Friends Bulletin- Building the Western Quaker Community Since 1929-December 2001

28 Pages·2001·3.2 MB·English

"Building the Western Quaker December 2001
Community Since 1929" Volume 72 Number 10
Reaching Out
to All:
Quaker Responses Terrorism,
to
Afghanistan and Middle
East
crisis
From
Friends Bulletin the Editor Our “Omnibus Issue”
The official publication of Reaching Out to All:
Pacific, North Pacific and The Light that Enlightens Everyone
Intermountain Yearly
Meetings ofthe Religious —
Society ofFriends (Quakers) riends Bulletin’s miss—ion “to build up the Western
(Opinionsexpressedarethose Friends community” seems more urgent now than
oftheauthors, USA
ever as the engages in a potentially endless war that
notnecessarilyoftheYearlyMeetings.)
is likely to increase violence andjeopardize civil liberties here and abroad. During these haz-
Editor ardous times Friends need to feel connected with each other and with those who are con-
Anthony Manousos cerned with peacemaking. We also need to share our vision—and our magazine—with new-
5238 Andalucia Court
Whittier, CA 90601 comers to our meeting.
Phone: [phone] This is one reason we are sending out over 4,200 copies ofFriends Bulletin to Friends in
Fax: [phone] the West and elsewhere—our largest mailing ever. Along with our usual mailing of 1,700
E-mail: [email protected] copies, an additional 2,500 complimentary copies have been mailed out to member house-
Web: www.quaker.org/fb holds as well as to interested attenders in our Yearly Meetings who are not yet subscribers.
The Board and the editor hope that as more Friends become familiar with our magazine, they
IMYM Corresponding Editor
will want to read it on a regular basis and connect with Friends and Friends concern through-
Alicya MWalik out the Western USA.
2693 Avenida Azahar
Tucson, AZ 85745 Friends and those who care about peace and civil liberties are definitely a tiny minority
right now. According to recent polls, over 90% of Americans support the bombing of Af-
NPYM Corresponding Editors ghanistan and a prolonged war against terrorists, even though many military and foreign pol-
Jean Triol icy experts believe this approach will increase rather than reduce violence. Nearly 80% of
PO Box 367
Somers, MT 59932 Americans expect that we will have to sacrifice personal freedoms for the sake of“homeland
Peg Morton security.”
—
510 Van Buren Street We therefore need to make an extra effort to make our voice heard through our publica-
Eugene, OR97402
tions, through the Internet, and through our letters and conversations.
PYM Corresponding Editor
Somehow we need to communicate with those Americans who profess Christianity, yet
Marybeth Webster
PO Box 2843 fail to heed Jesus’ injunction to “love your enemy” (Matthew 4: 44).
Grass Valley, CA 95945 Herb Dimock’s work is therefore extremely timely. His novel Yeshua demonstrates, in an
Board ofDirectors imaginary way, how events in Jesus’ upbringing could have caused him to reject violence and
RobertGriswold, Clerk to embrace the ethic oflove. According to Dimock,
1745 CherrySt
Denver, CO 80220 I wanted readers to—see Jesus as one who opened a door through which all of humanity
LannyJay, Treasurer could travel at last leaving self-conscious separateness behind and entering the con-
8602 Old Monte Rio Rd
G1uemeville, CA 95446 sciousness ofbeing connected to every other creature in the universe.
Jeannie Graves, RecordingClerk
PMB 131 Box 8049 As Peter Anderson points out in his article on the “Theology ofLi—ght,” George Fox had a
NewportBeach,CA92658-8049 similarly uni—versalist vision when he came to realize that all people of whatever religious
Phyllis Hoge background are “enlightened” by the same “divine light”:
A2l1b3uqDuaerrmqouuet,hNSME 87106 Now the Lord God hath opened by his invisible power how that every man was enlight-
Lisa Down
PO Box 11197 ened by the divine light ofChrist, and I saw it shine through all
WA
Bainbridge Island, 98110
This experience ofthe Light enabled George Fox and Friends to reject “carnal weapons”
Jim Kimball —
3050 NW Lynwood Circle and rely instead upon “spiritual weapons” such as love and compassion.
Corvallis, OR97330 That’s what Claremont (CA) Friends Meeting and other Meetings have done in reaching
JoAnn Taylor
2850 Midvale Ave to members ofthe local Islamic community. That’s what the American Friends Service Com-
Los Angeles, CA 90064 mittee is doing by sendi—ng blankets and providing aid to those in refugee camps. And that,
NormanWPasche Friends, is our challenge to help Israel and the rest ofthe world find true peace and freedom.
