Amidst the Chaos, We’re Building Solidarity and Hope

A report from Standing Together on the movement’s latest activity.

Just last week we were reflecting on the heavy, bloody year that has passed. It’s only been a week, but it’s felt like an entire year of heartbreak and atrocities have taken place since. From the situation in Gaza and particularly the siege in north Gaza, to the bombardment and ground operation in Lebanon, to the constant rocket fire in northern Israel and terror attacks every few days – it is hard to see a way out of this. But we know there is, and we will get there by taking action. Recently we’ve held and taken part in incredible events and actions that have brought Jews and Palestinians together and built hope in a time that it is severely lacking, and we’d love to tell you about them. 

Following the terror attack that killed 7 Israelis in Jaffa, Itamar Ben Gvir, our national security minister, incited against the Al-Nuzha Mosque in Jaffa, where the gunmen had entered before the attack to tell people inside not to leave. Ben Gvir led a racist campaign against the mosque and the people who pray there, despite the fact that the people praying in the mosque alerted the police about the gunmen instantly, and had nothing to do with the attack. Ir Sgula (“Purple City”), a local movement inspired by Standing Together, organized dozens of Jewish and Palestinian citizens to go to the area of the attack and the mosque to share condolences and grieve together. 

Sheikh Muhammad, the imam, said “It felt like a small island of sanity amidst the chaos we’ve been living in for the past year. Our solidarity is the true alternative to the destruction around us.”

We just opened the doors to our brand new Purple House in Jerusalem! This incredible space is now our fourth community center, and it is a space where Jewish and Palestinian activists can host events, work together, and build local networks and communities in Jerusalem just as we do at our Purple Houses in Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yaffo and Be’er Sheva. Just this week we held an event about Palestinian culture, as well as a reading of the book of Kohelet as we approach the holiday of Sukkot, in partnership with the Jewish organization, The Faith-Based Left (Ha-Smol Ha-Emuni).

While it feels quite disconnected from everything right now, we did want to take a moment to appreciate that our National Co-Directors, Rula Daood and Alon-Lee Green, made it into the TIME100 NEXT list of emerging leaders! It came as a surprise, and is a testament to how much our message has resonated with people around the world. Thank you for your endless support – for sharing our message and our movement with your friends and families, and for helping us grow during these difficult times.

In addition to all of this, our local chapters have been hosting a range of discussion circles and activities over the past few weeks, bringing people together at a time where it feels impossible. Here are some of those activities:

Posted on 16 October