Episode 50 - Be a Helper: 50 Actions for Gaza
I like the spoken word poem by Rebekkah Lyneigha, who says resistance is a rose bush. There are roots of Indigenous knowledge and wisdom that go deep to find nutrients, there is the lush green foliage of theory and understanding, there are the blooms of activists on the front lines, and there are thorns that poke, prod, and annoy. She says that organizing does not mean homogenizing, and that everyone has a role to play, and no part of the rose bush can survive on its own without the others. This list brings together various parts of that plant, and hopefully it is slightly helpful as you find your part in the whole.
To mark the 50th episode of Reseed, this episode will be a bit different. Here are 50 actions for Gaza. They are organized by learning, reflecting and discussing, in-person actions, donating, creating, advocating, caring, and praying or meditating.
The fragile ceasefire is cause for some timid relief, but we can’t look away.
So let’s start with one action. This is meant to be helpful, afterall, not overwhelming. Feel free to pause anytime and take the action, and come back to it when you need more ideas. Some actions might be right for you, while some might not.
In the spirit of doing one thing with focus, I am starting with the one I’ve chosen to put the most energy behind. After that, I will talk through the other 49. This is not comprehensive, nor is it meant to be condescending or prescriptive. I am just one human wracked with ongoing grief and disbelief and outrage, and not knowing what to do.
I have not done all of these 50 actions. I’ve done some a lot, some a little, and some not at all.
I’m not perfect. To be perfectly honest, I am worried about getting these wrong and getting this episode wrong. I’ve done my best to research this over the past few weeks, but by all means feel free to let me know any errors and I can make a correction.
I have also compiled this through extensive research, but have not consulted with all of the sources here—all that to say, any errors are mine, and what I express here is my opinion alone, I don’t mean to speak for anyone else.
I’ll talk through the actions and refer to sources, but won’t read through the links themselves. You can find links below in the show notes.
Whether you are an outspoken leader in this movement, or somewhat involved, or completely new and feeling out of place and uncomfortable: Be a helper.
Starting with One Action
1. Parents Solidarity Fast for Gaza.
A campaign to bring attention to the genocidal starvation of Palestinians in Gaza by US-backed Israel. Participants in this campaign demand: an immediate arms embargo on Israel; Immediate, unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza; An end to the genocide.The Parents Solidarity Fast for Gaza is a collaborative relay, where each participating team sustains a week-long fast before “passing the fast” to another team across the country. Each team's commitment is one week, and the collective will fast until demands are met! You can sign up to an existing team or make your own. There are teams all over, in different cities, including many across the US and a Canada-specific team in November. You can plan your fast based on your body and relationship with food, with a range of options from cutting out luxury foods up to a water-only fast, with safety tips available. There is also guidance about how to use your fast to exert pressure and also bring more people into the fold.
Learning
2. Follow Palestinian advocates on social media, to learn individual stories and perspectives.
3. Read books to gain an education on the long history that led to where we are now. Decolonize Palestine has a comprehensive list organized by category, including history, activism, memoir, gender/LGBTQ+, media and censorship, and more.
4. Read new reports coming out. Look specific, for example, this summer’s investigative report called Exposing Canadian Military Exports to Israel, from World Beyond War, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and Independent Jewish Voices.
5. Read about the BDS — boycott, divestment, sanctions — movement – it’s history and how it works, and why it can be effective. Ethical consumer.org has helpful learning resources around BDS, and I’ll give some examples later in the money section.
6. Read children’s books to the kids in your life, or gift them one of the beautiful books about Palestinian children and their culture, as well the struggles they face. Check out @maistorybooks post on Instagram, she has a great reel with a list of picture books that advocate for a Free Palestine, like Amina’s Wish by Elissar Saleh, A Map for Falasteen by Maysa Odeh, These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh and Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine by Hannah Moushabeck.
7. Listen to podcasts. One is Let’s Talk Palestine, a Palestinian-led team of over 100 volunteers from around the world, and it is not associated with any specific political party, which has a companion Instagram page. It’s reportedly the most-streamed podcast dedicated to Palestine and Palestine-related issues. Another is Opposing the war in Gaza, from inside Israel, an episode on The Guardian pod ‘Today in Focus’ with Israeli anti-war activists Yehuda Shaul and Michael Sfard, who formerly served in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), discuss the war in Gaza.