620 Columbia St
WA
Monroe, 98272-121
1
Coverphoto ofEdith ColebyTrish Branleyofthe Claremont Courier, Claremont, CA . See article on p. 5.
V
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—
Page 2 Friends Bulletin December 2001

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and
Israel
Palestine
Report from
a Friends Peace
Team
Participant
by Bill Durland
Lamb’sCommunityWorshipGroup
(Trinidad,CO) —
BillDurlandlistening to thestoryofa Palestinianfamily beingharassedbyIsraelisettlers Photo byauthor
T
he Middle East conflict between Is- unbelief or disobedience would violate the Britain. The British promised Arab lands,
rael and Palestinians has been going covenant and the promises would be with- re-conquered by them with Arab help, to
on for over 53 years in its modem phase. drawn by God. After the Israelite tribe took be a united Arab nation stretching from
But, in fact, the area has been tom by re- the land from the Philistines and the Ca- Mecca to Baghdad; but also promised
ligious and political turmoil since re- naanites, that is what happened. The great European Jews a ‘homeland’ (not neces-
corded history began. The name Palestine Kingdoms of David and Solomon col- sarily a ‘nation’) there as well. The land,
is a derivation of Philistia taken from the lapsed with the Northern Kingdom falling inhabited mostly by Palestinian Christian
‘sea people,’ the Philistines, who probably to the Assyrians in the 8th century and the and Moslem Arabs and a small percentage
came from Greece and early on occupied Southern Kingdom to the Babylonians in of indigenous ‘oriental’ Jews, saw in-
the sea coast area. The Canaanites and the 5th century. The nation and its kingship creased European emigration until the
other Semitic tribes possessed the high and the temple and priesthood ended as the British pulled out leaving their military
land and to the north the Phoenicians prophet Hosea predicted (Hosea 3:4): “For equipment in the hands of Jewish settlers.
dwelt. Farther to the east lay Mesopota- the children ofIsrael shall dwell many days The settlers rose up in 1948-49 and ille-
mia, and to the southwest was Egypt, as without king or priest, without sacrifice or gally conquered 77 percent of territory
the 2nd century began. pillar ...” But the prophet Isaiah gave them which had been ordered to be partitioned
When Moses led the people of Israel hope that “ifyou take away from the midst under a United Nations directive. The Pal-
out ofEgypt, the biblical story relates that of you the yoke, the pointing of the finger estinians retained about 23 percent, there-
God told them: “...if you will obey my and speaking wickedness and pour yourself after called ‘the West Bank.’ A Jewish
voice and keep my covenant, you shall be out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of nation was proclaimed and America
by own possession among all peoples for the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the quickly recognized it.
all the earth is mine, and you shall be to darkness ... and your ancient shrines shall A Jewish theocracy, like that of
me a kingdom of priests and a holy na- be rebuilt ... You shall be called the re- David and Solomon, did not emerge, but
tion” (Exodus 19:5). The covenant was pairer of the breach, the restorer of streets rather a secular state which discriminated
conditional upon two things: 1) faith, and to dwell in” (Isaiah 58:9-10, 12). Jesus, in in favor of European Jews over the in-
2) obedience. The terms clearly stated that the synagogue at Nazareth, read these digenous Jews and Palestinians who lived
words of Isaiah as the foundation of his there. Violent conflict has been the history
Bill and Genie Durland were appointed mission (Luke 4:18). ever since, with wars in 1967, when Israel
Intermountain Yearly Meeting (IMYM) repre- In the 1st century BCE* the Greeks occupied the West Bank, and 1973. Non-
,
sentatives to Friends Peace Teams Project conquered all of what was Israel. The Ro- violent resistance was introduced in 1983
(FPTP), which was founded to encourage man Empire took over in 66 BCE from the at a meeting in Jerusalem of 500 Palestin-
Friends "to meet creatively andflexibly emerg-
rebellious Macabees and ruled the land, ian peace activists (which your writer and
ing needs in areas oftension and violence both
at home and abroad” (see http.f/www.quaker. later as Roman Christians, until the Mos- his wife attended). In 1987 and again in
org/fptp). lem invasion and occupation in the 7th cen- 2000 the Intifada took place—a mixed
A clearness process in their Worship tury CE*. Moslem rule lasted, with a 200 uprising of violence (rock-throwing and
Group wasfollowed by dialogue with Friends year hiatus under Crusader rule, until 1918, small arms) and nonviolence. It became
in Albuquerque Monthly Meeting, and mem-
bers of the FPTP Coordinating Committee. the last 700 years under the Turks. Follow- apparent that the Israeli ‘peace’ offer
Funding was provided by Albuquerque ing World War I, Palestine become a called the Oslo Accords, agreed to reluc-
Monthly Meeting, the Elise Boulding Fundfor League of Nations mandate under Great tantly by Arafat in 1993, would, at best,
Peace Team Work and individual members of return only 93 percent ofthe West Bank's
IMYM. IMYM's 2001 gathering sent Bill and *Before the Common Era= B.C.
