The road to peace can not be paved with violence

Earlier this week, a gunman shot three Palestinian college students as they were walking in a Vermont neighborhood. 

"I am but one casualty in this much wider conflict," Hisham Awartani, one of the students, said in a statement with Brown University Palestinian student groups. Awartani sustained a bullet in his spine, and may never be able to walk again. 

"Had I been shot in the West Bank, where I grew up, the medical services that saved my life here would likely have been withheld by the Israeli army," Awartani continued. "The soldier who shot me would go home and never be convicted...any attack like this is horrific, be it here or in Palestine. That is why when you say your wishes and light your candles today, your mind should not just be focused on me as an individual, but rather as a proud member of a people being oppressed." 

As our elected officials have failed to materialize a long-term ceasefire, an estimated 17,144 people have been killed in Gaza, including 7,208 children. UN experts have sounded the alarm on "a genocide in the making" in Gaza. 

Make no mistake: Hamas's attack on Israeli civilians on October 7th was horrific, and we must collectively act to repudiate anti-semitism and anti-Jewish hate. But the road to peace cannot be paved with violence. 

Actions & More

Send a Christmas Card for Peace

This Advent, we encourage you to join us and several faith organizations in sending a Christmas card to Congress and the White House to call for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and a just peace for the Holy Land. Visit this link to view the instructions on how to print out and mail your card. 

Tell Congress to Reject Funding for Harmful Immigration Enforcement

The White House is requesting that Congress give ICE and CBP additional billions in funds to expand immigrant detention, deportation, and surveillance. Meanwhile, some Senators are trying to negotiate away the right to asylum. Tell your members of Congress that our government should fund solutions that uphold the humanity and dignity of migrants and protect asylum, rather than fuel a harmful and broken system, by helping to forward our recent statement. 

Artist Corner

"M" - Marie Genevieve Morin

Marie Genevieve Morin or "M" is a self-taught artist born and based in Montreal. M was the youngest child in a family of five adopted children, and her upbringing would lead her on a journey to explore her heritage and reacquaint herself with her Haitian family and roots.

Through art, M escapes, releases her emotions and frustrations, and creates a "safe place" where she can express her inner self. M's paintings are raw and intense, embodying her quest to understand her heritage, discover her identity and pay homage to her Haitian roots. You can see more of her work HERE.