Susan Johnson just completed a roadtrip through Illinois and Iowa talking about Gaza. Some more of her notes:
Des Moines. People were very concerned about condition of children, especially children's trauma. Wanted to know what was and could be done to help them. Bombing of schools, hospitals, mental health facilities which denies services to children and adults. question: "Where can children be treated? Those places weren't supposed to be targeted." reply:"Gaza is doing the best they can under the circumstances.They are determined, especially when it comes to their children" children's centers we visited and their programs.
Audience was moved, shocked, sad, angry when pictures from Qattan's art therapy program were shown. 
They pointed out and discussed how awful it was for children to witness the things they had seen. Comment: "The children had to have seen those terrible sights; they are too young to make up those vivid pictures."
Remote control machine gun tower. Explained how it operates, opening like a flower, machine guns appearing, shooter is located in Israel and uses "joy stick" to shoot.
Comment: "Unbelievable! And how do they get away with taking that land?"
Reply: "I believe they just take the land they want while other countries pretend they don't know about it. Often they take and use Gaza"s best farm land. They shoot at farmers as they try to harvest their crops and tend their fields. Keep in mind the shooter only sees a person's shape they can't identify the person they're shooting, yet they claim they are terrorists.
Comment: "I doubt you can prove that civilians are targeted."
Reply: "It's impossible for the soldier to see exactly who she's targeting. She shoots at an image and the victim can't be identified until after the after the incident... Farmers [are] a prime target."
Ames. Held at Ames Friends Meeting, pot luck supper, yummy. Audience 16-18 people. Quite a mix of people, Christian denominations. Much discussion about their denominations' action or lack of action on Gaza. Action is taken at the top, little input from individual churches and they don't seem to follow the leaders.
After my presentation, great deal of time spent discussing "difficulties they are having with the Jewish Community" (their words). Groups met with a mediator with no success, sounded more like a facilitator than a mediator. Almost all problems were the Jewish community's lack of cooperation.
My input: First, identify and work on your individual and group weaknesses. (The only person you can change is yourself).
Next: Some people in the peace group are very angry...it's quite visible. (Who wants to talk with an angry person?) I mentioned to a woman that she sounded angry..."You're right I'm very angry!!" "People hear your anger, not what you're saying, even when you make a valid point" The rest of the evening she kept repeating "I guess I am angry."
But began thinking about it. If they want to have honest, open discussions with the Jews in Ames they need to "clean house;" have spokespeople who aren't angry; find things you both agree on (not necessarily about the issue). When pushed, don't take the bait; meet in neutral territory; keep your voice low; be respectful of the other person...you don't have to agree with their opinion; don't try to change their minds....concentrate on your opinion, ideas and beliefs.
Not necessarily one issue but many… There is an underlined area of how a missle beats out the scool children, now obama asked congress to give 200M
to occupation aparthied for missles.(Paranoia on the part of the murderous bunch) AS if they do not steal enough from everyone whom is not jewish, now the 200M that is short for special needs children in California is taking a back seat to murderous weapons. I wonder what obama’s children will have to deal with for the rest of their lives…let alone ANY and ALL congressional people and leaders families, the hatred they are spawning to make not a single one a half assed honorable individual but so hated there would be retailiated aggressions against them all, not soon to die in our childrens grandchildrens lifetime,…these actions and people (if you can call them that)
will always be remembered as the ones whom hated so much and so many they killed and stold, lied and mamed. And the truths will NEVER EVER DIE. the facts will not be changed, there will always be others to prove the lies
of the occupation and whom was behind it all in the very begining. To think
the victims of the holocaust died for absolutly nothing…except to be hated and thought of as the one plague mankind needs to rid itself of completely.
They are a plague in the true sense, they kill and are evil incarnate.
RE: “People were very concerned about condition of children, especially children’s trauma. Wanted to know what was and could be done to help them.” – Susan Johnson
The Gaza Mental Health Foundation Inc.
LINK – link to gazamentalhealth.org
The Gaza Mental Health Foundation Inc was formed in the USA in 2001 to help provide mental health services for the people of the Gaza Strip, especially the children who are its future. It raises funds for the work of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, which was established in 1990 by Dr. Eyad el-Sarraj to meet the mental health needs of people exposed on a daily basis to humiliation, injury, loss of freedom and the destruction of homes. It is difficult to imagine Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully together without the healing work of the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.
Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
To donate, please print out brochure (at the “Donate” page on the website above) or send a check with your name, address, telephone number, and email address to:
The Gaza Mental Health Foundation Inc.
PO Box 495
Boston, MA 02112
RE: “…When pushed, don’t take the bait;…be respectful of the other person…” – Susan Johnson’s words of wisdom
MY COMMENT: And in the event you decide to just nibble at the bait*, do so very carefully!
* not recommended for beginners
The “We didn’t know” excuse won’t work this time. The facts are out. The information is available for anyone who cares give it 5 seconds of his attention.
I know it’s important to engage people and be cooperative, but at the same time we’re dealing with adults here, are we not?
What the Jewish community as a whole seems to be saying to these folks is that they need to be gently and tenderly eased into the conversation, as if they’re doing them a favor by acknowledging Israel’s crimes and admitting their loyal support over the years.
I don’t think the angry woman was outrageously out of line. I mean, I can understand her frustration, but American Jews have a character flaw. Their character flaw is that in matters related to Israel the attitude is “Only WE are allowed to discuss this issue. You stay out of it”.
In the coming weeks there could very well be 2 Jewish Supreme Court justices. If that happens, Jews will be represented by 22% in the US Supreme Court, while making up about 3% of the general US population.
The same holds true for the House of Representatives in the US Congress.
The days when anti-Semitism was used to justify the deeply internalized sense of victimhood and persecution are OVER. Enough with this Kharta.