Genie on their way with blessings andprayers. ** Common Era= A.D. 23 percent of former Palestine to the Pal-
—
Page 3 Friends Bulletin December 2001
estinians. In fact, only a non-contiguous come until Armageddon takes place 30 murderer of 200 Palestinian refugees in
three percent has actually been returned. years from now which, according to the Lebanon in the early 1980s have been le-
With an escalation of the violence Koran, they say, will end in all the land gitimized as leaders of a nation. Although
occurring in 2001, there seems to be no being restored to Moslems. These beliefs sneak suicide bombings by Palestinians is
2)
end of fighting or ‘peace’ (cessation of should not obstruct a just resolution of the as wrong as sneak assassinations by Is-
armed violence) or a just resolution of the conflict. raelis, the terrorist argument is at least a
rights and duties of the state of Israel and The holocaust argument is refuted draw between a powerful nation and a
the Palestinian Authority, the political by brave Jewish Israeli citizens and subjugated people, some of whom have
voice ofPalestine. groups, some ofwhom we met and worked given5)in to utter desperation.
It has become clear, as this writer sees with while there, for example Rabbis for The American legal definition ofActs
it, that the state of Israel is not acting in Human Rights, Israelis Against Home ofTerrorism may be found at Chapter 18
good faith to move forward with their pre- Demolitions, Gush Shalom (Israeli Peace of the US Code in Section 3077. Its lan-
viously stated agreement to establish a free Bloc) and the Women in Black. Rabbi guage indicts both sides.
and independent Palestinian state. The rea- Arik Ascherman told us “victims should Lastly, the argument that Israeli
sons given to renege on the original prom- not make new victims,” and calls on his military, political and legal actions have
ise (which is the main reason why the vio- people to stop seeing themselves as vic- been in accord with human rights and in-
We
lence has increased) can be summarized as tims. viewed th—e changes (having been ternational law flies in the face ofthe past
follows: there in 1983-84) ghettos and segrega- and current history ofthe occupation. The
(1) The land was promised by God to tion, permanent road blocks, illegal Israeli main classes of violations can be catego-
the Israelites in the 2nd century BCE. settlements on Palestinian land, forced rized as segregation, forced emigration
(2) The holocaust, in which 6 million emigrations, destruction of neighborhoods without right ofreturn, and extermination.
