Even in a crisis and a war, people do find ways to come together. Standing Together says “everyone is facing deep levels of heartbreak and fear – and we know that fear tends to separate us from each other, rather than bring us closer together. This is precisely why we knew we needed to ramp up our efforts to organize our communities toward Jewish-Arab partnership and solidarity.”
Here’s some of what they are doing:
- In Be’er Sheva and Nazareth, solidarity groups meet with a psychologist to process the horror and hardship from the last two weeks
- In the centre of the country, groups collected supplies and food for Bedouin communities and for a group of foreign workers affected by the Hamas attacks
- In Haifa, activists hung posters and lit candles on the streets in memory of the victims of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
- In Jerusalem, activists hung posters that said “Jews and Arabs, we’ll get through this together” around the city
Never heard of Standing Together? You’re not alone. Here’s an excerpt from their website about who they are:
“Standing Together is this movement. We are building a shared home for all those who refuse hatred and choose empathy. We won’t erase our differences, but rather believe in a true partnership based on shared interests. This is the meaning of Standing Together.
We envision a society that serves all of us. A just and equal society that treats every person with dignity. A society that chooses peace, justice, and independence for Israelis and Palestinians – Jews and Arabs. A society in which we all enjoy real security, adequate housing, quality education, good healthcare, a liveable climate, a decent salary, and the ability to age with dignity.”