On Jan. 12-13, FOR-USA was honored to join a number of esteemed organizations in convening an Emergency Summit for Gaza at the Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago, Illinois.
In response to the horror of children dying every minute in Gaza, Rev. Jesse Jackson brought together a diverse and influential coalition of speakers. (A video about his longstanding commitment to the cause of justice in Palestine/Israel can be found here.)
They included founder of the Arab American Institute (AAI) Dr. James Zogby, activist and scholar Dr. Cornel West, journalist and political analyst Peter Beinart, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, Congressman Jonathan Jackson, Illinois State Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, Professor at CUNY Graduate Center Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, President of Rainbow PUSH Rev. Freddie Haynes, author and Evangelical thought leader Wes Granberg-Michaelson of Sojourners, Diana Oestreich of Red Letter Christians and Waging Peace, FOR-USA Executive Director Ariel Gold, and many other faith leaders from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian advocacy organizations.
Despite the unforgiving winter storm that swept through the city the night prior, hundreds of attendees braved the icy roads and snowy conditions to stand united in the Summit’s Call to Action.
That Call to Action demanded an “immediate, permanent ceasefire,” the unimpeded flow of humanitarian relief into Gaza, and the conditioning of U.S. military assistance to Israel such that it is not used in the commission of human rights abuses and war crimes. Organizers highlighted the growing popularity of these demands amongst the American voter base.
In his compelling opening, Rev. Haynes presented the findings from a poll commissioned jointly by the AAI and Rainbow PUSH. The results showcased a growing skepticism among U.S. voters regarding support for the war in Gaza. Notably, the poll found that a majority of voters want the U.S. to end its one-sided support for Israel in this war, and that voters were more likely, by a two-to-one margin, to support a member of Congress who called for a ceasefire. It also found that a plurality of voters (41 percent) is in favor of cutting or conditioning Israel’s annual $3.8 billion military assistance package, and that 57 percent of voters want the US to act as an honest broker in the conflict instead of siding with Israel.
Throughout the two-day summit, speakers led us in uniting diverse coalitions in support of local and national ceasefire advocacy. Eva Borgwardt, National Spokesperson for the Jewish advocacy group IfNotNow, discussed parallels between Black, Palestinian, and Jewish fights for freedom. “We will not be divided,” she declared. Former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner delivered a thunderous speech, calling on the faithful to apply our religious obligations to the moral duty to address the “moral rot” in U.S. leadership.
Addressing the public sphere, Professor Marc Lamont Hill and Peter Beinart took the stage to discuss the dangers of misinformed debate on Israel-Palestine. “There’s no space for a lack of orthodoxy in the political debate when it comes to Israel- Palestine,” Hill said. Beinart echoed Hill and acknowledged the important and evolving perspective of the younger generation, including young American Jewry, leading the pro-Palestinian movement in ways unseen and unimagined before.
Delicious lunches were provided by the local Palestinian-American-owned restaurant Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen.
On the second day, FOR Atlanta member Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel shared his experience during the Nakba of 1948. He helped contextualize the current horrors occurring in Gaza into the larger story of Palestinian plight and resiliency and emphasized the need for cross-cutting coalitions in struggles for freedom. Dwight Mckee closed out day two with an empowering call to come together to address the critical issues of our time.
The Summit for Gaza, which took place on the MLK holiday weekend, was a refreshing call for justice that stood out against the backdrop of pain and suffering. We are reminded that a movement is growing, a movement that transcends boundaries of age, faith, and race – a movement built from the ground up through diverse coalitions. Our message is resoundingly clear: a permanent ceasefire is the necessary first step on the road towards lasting justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
The following organizations were responsible for convening the summit: Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Arab American Institute, Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen, Churches for Middle East Peace, Faith for Black Lives, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Freedom Road, IfNotNow, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council, the Muslim Civic Coalition, Progressive Democrats for America, Red Letter Christians, Tsuru for Solidarity, Sojourners, and U.S. Palestinian Council.
Since 1918, the Fellowship of Reconciliation has published the award-winning print magazine Fellowship. It is also now online, offering original grassroots analysis, movement research, first-person commentary, poetry and more to help people of faith and conscience build a nonviolent, compassionate world.
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