UN
Jews were victims ofNazi genocide, justi- and unprovoked extermination of individ- Resolutions have clearly stated that
fies the taking of Palestine for an Israeli ual people on an hourly basis unreported ‘settlement’ ofIsraelis in Palestinian terri-
state and the military, political, and legal by the American press. Arabs are also tory, the annexation of Palestinian terri-
actions taken against the Palestinians by Semites, and what is now taking place tory as part of Israeli Jerusalem, and the
the Israeli occupiers. Further, anyone aggressive conquering and occupa-
who criticizes Israel criticizes Jews and Our dream is Martin’s: that someday Pales- tion of the West Bank are all viola-
is therefore anti-Semitic. tions of international law. But the
tinian and Israeli cousins will join hands, and
3) Palestine has refused peace and a specific violations which in total
live in peace. Freedom will ring out from the
political state, not Israel, because it has amount to crimes against humanity
rejec1t)ed the Oslo Accords in which Is- snowcapped mountains ofLebanon to the sun- under the Nuremberg Trials of Nazis
rael and the Palestinians agreed to a re- baked desert of the Negev, from Mt. Hermon are:
turn of93 percent ofthe West Bank. in the north to the Red Sea in the south. 1) creating ghettos where Palestinians
4) Palestinians do not deserve the Then will all God’s children, dark and light, are herded and cannot move freely,
return of their conquered land or the Jews and Gentiles, Israelis and Palestinians, including curfews and house arrests,
West Bank because they, and not Israel, be able to join hands and sing in the words of 2) border closings, 3) water confisca-
are terrorists. the old Negro spiritual, ‘free at last, free at tion, 4) land confiscation, 5) demoli-
5) The military, political and legal last, thank God almighty, we are free at last,’ tion of homes, 6) killings of alleged
actions of the Israeli occupiers have terrorists without trial, including as-
been in accord with human rights and in that land which is called Holy. sassinations, 7) continuation of refu-
international law and offer no excuse for gee camps after 53 years, 8) preven-
the Palestinian uprisings; therefore Israeli could be described as the second ‘anti- tion of health and emergency care, 9) de-
retaliation isjustified. Semitic holocaust.’ struction of economic infrastructure, 10)
The responses to these arguments are 3) The rejected peace offer argument ‘moderate physical pressure’ i.e. a legal-
as follows: is spurious. Almost 100 percent ofthe land ized degree oftorture, and 1 1) indiscrimi-
The promised land was theologi- was Palestinian through British rule. Sev- nate and random killing of innocent men,
cally conditioned as a permanent posses- enty-seven percent was taken away in an women and children by IDF soldiers with
sion (and never as owned, since only God aggressive war in 1948-49. The remaining or without government orders.
owns the land) and the conditions were 23 percent was taken away in 1967. In Compare the massacres of Native
broken. As a matter of fact several relig- 1993, a return of 93 percent was offered, Americans as ‘savages’ and subhuman,
ious beliefs have only acted to exacerbate and 3 percent actually has been returned Nazi massacres of Jews in World War II
the conflict. Some Christians are insistent but none of it contiguous or capable of and lynchings ofAfrican American with-
that Jesus will not return a second time for becoming one country. out trial, segregation, discrimination and
the last judgment until the temple is re- 4) The terrorist argument fails to men- sneak killings in the south in violation of
built. Since the place where the temple tion that Israeli government leaders such human and civil rights. It is not ‘the Jews’
must be rebuilt now holds the Dome ofthe as Menachem Begin—a violent saboteur who are doing this any more than it was
Rock, a Moslem holy place, the Mosque and member of an Israeli terrorist organi- ‘the Jews’ who killed Christ or the Ger-
must be destroyed and that can only hap- zation in 1948-49 (terror was the method mans who killed Jews. It is a legitimate
pen with Israeli help. Some Moslem fun- of choice in the 1948 war to get Palestini- democratically instituted secular nation
—
damentalists believe that peace cannot ans to flee), and Ariel Sharon, an accused state in each instance Rome, Nazi Ger-
—
Page 4 Friends Bulletin December 2001
many, the United States and Israel. Rome WebSitespromoting Middle East Peace: Not In MyName: www.nimn.org
was overthrown by so-called ‘barbarians,’ WesternFriends: http://members.aol.com/ RabbisforHuman Rights: rhr.israel.net/
the Nazis were tried for war crimes, the ffiendsbul/peacemakers.html overview,shtml
US Constitution won out in America pro- BatShalom: www.batshalom.org ShalomCenter: www.shalomctr.org
BTselem-www.btselem.org Tikkun: www.tikkun.org
tecting minority civil rights. Israel is yet to Christian PeacemakerTeams: www. prairienet. Ta,ayush: www.taayush.tripod.com/taayush.
be judged finally by the international com-
org/cpt html
munity. There is still time for a fair and Gush Shalom: www. gush-shalom.org. PalestinianCenterforRapprochementbe-
just peace in the Middle East. But time is Jewish UnityforaJustPeace: www.junity.org. tweenPeople: www.rapprochement.org
running out. MiddleEastNewsOnline: www. Ecumenical CenterforPalestinian Liberation
We pray for peace withjustice middleeastwire.com Theology(Sabeel): www.sabeel.org
Friendly Responses
To Current Conflict
Reaching out to Muslims
Many Friends meetings (along with
'
churches and synagogues) have been
reaching out to local mosques and build-
ing bonds offriendship to counteract anti-
Muslim and anti-Arab feelings surfacing
in the wake ofthe September 11th attacks.
