don’t want to fear that in my exile, we risk losing the... more
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Should I throw love over the wall instead of stones?
Chocolate kisses
Valentine hearts
Gifts on the strings of balloons?
Will you take the chocolates for stones
Respond with tear gas
Burn my eyes and nose?
I want to tear down this wall
Look into your eyes
And know you as friend, not enemy
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I want to dance at the wall in beautiful protestCast a vision of the future in its shadow today
We could hear the same music, dance to the same beatBut I couldn’t see you, our hands couldn’t meet
We could set up a webcam, make a window in the wallI’d rather you open it, I want to walk tallthrough the gate that encloses me now like a prisonLet this vision of the future shine... more
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I live in a cage with very prevalent wallsthat block me in and hide the sun
I rail at them, throw rocks and stonesMust you respond with bombs?
You hold the power of whether I can wash, or workWhether I can skype with my aunt, or visit the day of her birth
You say yes to my brother, and no to meMust you put my parents in such misery?
I rail at the wall with rocks and stonesYou hold the power... more
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Today is Yom HaShoah, the annual day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust. This morning in Israel, two minutes of silence were observed throughout the country. Via video, I saw the streets and boardwalks that I traversed four months ago become strangely still. Listening to the sound of the siren, I imagined its wail, and our prayers, rising like the souls of the six million victims to... more
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It’s Christmas – the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus two millennia ago. One of the carols we often sing is, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see they lie.” Until this year I envisioned a peaceful village when I sang it, replete with angelic choirs, awestruck shepherds, and the blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph admiring the newborn baby Jesus. This summer I imagined myself... more
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My grandfather’s village is just down the road
It’s blessed with the richest of olive groves
On Fridays when grandfather takes me on his knee
I feel the shade of a tree that I’ve never seen
I’m fighting for freedom, peace and security
I’ll never forget what they’ve stolen from me
Wrongs like these must be avenged
I will not rest until they taste just revenge
We’re fighting for freedom in a... more
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Last comment by Carole on Apr 28, 2022.