8. Listen to radio programs. A recent one hour episode of Unreserved with Rosanna Deerchild looks at ‘All our relations’, a saying often heard in the Indigenous community. The episode looks at how many from Turtle Island, or North America, feel a responsibility to care for relations across the globe. As violence and uncertainty continue in Gaza, Rosanna speaks with Indigenous artists, activists and health care workers about the connection they feel with Palestinians, and how they’re driven to speak out, take action and make space for grief and healing.
Reflecting & Discussing
9. Open a clean page in a journal or on your computer or in the notes app on your phone, and write at the top: why am I scared to do more or say more?
10. Reflect on your specific role at this moment. This can look like Write down your own values and talents, to narrow in on what you specifically can do. You can title it my role in speaking out against genocide. This reflection can evolve into a written action list that you can keep handy, as a resource to refer to during overwhelm. Feel free to use this episode as a resource.
11. Speak with the young people in your life - children, nieces and nephews and niblings, students. Hear their questions, and answer them honestly and with what you deem the right information for their age, and to empower them and not numb them. Acknowledge your own feelings, and that you don’t know everything, but focus on what you do know, such as every child deserves safety, food, and love. There are a lot of great guides to help speak with young people about Gaza. If you’re looking for age appropriate information, UNICEF Australia has a fantastic resource that is clear and direct, and helpful for grown ups trying to learn the basics, too. And if you’re looking for guidance on how to talk to young people about this issue, Rethinking Schools has helpful tips.
12. Write a letter to the editor. Especially local outlets like your local paper can be a great way to reach people. Results Canada has general tips for writing effective letters to the editor to help get you started.
13. Express concerns to media outlets via email and social media when they misrepresent issues, like calling forced starvation a famine, or for inconsistent headlines and biases.
14. Engage in conversations with the people in your life, especially those you disagree with. This can be so hard. Come at the conversation with compassion, kindness, and clarity. Listen authentically, and speak with courage. Take breaks if needed or choose your moments, or don’t do this if you don’t feel safe.
In-person actions
15. Show up in city squares and outside political offices at protests and marches, refusing to be ignored. Look for organizing groups in your community to find out what is happening locally. Many groups have maps or event pages dedicated to Gaza.
16. Fast. In addition to the parents' solidarity fast that I highlighted at the top of the episode, there is a global campaign called Fast for Gaza, where people fast in solidarity with the living and the dead of Gaza. Each person fasts for 24 hours, and then another picks up the mantle. Water is allowed.
17. Attend film screenings in your city or town.
18. Attend university or college events, like one that happened recently in Ottawa, the city nearest me. From Turtle Island to Palestine, an expert panel discussion on challenging Canada’s perpetuation of settler-colonial violence in North America and the Middle East. The event was organized by Independent Jewish Voices Carleton.
19. Post flyers so people can see their community members care, and to share information. Check local advocacy groups for templates.
20. Sign up for a local mutual aid group, like the one in my region that has a signal chat for everyone. There are often calls to support Gaza actions (as well as other important local needs).
Money: Donating and boycotting
21. Boycott companies who actively support genocide. Ethical Consumer has a comprehensive boycott list compiled by Jasmine Owens with three levels: Level 1: Official BDS Priority Campaign; Level 2: Connected Companies; and Level 3: Broad Connections.
22. Use Boycat, an app that is, as they say, an ethical shopping companion. You can search by brand, as well as a location-based search, ethical filtering to find businesses that match your values, and discover ethical alternatives.
23. Donate to HEAL Palestine, an organization with four pillars—Health, Education, Aid, and Leadership—to help deliver life-saving care, secure educational opportunities, and nurture resilience.
24. Donate to Al-Jawad school for displaced children in the Gaza Strip, started by journalist Hadeel Al-Gharbawi. Fees go to school and art supplies, backpacks, teacher fees and other costs. You can see photos and videos of the students on their Instagram.
25. Donate food, by making a donation to an organization like World Central Kitchen, which does hot meal services in Gaza. The org is currently serving 500,000 meals a day but trying to rapidly scale up to 1 million hot meals every day.
26. Donate to a general emergency fund so that medical supplies and care can get to Gaza, and allow charities to plan and respond quickly. For example, consider well-established and proven orgs like MSF can disburse funds as needed. MSF’s emergency fund for example provides urgent emergency and surgical care to people in Gaza, as circumstances allow.
27. Donate directly to individuals, for example through the Butterfly Effect.
28. Donate to legal funds or defence funds in your city or community, so that protesters who face costs have support and solidarity.
