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>From: "Corinna Hasofferet" <[log in to unmask]> >To: "H Edwards" <[log in to unmask]> >Cc: "AGNI Magazine" <[log in to unmask]>, > "Agencia Carmen Balcells" <[log in to unmask]>, > "Acroggon" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Fw: A Ray of Sunshine from Corinna in Israel, with best >wishes for a happy new year >Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 19:48:31 +0200 >X-Priority: 3 > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: Gila Svirsky <[log in to unmask]> >To: Coalition of Women for a Just Peace <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Saturday, December 29, 2001 12:59 AM >Subject: A Ray of Sunshine > > >| Friends, >| >| Today was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise bleak Middle East. >| >| At 9:30 a.m., the organizers were still discussing whether the march >| should be held single file or two-by-two, as the police refused to grant >| us a permit to walk in the streets, wanting to contain us on the broad >| sidewalk. By 10:30 a.m., we saw there would be no hope of containing the >| vast crowd that had showed up. >| >| An amazing 5,000 people, most dressed in black, turned up for today's >| events, beginning with the March of Mourning for all the victims -- >| Palestinian and Israeli -- of the Occupation. Responding to the call of >| the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace, people from all over the world >| found their way to the vigil plaza today. When the signal came to begin, >| we were all mixed up with each other -- Israeli, Palestinian, European, >| American -- and began a slow, solemn walk, in silence (mostly), with only >| a funereal cadence sounded by two women drummers at the center of this >| long procession. Although the extreme right wing staged a >| counterdemonstration at the beginning of our route, their small number >| (about 30) and angry shouts only served to dramatize the power of our own >| dignified presence. >| >| We led with a huge banner, "The Occupation is Killing Us All", as well as >| hundreds of black hands with white lettering "Stop the Occupation", and >| scores of signs calling for peace, a state of Palestine beside the state >| of Israel, and sharing this beautiful city of Jerusalem, loved so long by >| so many. It was an unseasonably warm and balmy winter morning, and we >| were suddenly feeling hopeful and powerful marching together this way. >| Although the police were trying to keep us all walking on the sidewalk, >| soon we burst our seams and spread out into the road, blocking traffic >| along the route. And Ezra, long-time supporter of Women in Black in >| Jerusalem, walked among us, handing out a thousand red roses to Women in >| Black until the roses ran out, though the women did not. >| >| We made our way slowly toward the broad, new plaza just outside historic >| Jaffa Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem. By >| the time everyone arrived, we had filled up the plaza completely, with >| spillover inside the gate and along the roads leading up to it. Past the >| stage, participants could see as backdrop the beautiful Citadel, rising >| from the walls of the Old City, with the Valley of Gethsemane spread out >| beyond in a breathtaking view. >| >| The entire program was moderated in Hebrew and Arabic by Dalit Baum and >| Camilia Bader-Araf, co-MCs. They acknowledged the Knesset members who had >| joined us for the events -- Muhammed Barake, Naomi Chazan, Zehava Galon, >| Tamar Gozansky, Anat Maor, Issam Makhoul, and Mossi Raz -- as well as the >| delegations from Belgium, Canada, England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, >| and the U.S. Marcia Freedman, former Israeli MK and long-standing Woman >| in Black, read the list of 118 locations around the world where solidarity >| events were planned for the same day (from Adelaide to Zaragoza -- see our >| website for the full list). >| >| Speeches opened with Shulamit Aloni, first lady of human rights in Israel >| and former government minister, comparing our struggle to end the >| occupation with the struggles led by Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther >| King, reminding us that although the task is arduous, it will inevitably >| be crowned with success. She was followed by other powerful speeches -- >| Nurit Peled Elhanan, winner of the Sakharov Peace Prize, awarded by the >| European Parliament, and mother of Smadar, 13 years old when she was >| killed by a terrorist bomb in Jerusalem; Zahira Kamal, courageous >| Palestinian activist for peace as well as the rights of women and workers, >| who found a way to outwit the closure in order to reach Jerusalem and >| address this rally; Luisa Morgantini, irrepressible Italian member of the >| European Parliament and devoted supporter of the women's peace movement in >| the Middle East; Khulood Badawi, chair of the Association of Arab Students >| in Israel; and Vera Lichtenfels, a 17-year old Portuguese peace activist, >| representing youth all over the world who are working for peace. >| >| These speeches were eloquent and