I was hearing the deputy leader and democracy spokes person of the Green Party on LBC yesterday. I am proud that we have one who does such a good job, alongside other spokes people, such as yesterday. I have always cared deeply but the battle lines are frought on social media and we find ourselves in an information war which we never conscripted ourselves into. What support we have: family here and abroad, our holy congregations, and the community leadership, is also frought and under strain.
With so many dying, including loved ones we've lost recently, and friends and neighbours we hear are bereaved: one neighbour lost 80 family members. It feels aweful. We have been in morning for the last month. I myself try and keep my spirits up but while I normally find politics enjoyable... lately it's been more of an experience of expressing my feelings of bereavement and loss, my anger, and the loss of people who political divisions have pit us as enemies when we were friends before.
I have always cared about both sides and stayed informed to quite a high level and engaged with social media. This has translated into physical exaustion from many demonstrations.
As a march we organise into blocks and I found myself torn between 2, these different identities.
On a recent demonstration with Jewish community and Brendan Cox, the Palestinian MP Leyla Moran, and a Tory, the organisers instructed us not to clash with the 5pm demo over at Parliament. Of course I was there, on time, even early. I see no contradiction in calling a ceasefire and also standing with Leyla Moran and faith leaders to recognise humanity. If anything, my 5pm demo attendance was a service to my party as a campaigns volunteer; filming a speech and allowing it to be shared on twitter as soon as I got to upload it on my cycle ride home.
As a cyclist, anti- austerity, environmentalist, and local issues campaigner I have been dividing all my hours between the different issues forcing me to make priorities.
On rare occasions I have allowed myself to read and even relax.
Some of my reading has been to raise my consciousness as previously I've read Jews such as Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, and Michael Rosen. But what about the deep library of Palestinian literature of the last 80 years? What if I am projecting my discomfort over what happened, onto Palestinians. As a Jew I have been target of love and messages of solidarity, as well as people calling my naive or a useful idiot. But Palestinians don't appreciate some of my comments and I have been ejected from a union whatsapp group. So has another member (called David) and even non Palestinian activist groups are becoming pro Palestinian allowing another Jewish friend of mine to be kicked out of a group. This is a pattern that allows me to sit with my own discomfort but it shows a lack of spaces where pro Palestinian Jews can discuss their genuine concerns and feedback about a small amount of behavoir without blaming but just maybe to learn and raise awareness of how to be inclusive.
In this difficult time I am therefore hugely grateful to groups like Na amod which aim to join the movement for a ceasefire and to end the occupation (which protesters believe is the root cause of the violence). Now more than ever. Chazak - power to the people.