29. Look for coalitions of credible and longstanding organizations that have strong infrastructure and accountability, and are working together across organizational lines. By bringing leading aid agencies together, they can join forces to raise funds, partner with the government, and mobilize media, businesses and individuals. One to check out is the Humanitarian Coalition in Canada and their efforts on the Gaza humanitarian emergency.
30. Think about how you can mobilize dollars from others, such as through a workplace matching fund if you have one, or setting up a casual fundraiser for your preferred organization at a birthday or other celebration.
31. Call on institutions like post-secondary schools to divest. Look for existing petitions or template letters related to the institutions in which you find yourself. Sometimes these calls to divest will include a call to publicly disclose investments, and divest from those that uphold war and suffering.
Creating
32. Write poetry.
33. Write music, and listen to music.
34. Move your body and dance, using the rhythm as medicine, to help gather energy and get out of the head and into your body and the world.
35. Use whatever creative gift you love as a way to tell stories. For example, artist and performer Virgin X or Andrew Burt, does beautiful makeup almost as performance art while sharing information and messages direct to the camera.
Advocating
36. Email or call your federal leader and Ministers, calling for sanctions and a two-way arms embargo. In Canada, that would be Prime Minister Mark Carney and Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada.
37. Ask your federal government to follow the moves of other countries that have taken bold stances, and apply that international pressure.
38. Email your Member of Parliament or other provincial, territorial, or state-level representative, depending on which country you live in. Ask them to push for a ceasefire. Tell them your name and address if you feel comfortable, to show them that you are their constituent.
39. Show up to your municipal leaders’ office, or call or email them. Ask them where they stand, and what they are doing to stop genocide. Tell them in plain language why this matters to you.
40. Save phone numbers on your cell for representatives at all of these levels: national, regional, and municipal. Call them frequently, speaking firmly and kindly. Be annoying in how frequently you call. Remember—you can be a thorn.
41. Sign petitions. For example, LeadNow has a petition to sanction Israel, implement a full two-way arms embargo, and ban trade.
42. Look for an embassy sit-in. Local groups organize these and it is a great way to connect with others while also showing that visible concern to people in power.
43. Learn about the long history of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The main goal is to break the Israeli blockade and establish a people-led humanitarian corridor for aid and freedom of movement for Palestinians.What a show of international courage and solidarity. Keep your eyes on the most recent missions, do whatever you can to amplify what they are doing and keep eyes on these efforts, and then when participants are captured—yes, while trying to deliver lifesaving aid in a non-violent action and following international laws—reach out to their respective countries, and demand they call for people’s immediate release.
Caring
44. Let yourself be quiet sometimes. It is overwhelming, it’s a lot. Step away from the phone and the reports and the news to just let it settle. Just make sure you come back.
45. You need energy to persist. Drink water. Sleep. Eat food. Go outside. The classics.
46. Take care of your nervous system. There is a very beneficial post from therapy with Samira, who talks about feeling like you’re not doing enough. In a post that she wrote with heaviness and hope, she says, “If you’ve felt helpless, numb, or ashamed for resting while bombs fall on Gaza, please know: This isn’t you being careless. It’s your nervous system, overwhelmed. It’s trauma at a distance. And that’s still trauma.” She also goes into various helpful tips with trauma-informed, faith-rooted reminders.
47. Process in therapy, if that is available to you. We aren’t meant to bear this alone.
48. Share your grief, overwhelm, worries, insecurities, and hopes with likeminded, safe, trusted people in your life.
Praying
49. Pray, whatever that means to you. It can be good for the soul. Maybe this is a religious prayer, or a quiet meditation, or a plea spoken in a forest. Maybe it is a wish on the first star you see at night.
50. Find courage in the heroes aka humans who have shown incredible moral clarity. Palestinians, Ms Rachel, people like James Baldwin in his poem Every bombed village is my hometown:
And every dead child is my child.
Every grieving mother is my mother.
Every crying father is my father.
Every home turned to rubble
is the home I grew up in.
Every brother carrying the remains
of his brother across borders
is my brother.
Every sister waiting for a sister
who will never come home
is my sister.
Every one of these people are ours,
Just like we are theirs.
We belong to them
and they belong to us.
Okay. That’s it for me, for now. I feel shy: I am not an expert and I’m worried I got it wrong. But I’m not perfect and I’m learning, and so I very much invite you to reach out with any corrections or suggestions. There’s no way that is exhaustive, and there is no way it is all right! Let me know what you think, and thank you for being a helper. For being curious. And may every human and every animal live with food, water, safety, love, and peace.