Dear Friend,
Today is a day of mourning—for those killed on this day last year, and for the tens of thousands killed in the year since. But even in the midst of our loss and our devastation, we can connect in solidarity to help those who are suffering, to demand better of our policymakers, and to call for peace.
This is the hope that I want to uplift today. Because when I look back at the American Friends Service Committee’s long history of work for peace, it’s clear that peace is possible—and it begins by pursuing peaceful ends through peaceful means. The genocide unfolding in Gaza must end. So, too, must the widening war.
But peace is more than the absence of war. Those who have been through the traumas of this ongoing violence must be supported in healing and rebuilding their lives. Policies must change to uphold the equality and dignity of all people living on the land. And a future must be ushered in where every person is treated with human dignity and able to live in safety and peace.
AFSC works in Gaza and in communities around the world. We believe in the transforming power of love and active nonviolence as a force for justice and reconciliation. We believe in addressing root causes to bring systemic change—even as we deliver humanitarian relief to help people through times of crisis. And we believe in speaking truth to power.
I have been heartened to see people of all faiths, ages, and backgrounds come together over the past year to make a difference. Please join us. I invite you to download our “Peace is Possible” poster as a reminder that peace is possible when we persist in our call for justice and take action together.
In peace,
Joyce Ajlouny
General Secretary
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