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Every Young Person Can Be a Building Block for Peace in Israel and Beyond
Antisemitism is rising in America, both in our everyday interactions and online. The anti-Jewish discourse and violent incidents we have witnessed have been horrifying, and I, for my part, refuse to sit on the sidelines.
I am a senior at The Dalton School in New York City, where I lead the Jewish Culture Club. After October 7th, I was determined to prevent the events in Israel and Gaza from stoking tensions at my school. I reached out to my Muslim peers and had meaningful conversations to foster the need for interfaith coexistence.
It worked.
Every participant was able to share something that they learned from the interfaith session, and Dalton has so far been spared the violence and animosity that have characterized too many disagreements about the conflict in New York City and across the country.
My commitment to civil discourse led me to join the American Jewish Committee (AJC)’s Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT) program and participate in its advocacy summit. Last month, I traveled to Washington, D.C., with 180 high school students from all over the country who are passionate about supporting Israel and combating antisemitism.
During the summit, I attended a panel on Muslim-Jewish dialogue and coexistence that mirrored the dialogue at my high school, which reinforced my conviction that these conversations are the building blocks of peace. Israel isn’t going anywhere, and neither are the Palestinians. Dialogue and coexistence are the only way forward for our two peoples — in the Middle East and around the world.
We also discussed the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The key word here is future. Patience, dialogue, intercommunal respect, empathy, and education are how we can create a positive, peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
I want to elaborate more on one of those tenets: education.
A common denominator of much, though not all, antisemitism is misinformation and ignorance — whether willful or unintentional. For example, many of those who chant “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free,” are doing so in support of Palestinian statehood without realizing that they are calling for the elimination of Israel, or echoing a rallying cry of terrorist groups like Hamas. Many of these people can’t name what river or sea they are referring to. But, one study showed that once some protesters learned more about the region and what this chant really meant, they regretted saying it.
We hear from many of those who are taking Hamas’ side in this conflict that they are doing so because they believe they are standing for the “little guy,” when in fact they are signaling their support for an internationally recognized terror organization that wants to destroy the world’s one Jewish state and calls explicitly for the murder of the world’s Jews.
These troubling assertions and attitudes, and so much contemporary antisemitism, are manifestations of ignorance not only about Israel, Hamas, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but fundamentally about Jews and our history, traditions, and beliefs.
There is no silver bullet to rid the world of antisemitism completely, but education can go a long way towards its diminishment.
There is so much that we can do. I want to encourage fellow high schoolers to engage in difficult conversations and to reach out across communities and partisan lines. Yes, it is challenging, but I cannot emphasize enough the importance of advocacy.
According to AJC’s recently released State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, 36% of young American Jews (between 18 and 29) said they were the personal target of antisemitism last year (compared to 22% over age 30). Standing up for ourselves — including by reaching out to our elected representatives and voicing our concerns — is not just imperative but our right and duty. Every voice matters, and these officials are meant to represent all of us, even young people not eligible to vote.
Reflecting on my experiences, I am reminded of the importance of empathy, understanding, and dialogue in fostering peace. There is so much work ahead, but armed with knowledge, compassion, and patience I am ready to embrace the journey — and I hope you are too.
Rex Popick is a senior at The Dalton School, an independent, co-educational day school (K-12) located in New York City.
The post Every Young Person Can Be a Building Block for Peace in Israel and Beyond first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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At Least 12 Killed in Massive Russian Attack on Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine June 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
i24 News – Russia-Ukraine War: About three and a half years after the outbreak of the war, Russia carried out last night (Sunday) the largest air attack since it began. At least 12 people were killed, including three children, and dozens more were injured when 367 rockets and missiles were fired at Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sharply criticized US policy, which so far has taken a soft stance towards Russia, and recently hinted that it would stop mediating between the two countries: “The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin,” he wrote on Telegram. “Every such Russian terrorist attack is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.”
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 298 drones and 69 missiles in a night attack. According to him, they shot down 266 drones and 45 missiles. Damage was caused to several areas, including the second largest city in Ukraine, Kharkiv, as well as Mykolaiv in the south and Ternopil in the west.
In parallel, a prisoner of war exchange deal was concluded. In Russia, reports said that 303 prisoners were transferred from each side. In total, over the last three days 2,000 prisoners, 1,000 Ukrainians and 1,000 Russians, have been returned to their countries. Zelensky thanked the servicemen of the armed forces, and promised to bring all the prisoners home. “Today, our armed forces, the national guard, the state border service, and the special state transport service are returning home.”
“I am grateful to the team that worked around the clock to successfully execute these exchanges,” he added. “We will certainly bring back each and every one of our people from Russian captivity.”
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that the Russian army may reach a severe shortage of manpower and weapons in the next year. The Ukrainian army is also in trouble, and it is offering generous economic grants to new recruits.