inspiring, but I myself was especially >| moved by the ceremony of torch lighting by 13 Israeli organizations who >| have shown extraordinary commitment to activism for peace and human >| rights. Each representative lit a torch about one aspect related to their >| work -- the killed, the wounded, the homes demolished, the trees uprooted, >| the children whose lives were fractured, as well as the efforts of those >| who refuse to give in to the despair, but keep on struggling to transform >| this nightmare into a vision of peace and partnership (see below for the >| names and descriptions of these organizations). >| >| These are words that one simply doesn't hear in this region, so publicly, >| by Israelis and Palestinians together. And then we held a concert rarely >| heard in the Middle East -- a "peace happening" of Palestinian and Israeli >| performers. It opened with the Elisheva Trio -- 3 talented black Jewish >| women from Dimona, singing peace songs in soul and rock arrangements. >| There were readings of poetry and plays, a performance piece, and an >| amazing duo of young Palestinian rappers from Lydda/Lod doing Arabic and >| Hebrew political lyrics. Ending it all was a hopeful reprise by the >| Elisheva Trio, with many in the crowd holding hands, swaying, and singing >| together. >| >| When the concert was over, few wanted to leave and let go of the feeling >| that peace is really possible. Fortunately, we didn't really have to, >| because Peace Now was holding its own optimistic rally just inside Jaffa >| Gate, with Palestinians and Israelis signing a Peace Declaration and >| releasing doves into the sky over the city. Palestinians and Israelis >| wandered in and out the streets of the Old City trying to hold tight to >| the beautiful warm thaw in the air, within this long winter of violence >| and tragedy. >| >| This evening, I watched Israeli TV to see if anything was reported about >| the hope for peace that had swept through Jerusalem today. I saw nothing >| about either the Coalition of Women for Peace or the Peace Now events, >| though I did hear that the Coalition action made the radio news several >| times today. We are used to this by now, and it brought to mind the words >| of Shulamit Aloni earlier today: "Even though Israel's 'patriotic' media >| seek to ignore you, there is no doubt that your voice will be heard and >| that a great many others will join your cause. You will break through the >| silence because yours is a vision of freedom, justice, and peace." >| >| May it come to pass. Today I feel more hopeful than I have for a long, >| long while. >| >| Thank you to everyone all over the world who joined us in solidarity >| today, whether in vigils, through contributions, or in your hearts. >| >| Shalom, salaam, >| Gila Svirsky >| Jerusalem >| >| _________________________ >| Special thanks for their support, which made this event possible: Svinna >| till Svinna Foundation, the Moriah Fund, Sally Gottesman, the Steve Berman >| Social Action Award, and many individuals from all over the world. >| >| The organizations represented at the torch lighting ceremony (in >| alphabetical order): >| >| **Bat Shalom - the Israeli side of The Jerusalem Link: A Women's Joint >| Venture for Peace, seeking peace through partnership with Palestinian >| women. >| **Gush Shalom - determined fighters to end the occupation, recent >| recipients of the "Alternative Nobel Peace Prize". >| **High School seniors - a group of Israeli high school seniors who signed >| a letter asserting their refusal to serve in the army to support the >| occupation. >| **Israel Committee Against Home Demolitions - seeking to expose and end >| the crime of demolishing homes of Palestinians. >| **Machsom Watch - women monitoring military checkpoints to end the abuse >| of Palestinians at these locations. >| **Mothers and Women for Peace - formerly the 4 Mothers Movement, who were >| instrumental in getting Israel out of Lebanese occupation. >| **New Profile - seeking to end militarism in Israeli society and support >| conscientious objection to army service. >| **Peace Now - mobilizing to end the occupation, and focused on the >| illegality of the Israeli settlements in the territories. >| **Rabbis for Human Rights - bringing a religious Jewish perspective to the >| struggle to end the injustice of occupation. >| **Ta'ayush - a partnership of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, >| providing aid and resistance to the occupation throughout the territories. >| **TANDI - struggling for rights for Arab women, and coexistence between >| Jews and Arabs within Israel. >| **Women in Black - holding vigils throughout the world to stop violence >| and injustice, founded in Jerusalem in 1988 to end the occupation. >| **Yesh Gvul - encouraging soldiers to refuse service in the occupied >| territories. >| >| One picture is already up at our website: >| Web site of the Coalition of Women for a Just Peace: >| http://www.coalitionofwomen4peace.org >| >| >| -- Alison Croggon Home page http://www.users.bigpond.com/acroggon/ Masthead http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/