UUJME Year-End Report and Donation Appeal - Part 1

We at UUJME are very grateful for all your activism and advocacy in support of Palestinian human rights. It is only through collective activism and advocacy that we can make a difference. This annual communication was to have been a report about achievements of UUJME, but the situation in Palestine/Israel has changed dramatically and requires additional content. This is the first of several emails that will be sent in December detailing our important activities.

On October 7, Palestinian militants broke out of the open-air prison of Gaza and carried out violent assaults in the area around the Gaza Strip against soldiers and civilians, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, including children and the elderly, primarily Jews, and also Palestinian and foreign workers. There is no excuse for harming civilians, and we grieve the loss of each precious life. At least 240 captives were taken back to Gaza, many of whom are Israeli Jews who worked for Palestinian rights. 

And the resulting Israeli military assault is devastating Gaza’s Palestinians, killing approximately 20,000 people (nearly 1% of the population of the Gaza Strip), mostly children and women, displacing more than 1 million Palestinians, destroying more than 50% of housing units, and at first completely shutting down the entry of water, food, and medical aid to the trapped Palestinians. People have begun to die from hunger, dehydration, and infectious diseases. The ground and air assaults are devastating the infrastructure and health care system. The Israeli government has implemented draconian measures against Israelis opposing the war and has distributed guns to settlers in the occupied territories. More than 250 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds displaced in the West Bank since October 7. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from many areas in the north and south because of missile and drone attacks from militias in Lebanon and Yemen. Further regional escalation is a real possibility, with dire consequences for everyone there.

People around the world have risen up demanding a ceasefire. Our U.S. government defies the will of the people as almost 70% of the public strongly demands a ceasefire. The 7-day pause was not enough. The U.S. continues to fund the massacre, and congresspersons have instructed their staff to stop answering phones which are constantly ringing with citizens’ appeals to end the siege on Gaza. We have joined UU and other groups calling for an immediate ceasefire, for opposing Islamophobia and antisemitism, and for dismantling the oppressive systems that are the root of the violence.

UUJME ACTIONS FROM OCTOBER 7th

• Held immediate processing spaces on Zoom on October 7th and 8th. Our October 7 processing space for chapter leaders and local advocates was attended by about 40 people. An October 8 processing space invitation was sent to our entire email list and additional contacts to ensure notification of UUs most impacted by events and was attended by 80 people.

• Issued a statement, available at https://bit.ly/UUJME-Palestine-Israel-Statement-101823. 
  
  
• Created an Actions and Information Google document and held an online Action Hour. A Google doc (available at https://bit.ly/UUJME-Action-Info-Doc and also at https://www.uujme.org) includes links to reliable news sources, online and in-person actions opposing the war on Gaza and the escalated attacks on Palestinians elsewhere, and a compilation of statements from different organizations such as the UUA President, UUA, UUSC, and other groups. During our Action Hour time, attendees signed petitions and made phone calls for a ceasefire.

• Continued our Zoom-based Fall 2023 “Why Palestine Matters” class. More than 200 people registered for this class, and 70-80 people attended each session. Many thanks to the UU minister who opened each session with care, the group of stalwart UUJME supporters who volunteered as chat, tech, and security hosts, the UUJME clerk and treasurer who embraced the effort to ship books to registrants, the excellent presenters, and others who provided advice.
  
  
• Supported a gathering of UUs who are Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish to share concerns.
  
  
• Contributed resources for the UUA’s Side with Love webinar in response to the crisis in Palestine/Israel, “Why We Cannot Turn Away.”
  We contributed three powerful short videos featuring two Palestinian Christian leaders and an Israeli Jew who is part of the nonviolent solidarity movement in Israel. The webinar was held on November 6, led by three Muslim UU and three Jewish UU ministers, providing historic background and definitions. There were many attendees. A link has been sent to registrants, a guide is available for attendees, and a congregational conversation template will be distributed to ministers.
•  Engaged with an emerging group of UU leaders for Palestinian rights. An emerging group of UU religious professionals and lay leaders published “An Open Letter to UU Colleagues” on November 9, calling in UU organizations and colleagues who have not called for ceasefire and asserting the imperative to engage in conversations about Zionism.

The financial support of those who believe in our work is essential if we are to continue to make a difference for Palestinian human rights and UU involvement. UUJME is a 501c3 organization and all donations are tax deductible. 

We are a volunteer organization. The UUJME board, chapter leaders, and local advocates put in many hours of effort without compensation. But our work does require significant funds. The money required for a strong presence at General Assembly, a website and email platform, the wages of our future Organizer, support for Palestinians and solidarity groups, and other expenses are all significant. If you have already donated to UUJME for 2023, we thank you most sincerely. If you wish to donate to UUJME, the information below shows how to do that.

WAYS TO DONATE and CONTACT INFORMATION FORM

WAYS TO DONATE

1. Send a check: Make the check out to “UUJME” and mail to: UUJME, P.O. Box 380355, Cambridge, MA 02238-0355.
2. Donate online: Please go to our website https://www.uujme.org/ and click the Donate tab. You can use your credit card to make a one-time donation or a monthly recurring donation. Monthly donations ensure income throughout the year and allow us to predict how much money we will have at some future time. If you currently have a recurring donation that uses PayPal, your donations will still process, but we encourage you to switch to the new platform.

With thanks and intention to support a future of freedom and safety for all,

Dana Fisher Ashrawi, President of UUJME ([email protected])