|
I just finished watching the Bereaved Families Memorial Ceremony as one brave family member after another talked about the unfathomable events of October 7th and the continuing nightmare of this past year.
The poignant music was matched by eloquent family members who brought me to tears as they described their loved ones and their personal experiences of the day, a day where there no was state and the army failed its citizens.
Today is the day that we all reflect on where we were on October 7, those that we personally knew that have died over this past year and those hostages and individuals—young and old—that have become family through the stories we have read, Zooms we have watched and rallies we have attended.
But we also cannot stop thinking about the destruction in Gaza, and now Lebanon, and what lies ahead for the next generation. We must find a way to get to a better future.
In “The Trouble With Evil, “ Evonne Marzouk’s poem on October 7th, she writes:
“… humans are almost always
both evil and good.
And everywhere in my life
how I see humans
matters.
If I see you as
only evil,
what can I do with you?
I cannot
teach you
connect with you
meet your needs
understand you
make peace with you
ever trust you or
learn from you.
Evil is meant only
to be destroyed.
Evil is there only
to distinguish the good.”
I have found poetry like Evonne’s one way to help me find my way this past year, but the key pillar that has kept me strong and steady is the community that Ameinu and our partners have built and nurtured. This is why Ameinu is sponsoring three distinctive events to help us continue to process October 7th. |
- On Tuesday, October 8, at 1:30 pm EST/10:30 am PST, Ameinu and our Progressive Israel Network (PIN) partners will come together for a moving reflection and memorial.
- On Thursday, October 10, at 1 pm EST/10:00 am PST, the American Zionist Movement, of which Ameinu is a member, is sponsoring a virtual tour of the ANU-Museum of the Jewish People exhibit "October Seventh: A Space of Anguish, Loss, Anger, Memory and Sorrow", and later that day;
- On Thursday, October 10, at 2 pm EST/11 am PST, the J Street Policy Center, in conjunction with PIN, is hosting a webinar to analyze the attack’s broader impact on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and the impact of October 7 on neighboring Arab states – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt – as well as Iranian involvement.
I hope you will join us for one or more of these offerings as we find a pathway out of this darkness. |
Nomi Colton-Max Vice-President and Chair of the Executive Committee |
|
|
Together with our guest speakers, we’ll honor the innocent lives taken by Hamas’ heinous terror attack, lift up the stories of the hostages and their loved ones, and reflect on the impact that October 7 has had on Israeli society, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Jewish community around the world. |
The exhibition features installations by 25 Israeli artists, whose creative works reflect the atrocious times the entire Israeli society is facing since October 7th.
Please note that this is a live event and will not be recorded for viewing at a later time. |
Join us for a wide-ranging discussion about the continued reverberations of the Hamas massacre and subsequent war in Gaza one year on. |
|
|
|
|
