Dear Na'aleh family - Chanichim, families, staff and board!
For 21 days now, Israel is executing a massive military operation in the Gaza strip, called Operation Cast Lead. It began after the 6 months ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas, who controls the Gaza strip, had expired.
Should Na'aleh, or at least its staff (Tzevet), express an unambiguous statement that support or object this operation?
We've been struggling with this question for a while now. An answer we've come to is that education is not about dictating answers, but rather about asking questions together. We believe that in Camp, and in the Eizor throughout the year, we educate in light of certain values - the love and support of Israel; the striving for peaceful resolutions rather than violent ones; the equality of the value of human, with all the moral principles that comes from it - the obligation to work for a just and human world. We trust in every camper (Chanich or Chanicha) to form her/his own opinion on the conflict, which we hope that will come from those values, and out of a profound and free examination. And based on those values, we expect a moral stand towards the current operation. But not one that's dictated by sweeping statements that are black and white. Instead, a complex stand, that takes into account Israel's right to defend its civilians, plus the horrors and senselessness of war, and one that's not blinded by the unshakable "justice" of one extremeness or the other would be optimum.
We wish we could examine now, all of us together, the questions that have been raised in us all. We will do so, the next time we meet. But the war will not wait for our next Ken event, so until then, even if we can't do it in a form of a Peulah or a conversation, we urge you: examine reality profoundly, and after forming an opinion - act. Do what you feel is right. Protest, express an opinion, join a group, do any form of non-violent activism that you can. It is not our role to supply you with quick answers, but as soon as you can answer yourself, you're obligated to action. We do, however, feel that it's our role to give you some channels in which you can act:
These sites provide the opportunity to support the IDF soldiers or the people of southern Israel:
http://www.hagshama.org.il/sderot/default.asp
http://www.stogether.org/
http://www.jnf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sderot
J-Street is a pro-Israel, pro-peace Jewish organization that calls for, and acts for, an immediate ceasefire:
http://www.jstreet.org/
Btselem is the Israeli center for human rights, and it provides information on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip:
http://www.btselem.org/English/
The IDF spokesperson has a You-Tube channel, in which it posts information on the operation, including information on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza strip and some exclusive documentations of Hamas' acts:
http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk
These sites are trying to facilitate and promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians:
http://gnblog.com/
http://www.commongroundnews.org/about.php?lan=he
This is an article about a joint, Israeli-Palestinian petition to stop the operation:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3646184,00.html
With hope for better times to come
Shabbat Shalom
Aleh V'Hagshem
Avi (Rosh Eizor)
Jessie (Rosh Machaneh)
Amit (Shaliach)