Some meetings have also instituted
special worship sessions, sometimes in
mid-week, and sometimes prior to or after
Sunday meetingfor worship.
When a local Muslim woman was
harassed, Claremont (CA) Friends began
accompanying Muslim parents at the local PatSmith accompaniesparents andchildrenfrom a Muslimpre-school in Claremont, CA
Islamic pre-school. They also wrote an Photo by Trish Branley ofthe Claremont Courier
“Open Letter to Our Muslim Neighbors injured. We are grateful to those who con- and ignorance, and other dividers ofpeople.
and the World" and a personal statement tinue bravely into danger’s path. We are Through participation in Unity Sunday
was read by Claremont Meeting clerk, saddened by the attacks on our Muslim (September 16 at the Islamic Center of
Charleen Krueger, at the September 16 neighbors. We are children of the same Claremont) and by providing a friendly pres-
Unity Sunday event at a local mosque, maker. Friends believe that there is that of ence at two Islamic schools, we reach out to
which was attended by approximately the Divine in each person and that each our Muslim neighbors. We look forward to
1,400 people and during which represen- life is sacred and unique. more time together among faith communi-
tatives from a variety of religious tradi- We share the world’s anguish and ties.
tions spoke. anger about the loss of life here now, but
For current info about peacemaking also about the loss of life in other nations A Personal Reflection
activities of Western Friends, see http:// in recent times. We seek justice in the
members.aol.com/friendsbul/peacemakers.
courts ofinternational law, not retribution. by Charleen Krueger,
html. Neither military might now endless “and Clerk ofClaremont (CA) Meeting
eye for an eye” has brought safety from
T
Minute from Claremont terrorism. Since its founding, The Relig- he core beliefofmembers of the Relig-
Monthly Meeting: ious Society of Friends tu—rns from war ious Society ofFriends, the Quakers, is
W September 30, 2001 and all forms of violence “neither for that there is that of God, of the divine—, in
the kingdom of Christ, nor for kingdoms each person, and that we treat people all
—
e grieve for the thousands of peo- ofthis world”, spoke George Fox in 1660. people accordingly. I stand before you to-
ple who died or were injured in the We seek to live “in the virtue of that life day, confessing that for many years I hated
attacks in the United States on September and power” that takes away the occasion two people who did terrible things to me,
11, 2001; we mourn with their families ofwar. Therefore, we seek to heal the cir- things of which I am reminded daily. I used
and friends. We honor those who have cumstances that give rise to violence and to wonder where they were, and what they
—
given their lives to rescue and care for the war social injustice, hunger, poverty, were doing. I used to wish a slow and pain-
—
Page 5 Friends Bulletin December 2001
—
)
.
fill death—for them. One day I received a Now another President Bush tells us documented human rights abuses. Deja vu
blessing the true realization that there that “we are not at war with the people of all over again: we armed Saddam Hussein
was that ofGod in them, too. And that the Afghanistan.” Regardless of whether we while he contained a fundamentalist Iran
only person being hurt by my hatred was believe the Taliban’s statistics on civilian for us. We helped the Taliban when they
me. It was poisoning my heart and eating deaths, our own military has admitted to were fighting the former Soviet Union.
my soul. In that moment, my hatred was at least two incidents of multiple killings Once again, US foreign policy seems fa-
gone. I remembered Jesus on the cross. already, and tells us that such deaths, tally short-term in its thinking: “the enemy
He said “Father, forgive them,” not “I for- though regrettable, are inevitable in war. ofmy enemy is my friend for now.”
give you,” but “Father, forgive them.” To prove that even though our bombs are What should we do instead? The only
I leave the forgiveness to God, but I killing them, we are not at war with the suggestions I can make will not satisfy
am the only one who can rid the hatred Afghanis, we are airlifting food packages, many people. In 1993, we began a long
from my heart. distributing thus far about 37,000 meals. term search for the perpetrators of that
If the more than 5,000 deaths we Yet the World Food Program has esti- World Trade Center bombing: when we
have suffered this week happened to us mated the numbers of displaced people found them, we put them on trial, and they
twenty times a year for ten years, they fleeing Afghani cities at close to 7.5 mil- were convicted and jailed. It took years
would not equal the deaths in the Middle lion, and relieforganizations like the WFP but no civilians died. I would like to be-
East, in Africa, in the Philippines, in Ire- have had to suspend operations because of lieve in that as the American way.
