I am white. I am American. I have lived in a white American community for almost 80 years. I am Jewish. Many of my Jewish relatives live in Israel. They have lived in an Israeli Jewish community their whole lives. We have grown up in two societies that have been ‘wonderful’ for us -as white in the US and as Jewish in Israel. BUT - This historic moment has brought both of us to a fuller awareness of our own conditioning to the systemic oppression structured into each of our societies. On the streets of NYC, in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, voices black and white, Jewish and Arab, are crying out. “No Justice! No Peace!” Parallels in our two societies are being raised. “George Floyd” and “Ilya Halak!” “We can’t breathe!” I am humbled to see our minds and hearts opening, our societies on the verge of historic change. As a Senior, still ‘social distancing,’ still ‘sequestering at home,’ what can I do? There are films I can recommend about our police systems: “Arrested for Being Black” (13 min;) and “Detaining Dreams” (21 min). Zoom meetings that speak to my society and to Israeli society: A panel “Children in Detention: An Intro to the No Way to treat a Child Campaign” featuring Kwame Holmes PhD, Scholar in Residence, Human Rights Program, Bard college and Shaina Low, US Advocacy Officer, Defense for Children International in Palestine. Arising out of the mutual segregation, suffering and suffocation in our societies, breaking through the occupation of our minds, we can participate in this moment of awakening, and must work together to combat racism. .
Jane Toby