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Friends, 

Just this past week, after so many weeks of heart wrenching images and stories of suffering in Israel and Gaza, the fighting has intensified bringing the estimated civilian death toll close to 18,000. The fear that disease and famine causing even further death and suffering is widespread. As your minister, I believe one of my responsibilities is helping us understand how we live out God’s call for justice and peace in our present day contexts. Talking about Israel/Palestine is not easy, but during this Advent season it feels necessary to talk about the very birthplace of our Messiah and understand what terrifying realities the people of Gaza are facing, and how that impacts our faith that tells us we are all connected and beloved children of God. As your minister, I don’t believe that it is my job to tell you what to think or feel about the injustices we see in the world around us. I believe that the many different connections, inspirations, ways of processing we all have make it impossible for me to tell you what choices you should be making. I will encourage you to pay attention, to pray, to keep your heart open to both the weariness and rejoicing in the world around us. A friend of mine thanked me for sharing on social media the voice of a Palestinian journalist, saying it was a helpful way to keep her heart open and to pray for peace. In that same spirit of understanding information and stories as anchors in the spiritual practice of bearing faithful witness to our neighbours, here are some resources on the topic of Israel/Palestine:

The United Church of Canada has issued their own statement, as well signing onto other collaborative letters, calling for a ceasefire. For many years now, the UCC has supported global partner Sabeel, and ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem which centers the voices of Palestinian Christians. In North America, the Friends of Sabeel offers reflection and resources including a great section of FAQs on Christian Zionism and the history of Israel/Palestine. 

In 2016, I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by the United Network for Justice and Peace in Israel and Palestine. At this event I met Brad and learned about his work with No Way To Treat A Child, an organization that focuses on supportive children’s rights in Palestine. I had no idea that so many children were in Israeli prisons, awaiting trials conducted in a language they didn't speak. I also met Lia Tarachansky, a Jewish filmmaker and journalist raised in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. She tells much of her own story in the film she released in 2013 called On The Side of Road.

Lia’s story helped me understand how challenging it can be for Jewish people to have conversation within their own communities and families about Israel and how important it is to uplift Jewish voices working for peace. One example of this is the organization If Not Now. I first became familiar with their work in 2018, when I was invited by the Toronto chapter to offer a prayer at a vigil following the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. Today, If Not Now continues their work as a movement of (North) American Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel's apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis. 

It’s also important to listen to the voices of those who have lived experience in Israel and Palestine. This article speaks to the challenges Palestinian journalists have been facing since October - it is believed that at least 86 Palestinian journalists have been killed. 

Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran soldiers who have served in the Israeli military since the start of the Second Intifada and have taken it upon themselves to expose the public to the reality of everyday life in the Occupied Territories. Please let me know if you are seeking resources in a different format or different perspective beyond this short list. 

As we open our hearts to the stories of lives so very similar than ours, with the same hopes of happiness and freedom, may the peace of Christ be with you, 

As we open our hearts to the stories of lives so very different than ours, from different religions and cultures, who speak different languages, may the peace of Christ be with you, 

May the peace of Christ bring unity in our prayers for peace and justice. 

 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev Michiko