A facebook friend (Chris Paradox) shares the following status - TopicsExpress

A facebook friend (Chris Paradox) shares the following status which tells you that there are a lot of Jewish voices for peace who are working towards an end to the current escalating and horrifying situation in Gaza. He is a non-Jewish who shares a letter from a Jewish friend. Ive been shocked by the denial and irrational defense of Israeli atrocities against the Palestinian people by some of my Jewish facebook friends. So I was very glad to receive this email and be reminded that most Jewish people do not support Apartheid & Genocide just because it is being carried out by the State of Israel. Dear Chris, Its been a wrenching week. The desperate situation in Gaza - and throughout Israel and Palestine - is clearly escalating even further. I know there is talk of a US ceasefire proposal today, but that seems, at best, an unlikely source of real resolution. It feels, to me, like were in a situation that is both shockingly uncharted, but also horrifyingly familiar. The latest reports show over 815 dead in Gaza. My Jewish-Israeli friends in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem say that a true fascist mob mentality is settling in to Israeli society, beyond what theyve ever experienced. And in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, tens of thousands of Palestinians marched for freedom last night - the largest political demonstration since the 1980s. This is when I need the JVP community the most. JVP is rooted, of course, in values inspired by Jewish tradition. But it is more than that. JVP is is rooted in the values we share with our allies and partners. With the values that are shining from Palestine, even amidst the horrific violence. We value equality - for all people, under all circumstances. We value justice - which is more than the false choice between Gaza being imprisoned or invaded. We value courage - to speak out, to give voice, to shed light. As youve likely seen, JVP chapters and members around the country are doing amazing work to put those values into action. In Boston, JVP led a 2,000 person demonstration Wednesday - and focused the attention of every major Boston news source on the rising death toll in Gaza. And in Washington D.C., our chapters collaboration with CodePink dramatically interrupted Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermers keynote address at the far-right CUFI Conference. As our values have taught us, we refuse to be silent. We refuse to allow racism and cruelty to go unchecked. We refuse to erase those who have been killed. We refuse to watch from the sidelines. We refuse to stop until the violence, and the occupation, end. We refuse to be lose hope. Grace Paley zl, the activist and author, once said: the only recognizable feature of hope, is action. Ive heard her words ring loudly in my ears these past few weeks. I am committed to doing everything I can to stop this bloodshed once and for all. And I want you - I need you - with me. Once again tells you that hate is not propagated by any religion, but by people who use religion to keep their own darkness hidden and invent their own fear/hate based ideologies to control and conquer (and kill and even rape).