The post At Least 12 Killed in Massive Russian Attack on Ukraine first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UN Says More Food Needed in Gaza as Looting Hampers Deliveries
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks to members of the Security Council during a meeting to address the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at UN headquarters in New York City, New York, US, April 18, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Israeli airstrikes killed at least six Palestinians guarding aid trucks against looters, Hamas officials said on Friday, as the head of the United Nations warned that only a “teaspoon” of aid was getting in following Israel’s 11-week-long blockade.
The Israeli military said 107 trucks carrying flour and other foodstuffs as well as medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip from the Kerem Shalom crossing point on Thursday, for a total of 305 since Monday when the blockade was relaxed.
But getting the supplies to people sheltering in tents and other makeshift accommodation has been fitful and U.N. officials say at least 500 to 600 trucks of aid are needed every day.
So far, an umbrella network of Palestinian aid groups said, 119 aid trucks have got past the Kerem Shalom crossing point and into Gaza since Israel eased its blockade on Monday in the face of an international outcry.
Despite the relaxation of the blockade, distribution has been hampered by looting by groups of men, some of them armed, near the city of Khan Younis, an umbrella network representing Palestinian aid groups said.
“They stole food meant for children and families suffering from severe hunger,” the network said in a statement, which also condemned Israeli airstrikes on security teams protecting the trucks.
The U.N. World Food Program said 15 trucks carrying flour to WFP-supported bakeries had been looted, which it said reflected the dire conditions facing Gazans.
“Hunger, desperation and anxiety over whether more food aid is coming is contributing to rising insecurity,” it said in a statement.
A Hamas official said six members of a security team tasked with guarding the shipments were killed.
Israel imposed the blockade in early March, accusing Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians. Hamas rejects the charge, saying a number of its own fighters have been killed protecting the trucks from armed looters.
“Hamas constantly calls the looters ‘guards’ or protectors’ to mask the fact that they’re disturbing the aid process,” an Israeli military official said.
‘DESPERATION’
With most of Gaza’s 2 million population squeezed into an ever narrowing zone on the coast and in the area around the southern city of Khan Younis by Israel’s military operation, international pressure to get aid in quickly has ratcheted up.
“Without rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access, more people will die – and the long-term consequences on the entire population will be profound,” said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
A German government spokesperson said the aid was “far too little, too late and too slow,” adding that delivery of supplies had to be increased significantly.
Israel has announced that a new system, sponsored by the United States and run by private contractors, will soon begin operations from four distribution centers in the south of Gaza, but many details of how the system will work remain unclear.
The U.N. has already said it will not work with the new system, which it says will leave aid distribution conditional on Israel’s political and military aims.
Israel says its forces will only provide security for the centers and will not distribute aid themselves.
As the aid has begun to trickle in, the Israeli military has continued the intensified ground and air operation launched last week, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would end with Israel taking full control of the Gaza Strip.
The military said it had conducted more strikes in Gaza overnight, hitting 75 targets, including weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers.
The post UN Says More Food Needed in Gaza as Looting Hampers Deliveries first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Swiss Authorities Exploring Probe Into US-Backed Gaza Aid Group
Displaced Palestinian children wait to receive free food at a tent camp, amid food shortages, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, February 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Swiss authorities said on Sunday they were exploring whether to open a legal investigation into the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization that plans to oversee aid distribution in the Palestinian enclave.
The move comes after a Swiss NGO submitted a request for a probe into GHF’s aid plan, which the United Nations has opposed, saying it is not impartial or neutral and forces further displacement and exposes thousands of people to harm.
The GHF, which has said it hopes to start work in Gaza by the end of May, told Reuters it “strictly adheres” to humanitarian principles, and that it would not support any form of forced relocation of civilians.
Israel has allowed limited aid deliveries to resume this week after having stopped all aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2.
TRIAL International, a Switzerland-based NGO, on Friday said it had filed two legal submissions asking Swiss authorities to investigate whether the Swiss-registered GHF complies with Swiss law and international humanitarian law.
The submissions were made to the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on May 20 and 21.
The FDFA on Sunday confirmed to Reuters that both authorities had received the submissions.
TRIAL International said it asked the Swiss FDFA to explain if the GHF had submitted a declaration, in accordance with Swiss law, to use private security companies to distribute aid, and if it had been approved by Swiss authorities.
The FDFA told Reuters it is investigating whether such a declaration would be required for the foundation.
It said that the Federal Supervisory Board for Foundations cannot review whether foundations comply with their statutes until they start their activities.
The GHF told Reuters that though using private security firms represents a change from prior aid delivery frameworks, it would ensure aid is not diverted to Hamas or criminal organizations.
The post Swiss Authorities Exploring Probe Into US-Backed Gaza Aid Group first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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