Portland Jews and Palestinians whose families in Israel and Gaza have been and continue to be impacted by the current escalation gathered for a press conference October 30th, 2023 at the Portland office of Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley. This follows last week's release of a joint Palestinian-Jewish statement signed by a number of local Palestinians and Jews calling for a ceasefire and
humanitarian corridor for Gaza.
The joint statement may be found here.
"Our family and friends in Gaza are enduring an unimaginable nightmare of death and devastation, with countless lives already lost and countless more on the brink." explained Wael Elasady, one of the Palestinian signatories of the statement. "Today, as Palestinians and Jews, we will share stories of our families' grief and loss and demand our elected representatives heed the global call for an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to deliver essential aid to Gaza."
Following the press conference, Jews and Palestinians together delivered their statement to the offices of Senator Jeff Merkley and demand that he take action to support an immediate ceasefire and an open corridor for urgently needed humanitarian aid into Gaza.
List of Speakers & Bios
Nael Saker: Nael is a Palestinian American who was born and raised in Gaza. He has faced the tragic loss of 39 family members due to the conflict in Gaza. Nael is a Civil Engineer and is self-employed. He moved to the United States 32 years ago, is married, and is the father of three adult children.
Mohammed Nabil: Mohammed, a Palestinian from Gaza, faces profound challenges as his family, all residing in the Gaza Strip, copes with the relentless war. Forced to evacuate their homes in the north due to destruction, some family members have taken refuge in Mohammed's Khanyounis residence, where over 35 people now find shelter. A tragic incident saw Mohammed's young cousin lose a hand and arm functions in an attack that claimed the lives of all their neighbors and razed two buildings, sparing only a 6-year-old child. Adding to their woes, since October 27, 2023, Mohammed has lost contact with his family due to communication disruptions imposed by the Israeli army, leaving around 2.3 million people in Gaza isolated from the outside world, intensifying their hardships.
Joel Beinin: Joel Beinin is the Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History and Professor of Middle East History, Emeritus at Stanford University. He taught at Stanford from 1983 until retiring in 2019. From 2006 to 2008 he also served as Director of Middle East Studies and Professor of History at the American University in Cairo. In 2002 he served as president of the Middle
East Studies Association of North America. Joel and his wife lived in Israel from 1970 to 1973. He has returned for periods of extended residence and research many times since. His parents, brother, and sister emigrated to Israel in 1973. His brother's older daughter, Liat, and her husband, Aviv, were members of Kibbutz Nir Oz when it was attacked on Oct. 7. They have been taken hostage, Liat's younger sister, Tal, lives in Portland.
Rabbi Benjamin Barnett: Since 2017 Rabbi Benjamin Barnett has served as rabbi of Havurah Shalom a Reconstructionist Jewish community in Portland with a progressive approach to Jewish life that integrates traditional, communal Jewish practices with the intellectual and political impulses of democracy and pluralism. He is devoted to building partnerships across religious and cultural lines, in the name of creating a more just and loving world.
Resources:
Amnesty International Calls for Ceasefire
UN calls for immediate humanitarian ceasefire
Cori Bush "Why I'm Calling for a Cease-Fire in Gaza"
- KBOO