land, in Europe, in South America. Deaths the war. Another suggestion I’d offer comes
caused by war, oppression, famine, and If my home had been bombed and I from John Woolman, the 18th century
embargoes. had lost people I loved, I would not be Quaker who persuaded American Friends
I want justice for the world, not re- comforted by an airborne food package. to stop holding slaves. Woolman asked
venge. And I would not believe that the nation “that we who declare against wars, and
Peace begins with each ofus as indi- that sent the bombers was not at war with acknowledge our trust to be in God only,
viduals, in our hearts and in our souls. But me. Osama Bin Laden’s organization and may walk in the light and therein examine
peace begins in the world when—we wage others like it rely onjust such reactions to our foundation and motives . . . look upon
peace against the causes of war hunger, recruit the next generation ofterrorists. In our treasures, the furniture of our homes,
injustice, ignorance to name a few. Today fact, Taliban training camps adopt and and our garments, and try whether the
is a start. Where do we go from here? raise orphans. Will the new war orphans seeds of war have nourishment in these
What do we do after today to remove the believe George W. Bush or Osama Bin possessions?” Terrible poverty haunts
O
causes ofwar? Laden? these regions ofthe world from which the
Though I am a New Yorker, I was terrorists who hate us emerge. Tme, the
A Letter to Students fortunate on September 11 not to lose US gives more foreign aid than any other
anyone I knew. My grief over what hap- nation. However, as our economy grows
Susanne Weil is Director of Whittier Col- pened that day can’t compare to that of increasingly global, I wonder: can we af-
lege Writing Programs and Associate as anyone who did. But bombing Afghani- ford not to do more? Can we continue to
well as Professor ofEnglish. She is also a stan will not bring back those dead. As feel entitled to use a disproportionate
member of Whitleaf (Whittier, CA Mark Twain wrote in “The War Prayer,” share of the earth’s resources? To answer
Friends Meeting andformer clerk of the when we pray for victory in war, the in- those questions, I have to begin by asking
Friends Association ofHigher Education evitable consequence of that victory is myself in what ways I contribute to what,
—
(see FB, July-August, 1999). Editor. “the unspoken part” ofour prayer: the suf- in principle, I don’t approve.
fering ofpeople on the other side who had In “The Cure at Troy,” Seamus Hea-
E
ver since we began bombing Af- nothing to do with the war. Rhetorically ney writes,
ghanistan, I have felt a recurring separating the Taliban from the Afghani
sense ofdeja vu, remembering a President people will not bring civilian dead back, History says, Don’t hope
Bush saying, “We are not at war with the either, and the survivors will not believe On this side ofthe grave.
people ofIraq....” that we meant them no harm.—They will But then, once in a lifetime,
Three months after the GulfWar interpret what we are doing bombing The longed-for tidal wave
ended, I saw Norman Schwarzkopf, in an- Afghanis—tan at the cost of countless civil- Ofjustice can rise up,
swer to ajournalist’s question on CSPAN, ian lives as revenge. They will believe And hope and history rhyme.
say that only 23% of our “smart bombs” that the only lives we care about are
had hit their targets during the siege of American lives. And as the cycle of re- So hope for a great sea-change
Baghdad, densely populated by civilians venge revolves throughout the decades to On the far side ofrevenge.
whom Saddam Hussein’s Republican come, we are likely to suffer the conse- Believe that a further shore
Guard stopped from fleeing. quences ofthat belief. Is reachable from here. . .
