Dear friends, families, and members of my various communities,
As I prepare for my return to Palestine, where I will continue solidarity work supporting nonviolent resistance, I find myself reading back over many of the e-mails I have sent and received in the past year. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all of you who have supported me, challenged me, comforted me, engaged me, and encouraged me. I feel a sense of accountability not only to the Palestinian communities I work with, but also to all of you who are out there reading what I have to say. Thank you.
I’m writing once again to ask for your financial, emotional, and intellectual support. Much has changed since my first letter to you, both on the ground in Palestine/Israel and in my heart and mind. Still, my fundamental reason for engaging in this work remains the same: to help stop the suffering that is happening in my name as a Jew and with my money as an American.
Despite the continuing Israeli construction of a barrier of walls and fences that is separating Palestinian individuals from their families, families from their villages, and villages from their land; despite the constant killing of civilians that goes largely unreported (over 30 Palestinians killed by the Israeli army in a 4-day span last week); despite the increasing destruction of Palestinian trees and homes and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem; despite all this, I retain my fundamental faith in the infinite possibilities of human interaction. We live in a dynamic world with constant change. The situation can get better or it can get worse, and I see no other choice but to put everything I have into trying to make it better.
A few weeks ago, Jews around the world celebrated Passover, a holiday that reminds us that we were once slaves and honors our journey to freedom. I have found this holiday increasingly meaningful over the years, because it seems so clear to me that the memory of our own slavery should serve to push us into solidarity with all others who have been and are being oppressed today. This year, I thought specifically about the meaning of matzah, the flat bread we eat because the slaves had no time to let the dough rise as they rushed out of slavery. Every time we eat matzah during Passover, we take a moment to reflect on this rush to freedom thousands of years ago. There have been moments in Jewish history and all human history that have felt so urgent that we have not stopped to reflect on their meaning. We cannot afford to continue this dangerous trend.
I myself have been known to be impatient. Last fall when I was in Palestine, women from the Salfit region began holding educational meetings about the wall. As much as I supported the effort, I remember thinking, “We don’t have time for education. We must act!” Of course, that would have made little sense to women who had not yet experienced the devastating effects of the wall or even seen maps of where it might be built. Now, just a few months later, we see a growing movement of nonviolent resistance to the wall in the Salfit region, led largely by women and no doubt a result of the hard work and patience of a small group of Palestinian women.
I hope to bring you many more stories like this over the next four or five months – success stories of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals who I believe can be wise enough not to attempt to rush to freedom without reflection. We have no choice but to try.
And now, friends, I have two requests from you:
1. First, I need your financial support. I will be studying Arabic and doing volunteer work in Bethlehem from mid-June through mid-July. Then I’ll head north to resume my work (resisting the wall, supporting the olive harvest) with the International Women’s Peace Service in Hares. I’ll also be working with a couple delegations and will most likely return to the US in late October. Though some of my costs will be covered by the organizations I work with, I will be staying more than twice as long as I stayed last time, and will therefore incur more expenses. My goal is to raise $3000. Any amount you can give – large or small – will help me reach that goal.
2. Next, I ask you to think of others who may want to read the reports I send from Palestine, and send me their e-mail addresses or tell them to send an e-mail to hannahreports-subscribe@lists.riseup.net. I’ll probably send about one e-mail a week, and will also post my reports on my website: www.palestinemagnets.net. It’s so rare, especially in the US, to hear stories from Palestine of everyday life and the depth and complexities therein. I hope to be able to provide some of that to as many people as possible.
Thanks for reading, and for all your support, past, present, and future.
In strength and hope,
Hannah
