Night Five: The Courage to Stand Up
“Let us gather around the fifth candle tonight and reflect on the courage it takes to stand up to oppressive forces. To empire. To those who seek to make you small. Or to disappear,” shares Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg.
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J Street organizes pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans to promote US policies that embody our deeply held Jewish and democratic values and that help secure the State of Israel as a democratic homeland for the Jewish people. We believe that only a negotiated resolution agreed to by Israelis and Palestinians can meet the legitimate needs and national aspirations of both peoples.
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We urge senators to continue to make the safe return of the hostages a high-priority issue in all meetings with the Biden administration and other interlocutors, and to strongly consider the impact that any US policies and actions may have on the safety of hostages.
“Let us gather around the fifth candle tonight and reflect on the courage it takes to stand up to oppressive forces. To empire. To those who seek to make you small. Or to disappear,” shares Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg.
Maharat Rori Picker reflects, “We honor the diverse voices working toward peace in the region, standing tall in their confidence and fullness as they unite in shared strength and the pursuit of justice.”
Rabbi Dr. William Plevan shares, " “Our task now is to find those sources of light in the people who raise their voices and do the work, and remember that their light can overcome the most formidable obstacles.”
Rabbi Ariel Stone writes, “The opposite of despair, it is said, is not hope, but commitment. May the practice of lighting a candle against the darkness every day strengthen our commitment to seek the light in our place, and to add our own to it.”
Palestinian Authority, Seeking Gaza Role, Takes On West Bank Militants, The Washington Post
In Jenin, the authority, which is backed by the West, has launched its largest and most heavily armed operation in its three decades to thwart a growing West Bank insurgency against the Palestinian leadership and Israeli occupation. It’s trying to prove it can manage security in the limited areas of the West Bank it controls as it seeks to also govern a postwar Gaza Strip.
Some Gaps Have Narrowed in Elusive Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Sides Say, Reuters
A Palestinian official familiar with the talks said while some sticking points had been resolved, the identity of some of the Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in return for hostages had yet to be agreed, along with the precise deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza. His remarks corresponded with comments by the Israeli diaspora minister, Amichai Chikli, who said both issues were still being negotiated. Nonetheless, he said, the sides were far closer to reaching agreement than they have been for months.