We were not at war with the peo- That suffering may spread to include
ple of Iraq, but we killed thousands of the destabilizing of Pakistan and other Hope and believe, please. But don’t
them, and when the war was over, Hussein nations in the region, where protests grow stop there. Organize teach-ins. Donate to
was still in power. Since that time, our daily in scope and intensity. Meanwhile, relief organizations. Read, leam, and tell
embargo has cost the lives of thousands as we begin to work with the Northern your representatives what you think best
more Iraqis. Alliance, we seem to ignore that group’s for them to do in your name, with your
—
Page 6 Friends Bulletin December 2001
taxes, and why. Those of you who dis- stan and Iran who have been displaced To contribute via Visa or Master-
agree with what I have said here must by military action. card, call 888-588-2372, ext. 1. For
do the same. Representative democracy “With winter coming on, the most more information on the American
starves if no one feeds it. As a nation, immediate need is for warm blankets,” Friends Service Committee and the No
we have a lot to figure out together, and explained Carlos Mejia, EMAP direc- More Victims campaign please visit our
we can all do much more than watch tor. “We are seeking individual dona- web
site at http://www.afsc.org/nomore.
CNN
replay the fall of the Twin Tow- tions and also larger, corporate in-kind htm, or call 215-241-7060.
ers. Each of us can start by asking what contributions. We hope for a quick re-
—we, as individuals, feel called to do. sponse so that we can ship them as soon Reedwood Friends Church
Susanne Weil, Whittier, CA. as possible.”
(Portland, Or)
Afghanistan has one of the largest
A Quaker view of terrorism refugee populations in the world, mak-
ing the situation a humanitarian crisis Leslea Smith read the following prayer
by Bill Ashworth of “stunning proportions,” according to during worship on September 23:
WG
South Mountain (OR) the United Nations.
A “We have already sent 375 bales of Our God,
s the terrible events of September blankets to distribute to refugees in Creator,
1 1 unfolded, I found myself, like Iran,” adds Michael Poulshock, EMAP Bright Friend:
We
most Americans, glued to a news interim assistant director. “Because the are a peace loving people.
—
source in my case, the news center at situation in and around Afghanistan is You have taught us to love peace.
Yahoo.com. I kept returning to my Web so fluid, an AFSC representative will Today, our longing for peace is not so
browser, picking at the story as if it also travel to Pakistan to conduct both a much a prayer as a cry.
were a scab I couldn’t keep my fingers short and long term needs assessment.” God, you have told us we are blessed
away from. And as the enormity of the Poulshock, who previously served when we make peace.
attacks sunk in and the cries for revenge as the AFSC field coordinator in How, God, can we make peace in these
mounted,—I found myself deep in Kosovo between 1999 and 2000 went days?
mourning not just for the current vic- on to explain, “The Emergency and Ma- Creator, we cannot make anything good
tims, but for the victims yet to come.... terial Assistance Program (EMAP) is apart from you.
On the day following the attacks, now in its 80th year of operation and So may we first make peace with you.
six of us met at the meeting house of provides relief after disasters, both Where there is doubt in our hearts, re-
South Mountain Friends Meeting in natural and man-made, and works di- place it with faith.
Ashland. We had gathered for a regular rectly and with partner agencies, in- Where there is wrongdoing in our lives,
committee meeting, but the talk turned cluding the Mennonite Central Commit- may we replace it with right living.
inevitably toward New York and Wash- tee, a relief, service, and peace agency Then let us make peace in our families
ington, and we ended the evening clasp- of the North American Mennonite and And may our understanding of who is
ing each other’s hands in silent prayer Brethren in Christ churches.” our family be large.
for the victims, for the perpetrators, and Blankets may be brought or Let us make peace with our neighbors
for those who face the immensely diffi- shipped to the AFSC collection center And may our understanding of who is
cult job of crafting America’s response. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or to one our neighbor be large.
Just before we entered the silence, one of the regional centers in Baltimore, We pray for our neighbors in the Mid-
woman spoke quietly, the first sentence Maryland; Cambridge, Massachusetts; dle East
her own, the second from William High Point, North Carolina; Richmond, And especially for our sisters and
—
Penn. “We have been shown what hate Indiana; or San Francisco, California. brothers in faith Christian, Jew
can do,” she said. “Now let us see what The effort is a part of The AFSC and Muslim.
love can do.” “No More Victims” campaign, which God, as you are one,
We cannot make terrorism impossi- was launched to help victims and survi- May we be one in our longing and
ble. Let us work, instead, to make it un- vors ofthe September 1 1 tragedies. The working for peace.
thinkable. campaign supports work on the ground God, we pray too for peace in those
in New York and Washington, DC, parts of the world so much on our
—
helps assist Afghan refugees fleeing mind in these days in Afghani-
AFSC Calls For
their homes for safety, and mobilizes stan, in Pakistan, and in our own
Donations of Blankets —
support for peaceful solutions not vio- country.
