SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021
Weekend Reading

Dear John,

Thank you to everyone who gave this week to help us deliver essential supplies to elderly and impoverished Palestinians. Escalating violence in Jerusalem, Gaza, and Israel have amplified the humanitarian crisis, and our hearts go out to all who lost loved ones. We are committed to supporting our Israeli and Palestinian partners who are working to end the occupation and the systemic denial of Palestinian rights. [link removed]

One way you can help is by calling on Congress to demand accountability and support a just and lasting peace. Tell your representative: Stop the attacks on Gaza! Write them today: [link removed]

Here are this week's picks to inform and support your activism:

U.S. Christians can't ignore Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestine:
In the coming weeks, 169 Palestinians, including 46 children, are in danger of being displaced by Israeli military and police, their homes turned over to Jewish Israeli settlers, and another 100 Palestinian-owned buildings–home to 1,500 people–destroyed. It is time to say enough to forced displacement, occupation, suffering, and injustice and build a world where love, hope, and reconciliation are realities, write AFSC General Secretary Joyce Ajlouny and Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace Mae Elise Cannon. (Sojourners) [link removed]

A letter from Gaza as Israel's bombs fall: Dr. Yasser Abu Jamei shares his reflections as a father and a psychiatrist waiting for the international community to help end the violence and siege in Gaza. [link removed]

Caravan from Salem (OR) brings message of hope to detainee mothers: AFSC’s Pedro Sosa organized eight car caravans to convene at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, one of the country’s largest ICE facilities, and read aloud letters collected from across the state to let mothers inside know they were not forgotten. (Salem Statesman Journal) [link removed]

Demilitarizing the federal budget: This year, the U.S. will spend more than $740 billion on weapons and war—and that doesn’t even include other militarized responses, like immigration enforcement and mass incarceration, that are funded with our tax-payer dollars. [link removed]

As immigrants seek refuge, America struggles to live up to its promise: “The border fence and all the infrastructure around it, like the concertina wire and the Border Patrol agents—these are all monuments to hatred,” says AFSC’s Pedro Rios. (Los Angeles Times) [link removed]

Follow AFSC on social media: Stay up to date on upcoming events and ways to take action in working for a more just and peaceful world. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram [link removed]

Join us this summer at Friends General Conference: Join AFSC staff and Friends for a week of virtual workshops and events Sunday, June 27 to Saturday, July 3. Participate in the “Quakers, Blacks, and Abolition” or “Decolonizing the Future” immersive workshops or join us for one of four afternoon events. [link removed]

Be well and take care

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