Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 23, 2021

About a dozen people lined the corners of a busy intersection in the Old Port on Friday afternoon to support the people of Palestine. Over the past two weeks, at least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis have been killed in a series of missile attacks and airstrikes, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Most casualties, on both sides, have been civilians. The violence was sparked by clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem and subsequent rocket attacks fired by the Hamas militant group into Israel. The support for Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire is something unfamiliar to Ghada Harb, a Palestinian-American who was visiting Portland with friends when she walked by the demonstration. "I can't tell you the hope these people give me," she said. "It means the world to me. It means there are people who care about humanity." Harb said in the various times fighting has broken out in the region during her lifetime, the civilian casualties in Palestine often go overlooked. However, she noted that she has seen growing American support for Palestinians since the most recent fighting began earlier this month. "I think people's eyes are open for the whole world," she said. "I think social media and people made a difference."One of the demonstration's organizers, Bob Schiable, said they were there to oppose actions by the state of Israel, not the Jewish community. "We make the distinction between political Zionism and Judaism," he said. "People are dying every day in Gaza." Since the fighting intensified, the Anti-Defamation League has been tracking a spike in anti-Semitic attacks. The organization said it had received 191 reports of potentially anti-Semitic incidents since the violence broke out. Abraham Peck, a research professor at the University of Southern Maine who specialized in the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, said increasing anti-Israeli sentiment can fuel already-growing white-nationalism movements. "Muslims, Arabs and Jews really do need to sit together again and say, we need to understand what unites us. Then, we'll talk about what separates us," Peck said, adding that he hoped the current ceasefire will hold and open the door to longer-lasting peace. Following the ceasefire, the Jewish Community of Southern Maine released a statement on Friday that read: "The security of the State of Israel is paramount, but we acknowledge that true security is not achieved by arms alone... We mourn the results of the violence, and we join those of goodwill throughout the world who are praying that the cease-fire holds."

About a dozen people lined the corners of a busy intersection in the Old Port on Friday afternoon to support the people of Palestine.

Over the past two weeks, at least 230 Palestinians and 12 Israelis have been killed in a series of missile attacks and airstrikes, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Most casualties, on both sides, have been civilians.

The violence was sparked by clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem and subsequent rocket attacks fired by the Hamas militant group into Israel.

The support for Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire is something unfamiliar to Ghada Harb, a Palestinian-American who was visiting Portland with friends when she walked by the demonstration.

"I can't tell you the hope these people give me," she said. "It means the world to me. It means there are people who care about humanity."

Harb said in the various times fighting has broken out in the region during her lifetime, the civilian casualties in Palestine often go overlooked. However, she noted that she has seen growing American support for Palestinians since the most recent fighting began earlier this month.

"I think people's eyes are open for the whole world," she said. "I think social media and people made a difference."

One of the demonstration's organizers, Bob Schiable, said they were there to oppose actions by the state of Israel, not the Jewish community.

"We make the distinction between political Zionism and Judaism," he said. "People are dying every day in Gaza."

Since the fighting intensified, the Anti-Defamation League has been tracking a spike in anti-Semitic attacks. The organization said it had received 191 reports of potentially anti-Semitic incidents since the violence broke out.

Abraham Peck, a research professor at the University of Southern Maine who specialized in the Holocaust and anti-Semitism, said increasing anti-Israeli sentiment can fuel already-growing white-nationalism movements.

"Muslims, Arabs and Jews really do need to sit together again and say, we need to understand what unites us. Then, we'll talk about what separates us," Peck said, adding that he hoped the current ceasefire will hold and open the door to longer-lasting peace.

Following the ceasefire, the Jewish Community of Southern Maine released a statement on Friday that read: "The security of the State of Israel is paramount, but we acknowledge that true security is not achieved by arms alone... We mourn the results of the violence, and we join those of goodwill throughout the world who are praying that the cease-fire holds."

See the article here:
'I can't tell you the hope these people give me': Mainers rally to support Palestine - WMTW Portland

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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