—
for Afghanistan
lence and retaliation in the face of Creator,
— those terrible acts of anger and hatred If there are words we can say, actions
Philadelphia, PA The American and the suffering they caused. we can take, if there is love we can
Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Cash donations may be directed to give,
through its Emergency and Material As- AFSC No More Victims-Afghan Relief Give us the wisdom to know it and the
sistance Program (EMAP) is seeking and mailed to AFSC/Development, courage to do it.
donations of clean, serviceable blankets 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA Help us, Bright Friend.
to send to Afghanistan refugees in Paki- 19102. Amen.
—
Page 7 Friends Bulletin December 2001
How
Can Peace and Freedom?
Israel Find
The Boy Jesus’ Conversations
with the Elders of the Temple
by Herb Dimock
Grass Valley (CA) Friends Meeting
[The following is an excerpt from Herb
Dimock's novel about Jesus ’ upbringing
called Yeshua: Seeing God Through the
Eyes ofHis Child. Yeshua is the Aramaic
name for Jesus. Zeke is one of Yeshua ’s
peers, a 12-year old more interested in
sight-seeing than in spiritual explora-
—
tWion. Editor.]
hen the dawn light came again,
Zeke was snoring in the deepest of
sleep, Yeshua left quietly and slipped out
into the fresh morning air. He sat alone on
the bottom step of the stone staircase,
pulled out of his pouch some unleavened
bread and made breakfast. With a blanket
roll over his shoulder he walked slowly
through the almost empty streets back to-
ward the temple.
Inside the gate to the Court of the directly in front of him, seated on joined our circle, and I propose that he
Gentiles he was relieved to see that only a benches, was a group ofmen. Their elabo- might be able to bring light to our discus-
few people were yet wandering through rate ceremonial robes and headgear and sion about the Zealots in our midst.”
the big open space. The silence was bro- the phylacteries filled with scripture selec- All eyes turned to assess who the new-
ken by the occasional bleat of a tethered tions, which were tied on arms and fore- comer might be, and one ofthe men whose
sheep. Yeshua found a place to sit quietly heads, made him feel sure these were rab- back had been close to Yeshua, spoke up.
against a pillar at the edge of the colon- bis, maybe from the priestly class. There “Son, why don’t you come around and
nade. were ten ofthem. face us, so that we can talk with you.”
This was the first moment since He stood behind their semicircle and With rising anticipation Yeshua re-
their departure from Nazareth that he had listened full of growing eagerness. With sponded and took up a position in the cir-
time to think, time without having to re- some passion they were talking about the cle where all the men could see him. The
spond to other people. Yeshua closed his freedom of Israel. Especially they were first man spoke again.
eyes and drifted quietly into a deep medi- discussing an incident that must have hap- “From the looks of your clothing and
tation in which he found himself asking pened the day before, about a young your pack you must be from Galilee.”
the God of his people how he was sup- Zealot who had been arrested by the Ro- When Yeshua nodded agreement the
posed to find the truth. “What kind ofper- mans for stirring up trouble in the Court man went on.
son is the messiah going to be?” ofthe Gentiles. “The Zealots have been busy in your
His silence lasted much longer than Slowly Yeshua moved closer to the province. They were busy here yesterday.
he had counted on, so that when he again circle, not wanting to miss anything, and One young man, not much older than you,
opened his eyes there were many more finally stood within arm’s reach oftwo of almost stirred up a riot, with cries of
people in the courtyard and the business the men. On the opposite side of the cir- ‘freedom’ and ‘drive the Romans into the
ofthe day was moving briskly ahead. cle, Yeshua soon realized, one of the sea.’”
He roused himself, shouldered his teachers was watching him intently. After Another man in the circle added his
pack, and began a walk inside the pillars several minutes the man interrupted the observation. “The stripling did his shout-
that defined the colonnade, heading to- dialogue. ing on the steps not two paces from where
—
ward the Court ofthe Women. “My esteemed comrades, may I call you now stand until the Roman police
About halfway along he stopped, for to your attention that a young man has dragged him away.”
—
Page 8 Friends Bulletin December 2001