May 19th 2024.
On a peaceful Sunday afternoon, around 100 individuals gathered in Evanston's Fountain Square, united in their desire for an end to the violence in Gaza and the safe return of Israeli hostages. The event was organized by Standing Together, a group that strives to bring together both Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel in the pursuit of peace.
Hila Ratzabi, the director of communications at North Shore Congregation Israel, spoke of her personal connection to the conflict as a Jewish Israeli American dual citizen. She wanted to create a space solely dedicated to the pursuit of peace, a place where all could come and share their collective grief and demand for a cease-fire and a path forward that offers safety and freedom for all.
Following Ratzabi, Faisal Alabsy, who hails from the West Bank, shared his personal experience growing up in the Israel-controlled territory. He spoke of the heartbreaking loss of his sister, who was denied access to life-saving treatment because of Israeli police. Alabsy criticized the Israeli government for their actions in Gaza and the mistreatment of Palestinians leading up to the war between Israel and Hamas. The war, which began in October after Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, has resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the taking of 250 hostages. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed since then.
Alabsy emphasized the dehumanization he witnesses when he visits his family in Palestine. He can only travel on certain roads, and his family endures daily struggles for basic necessities like water and electricity, facing numerous checkpoints in their own towns. He urged the crowd to continue seeking out Palestinian voices in the media, films, and books, and to demand a cease-fire in their local communities. He also encouraged people to reach out to their representatives in the U.S. House and Senate, requesting humanitarian aid and healthcare for the millions of Palestinians at risk of starvation in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations.
Alabsy echoed Ratzabi's message that war should never be the path to peace in the Middle East. He stressed that no group should claim victory or success when innocent civilians are killed or harmed. This belief that security can be achieved through force is flawed and has only made people less secure in the region.
Elliot Frolichstein-Apple, an Evanston resident, found Alabsy's message particularly impactful. He attended the rally in search of solidarity and a different perspective from the other demonstrations he had seen in the Chicago area. He appreciated the realistic and focused conversation that took place, addressing the lack of leadership in the Middle East.
One of the speakers, Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann, founder of Mishkan Chicago, touched on the importance of nuance and the harm of labeling oneself as "Pro-Palestinian" or "Pro-Israel." She believed that this binary only perpetuates the conflict and does nothing to bring about peace. Heydemann stressed the need for coexistence and cooperation between Jews and Palestinians in the region. She reminded the crowd that the safety and freedom of both groups are intertwined and cannot be separated.
Heydemann concluded by saying that it is impossible to label one side as morally correct in a complex situation involving 14 million human beings. Falling into these binaries only perpetuates the conflict, and it is time to tell a new story. The goal of the rally was not to pit Palestinians against Israelis, but rather to come together and demand an end to the violence and a path towards peace.
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