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By Paul Kivel In her book Allies for Armageddon: The Rise of Christian Zionism Victoria Clark writes, “One has to look back as far as the Crusades to find another example of such a large group of outsiders involving themselves in the Middle East on a religious pretext….” Clark is describing the history and power of Christian Zionism. In the last two centuries, the creation of and continuing support for the state of Israel was substantially determined by ruling class Christian Zionists, first in Britain and more recently in the U.S. Today Christian Zionists lobby for pro-Israeli expansionist policies, provide a tremendous amount of direct financial support to Israel, coordinate a large pro-Israel, anti-Palestinian constituency, and give direct aid to illegal settlements in the West Bank.  Crusaders of the First Crusade (11th Century) on their way to Jerusalem are portrayed in a stained-glass window located in the cathedral of Brussels that was created in 1866. iStock photo by Jorisvo. By Micki Luckey Can you imagine living on 2-3 liters (roughly 2-3 quarts) of water a day? That was the average water consumed daily by a person living in Gaza before they were hit by even worse conditions under the on-going Israeli bombardments. During its 75 year long occupation of Palestine, Israel has used many different strategies to force the Palestinians from their land. Controlling the water supply throughout the area has been one specific and effective weapon Israel continues to use to bolster its own development and to displace Palestinians. Before October 7th, 2023, Gazans were spending a third of their income on water and regularly mixed the water from the tap with sea water to make it go farther. The lack of clean drinking water had already made 25% of children in Gaza susceptible to gastric ailments and other diseases. As part of their retaliation for October 7, Israeli forces increased their targeting of the water infrastructure in Gaza. By November 2023 Israeli attacks had disrupted the sources (desalination plants, pipelines and wells) of all but 5% of Gaza’s water. So now Gazans face “heightened health and environmental risks owing to limited access to clean water.” Today people in Gaza are forced to drink polluted seawater.  This booth appeared at a 2024 Palestinian solidarity gathering. A person wearing a Netanyahu mask was promoting GAZA SPRINGS Sewage and Seawater with the ad, “A Taste of Genocide”. https://gazasprings.com/ photo by author. By Eve Higby and Micki Luckey During the nine months of Israel’s unrelenting war, the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) has continued to deliver food to people in Gaza. To raise funds to support this work, MECA held its Third Annual Ride for Palestine this past Sunday, July 21st. The need for aid is especially urgent: Israeli bombardments have caused massive displacements, and the Israeli government has blocked the entry of food. Tens of thousands of Palestinian children suffer from severe malnutrition and medical supplies are practically nonexistent, according to a recent UNICEF report. A team of 16 SURJ Bay Area riders joined about fifty other teams in the Ride for Palestine to raise funds for MECA. The event was wildly successful, surpassing MECA’s goals by raising nearly $300,000, and bringing a few hundred people together for Palestinian food, music and dancing in a day of solidarity with Gaza.  Bicyclists ride on the Bay Trail to Richmond CA for the MECA Ride for Palestine. Photo: Team SURJ The recent violence outside the Los Angeles Adas Torah synagogue was immediately met with cries of antisemitism — from President Joe Biden to Governor Gavin Newsom to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and everyone in between. Why would pro-Palestinian activists protest outside of a synagogue? Most media outlets didn’t ask that question, merely reporting on the violence and thus insuring it would appear like protesters were simply targeting a house of worship. So why were the protesters there?  Image of a sign at a Palestine protest in the shape of a watermelon that reads when you bomb a watermelon, you spread its seeds. Photo by Brooke Anderson @movementphotographer Against the Loveless World by Susan Abulhawa. Reviewed by Micki Luckey. In her beautiful but emotionally challenging novel, Against the Loveless World, Susan Abulhawa captures the insecurity and lack of place experienced by Palestinians in the diaspora and then the building of community and resistance to the occupation inside Palestine. With exquisite descriptions of place, food, events, and people, we follow Yaqoot (also called Nahr) as she moves from Kuwait to Jordan to Palestine.  A panoramic view of the Ramallah hills. Photo by Fjmustak, 2016, Creative Commons By Felicia Gustin “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.” –Frantz Fanon (1925 - 1961), philosopher, revolutionary, author, and pre-eminent thinker on the issue of decolonization  Several camping-style tents cover the lawn in front of a UC Berkeley building as part of the "Free Palestine" encampment. Photo by author. By Micki Luckey The numbers coming out of Gaza are numbing — over 33,000 dead, almost half children; 17,000 orphans; already 20 dead of starvation and many more expected; 80% of the population displaced… Many of us in SURJ Bay Area have been marching and demonstrating, signing petitions, sending emails, and making phone calls to protest the assault on Gaza now entering its sixth month. We follow the actions recommended by our partner, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, as well as our allies at Jewish Voice for Peace. Another organization that supports Palestine is the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). MECA is located in Berkeley and provides on-the-ground support in Palestine as well as other parts of the Middle East. Below is the voice of one of their workers.  MECA staff filling up jugs of clean drinking water for displaced families in Rafah, Gaza. Used with permission from MECA.
By Erin Kane, Rachael Devlin and Micki Luckey
Grid of fiction & non-fiction books featured in this essay.
A few years ago, SURJ BA posted a list of Racial Justice Books for White People. Two lists, really — one fiction, one non-fiction. The books on these lists were chosen through a vote by the chapter membership.
Recently, a few of us were trading comments on books we have loved. Out of these conversations grew a desire to shine a light on more Black voices in honor of Black History Month. SURJ Bay Area’s Policy Committee supports incredible partner organizations – Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB), the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) / All of Us or None, Essie Justice Group, Initiate Justice, Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employer’s Network, and the Drop LWOP Coalition – in their legislative advocacy campaigns, aimed at ending the prison industrial complex and building a world free of cages and with equitable working and living conditions for all.  An image of the Capitol Building in Sacramento. Photo by Andre M. (2014, Creative Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sacramento,-California---State-Capitol_(cropped).jpg) Part 2 of 2: It’s time to speak out against Moms For Liberty by Regie Stites In August and September 2023, the Yolo County Library and schools in Davis, California received a half-dozen emailed bomb threats containing homophobic hate speech. These threats were inspired by a campaign by the local Moms For Liberty chapter aimed at banning books that center on LGBTQ+ characters and issues.  A crowd of people hold signs saying “Stop Banning Books,” “Our Students Deserve Better,” and “Teach the Truth” at a protest against book banning in Atlanta, GA, 12 February 2022. Photo by John Ramspott. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Book_Banning_Protest,_Atlanta,_GA_2-12-2022_P2120167_(51878411104).jpg |
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