So much heartrending, passionate and inspiring information has been circulated recently around the 60th anniversary of the day that the British Mandate over Palestine ended, the State of Israel was officially established, and the Palestinian people were displaced and dispossessed.
One item I'm sending along is from the American Friends Services Committee (AFSC). The resources offered at the web site below are very good: "60 Years Since 1948: Resources for Education and Reflection."
Another fine resource is at the web site of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA)- http://www.passia.org/
I have visited the offices of this organization; they do excellent work. Here's the link to "Nakba - The Process of Palestinian Dispossession" - http://www.passia.org/publications/bulletins/Nakba%20website/index.htm
The ELCA Peace Not Walls web page offers a new PowerPoint presentation, "Holy Land: Recent History and the Quest for Peace,” outlining the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and describing how the ELCA and the ELCJHL are working for peace. A script and user guide are provided. Go to http://archive.elca.org/peacenotwalls/educate/index.html
Here's more from AFSC:
May 15 was also the day that is recognized as Nakba Day. Nakba is the Arabic word for “catastrophe” and refers to the Palestinian people’s displacement and dispossession, which took place during the creation of Israel and continues to this day. Today is a cause of celebration for some, and mourning or protest for others.
AFSC believes that an honest discussion and accounting of the history of 1948 is central to any lasting and just peace in Israel/Palestine. To help with this, we have collected resources and reflections on our web site - http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/60years.htm
60 Years Since 1948: Resources for Education and Reflection is not meant to offer the entire history of 1948, but instead to promote discussion of this important period and its significance to our peace work today. We hope you will pass on this web link to your friends and networks.
Also, please be sure to watch the video from our recent national speaking tour "Acknowledging the Past; Imagining the Future: Israelis and Palestinians on 1948 and the Right of Return." http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/acknowledging_the_past.htm
Muhammad Jaradat and Eitan Bronstein spoke to large gatherings across the U.S. about the importance of honestly examining history while also providing an inspiring vision of the future for both Palestinians and Israelis.
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1 comment:
Here's a comment that came from my Uncle, Chuck Dare, to my private inbox:
Today's Voice for Peace is really good. I think I read the Lemon Tree book years ago. It sounds familiar. It gave me an insight that many of my fellow Baptists don't have regarding the present Palestinian problems.
A few weeks ago in Bible study I mentioned that I didn't like what Israelis are doing to Palestinians, especially the Palestinian Christians. One person spoke up and said, "Well look what the Palestinians are doing to Israelis." And of course the Hamas ARE doing those things., but some of that is rooted in the stories about the 1948 massacre and dispossessions long remembered.
Since becoming more familiar with the Bible in the last 30+ years I've noticed the Eye for an Eye and Tooth for Tooth attitude prevalent in the Old Testament, and Jesus' opposite attitude of Turn the Other Cheek. Official Israel still has that revenge idea in mind. And of course non-Christian Palestinians don't have Jesus' philosophy either.
The other thing that has opened my mind are the frequent travels to Muslim areas in Sudan, Egypt and Gaza by Dr. Pat, the veterinarian I've spoken to you about, and maybe sent you a copy of her Newsletter.
Anyway , today's Voice for Peace gave me a lot of reading to do. . .
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