Services for unhoused youth and migrants settle down in rural communities

On today’s Morning Magazine, we’ll hear from migrants who’ve settled down in rural communities like the Roaring Fork Valley. We’ll also hear from services available to unhoused youth in Colorado and then Chris Mohr’s weekly commentary, “Make Them Hear You.” We wrap up with “Naturally” with herbalist Brigitte Mars.

Listen:

Chris Mohr’s “Make Them Hear You”:

This is Make Them Hear You, with ideas on how you can have your voice heard before Congress. Anti-Semitic incidents have increased nearly 300 percent since October 7. Voter support for U.S. military aid to Israel has dropped. Last week, Only Forty-five percent of registered voters said they supported the U.S. sending additional “military aid to Israel for their efforts in the war,” a drop from 54 last November. 38 percent say Israel’s military response to Hamas has been “too much,” a rise of 12 percentage points just in the past month. The rise of antisemitism in the US makes some moderate people unsure how to speak out for the Palestinians.

I looked at Jewish-led organizations to see which ones are supportive of Palestinian rights without being anti-Semitic. Jewish Voice for Peace, founded in 1996, describes itself as “the largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world. We’re organizing a grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews in solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle, guided by a vision of justice, equality, and dignity for all people,” with over 300,000 supporters.

Rabbi Brant Rosen, co-founder of JVP’s Rabbinical Council, said he grieved for fellow Jews who were killed, yet maintained solidarity with Palestinians. The Anti-Defamation League denounces JVP as “a radical anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activist group that advocates for the boycott of Israel and eradication of Zionism.” The ADL has a program that brings delegations from American police departments for counterterrorism training with Israeli security forces. Jewish Voice for Peace has dubbed the program a “deadly exchange” that encourages police violence against minorities.

IfNotNow is “Young Jews angered by the overwhelmingly hawkish response of American Jewish institutions.” Its stated goal: “Organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system and demand equality, justice, and a thriving future for all Palestinians and Israelis.” The Anti-Defamation League accuses IfNotNow of “extreme” criticism of the Israeli government and “divisive rhetoric, some of which may be offensive to mainstream Jews.”

The Shalom Center has recently joined with United for Peace and Justice. Rabbi Arthur Waskow’s Philadelphia-based Shalom Center is remembered for supporting the creation of a mosque near the destroyed World Trade Center, which never came to fruition, in part because of opposition from the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL later apologized for their opposition.
Beyt Tikkun Magazine recently published this open letter to Congress and the Biden Administration from A Synagogue without Walls and Shalom Center, issuing a joint statement of solidarity to the US Congress, and are looking for people to sign it: “The unfolding horror in Israel and Gaza is an escalation of decades of state-sanctioned violence by Israel against Palestinians. We condemn the horrific actions of Hamas against Israeli civilians. We likewise condemn Israel’s unbridled bombing and cutting off access to all basic needs, including food, water, electricity, and medical care. Attacks on Palestinian and Israeli civilians are repugnant.

“Israeli violence against Palestinians has been intentionally hidden, slow, and steady. Contrary to what the media is reporting, this attack was not unprovoked. The Israeli and American governments have worked together to suppress and deny the inhumane acts against Palestinians that have led to this moment. There are Palestinians and Jews who have been raising red flags and warning about this inevitable outcome for decades, only to be dismissed and ignored.

“The world’s failure to challenge Israel’s ongoing occupation, apartheid, and unbridled violence by settlers and soldiers in the West Bank provides the context for what is happening now. The recent Israeli government’s escalation of violence, encroachment of Al Aqsa Mosque, and its 16-year siege of Gaza has led to the current explosion. We repeat: the brutality of Hamas’ attack on Israeli civilians is unjustified.

“When we fall back into our separate and distinct identities we risk becoming part of the problem, not the solution. We seek a third path that neither perpetuates a xenophobic response nor sustains an unjust status quo.  We recognize and uplift the humanity of all peoples in Israel/Palestine. We call for an immediate ceasefire from Hamas and Israel. We demand that basic needs be provided to Gazans. We demand that the United States provide only humanitarian support to Israel and Palestine.”

Congress is back in session by January 8.  If you want to find out more about the Tikkun Magazine statement, you can read it and perhaps sign it at tikkun.org/statement-of-solidarity-with-israel-palestine/. You can contact your congress people at https://senate.gov and https://house.gov. You can also share your thoughts at whitehouse.gov. This is Chris Mohr with Make Them Hear You.