This evening I experienced something profound and moving. Witnessing the horrors in Gaza, and with a mutual Palestinian friend in common, a small group of people in Cambridge Ive never met before, hailing from all over Europe, decided with 48 hours notice to organise a fundraiser for UNRWA. To get money to families in Gaza who so desperately need it. They hired a room in a community centre near where I live, made (a lot of) food, printed off posters, prepared videos to project - and they invited people. The energy in that place was beautiful and powerful. I dont think most of them had done anything like it before - it was spontaneous, it was heartfelt - and people came. People Ive never seen at Palestine-related events. On the screen, was the picture of their Palestinian friend, who had inspired them to act. Those friends who did this, I know, will never be the same again, having had this experience, having organised something like this. And yes - on a day when the Palestinians in Gaza have been recovering loved ones from piles of rubble, these efforts can look small. But the green shoots have to emerge from somewhere, and tonight they appeared in a community centre in Cambridge, because of the efforts of a few people who decided that, together, they could do *something*.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 20:37:07 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015