In Gaza, a Canadian human rights activist named Eva Bartlett:

How to explain this feeling? I am physically numb to the explosions, not that i am in any way brave, but just physically unaffected. This is useful, it allows me to continue to write, to photograph, to speak. But my rational side which is continuing these things. Alberto, a Spanish journalist sitting next to me, helps me to recall that last night I told him: "I’m so focused on conveying the eyewitness account that i’m not thinking about danger."

Life must go on in Gaza and Sderot, a blog written by two friends: one in Gaza and one in Sderot:

I am asking the international community to stop what is going on in Gaza I hope to return to ceasefire and move away from violence Because violence will bring more violence.

From Gaza, Dr. Mona El-Farra, a Gazan woman currently in England:

I am travelling from Manchester to Cairo this week to send medication, emergency supplies, and very important orthopaedic equipment, for Al Awda hospital and the Red Crescent society. Also, some very important children’s medication, and medications for chronic diseases. While the hospitals are overwhelmed with the injured, it is important to secure the rest of the patients – a very difficult balance for us in such crisis, with the health services at the point of collapse.

Rafah Kid, reports from Rafah: 

And what shall I say? I will not speak of my daily misery having to put up in Friday with a 24 hour power cut; nor will I like to mention my father standing in a long queue in front of the bakery at 7 a.m. to buy some bread; nor will I mention the 3 empty gas cylinders awaiting to be filled since a month; nor will I lament the patients living on respiratory support or kidney washing machines and are afraid the hospitals will have no electricity ; I find it enough to say that all those I meet,including myself and my family, are psychologically and emotionally tired.

Raising Yousuf and Noor, a blog from a mother in North Carolina in touch with parents in Gaza: 

"It’s strange, my whole body is shaking. Why is that? Why is that?" she rambles on, continuous explosions audible in the background. "There they go again. One boom after another. 15. Before that, one or two, maybe 20 total so far."

Mideast Youth, a collection of blog posts and podcasts from young men and women in the Middle East: 

300 dead and over 1000 injured, and Israel is promising more.

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– The Palestinian politician’s perspective: Here’s an article in the Huffington Post by Mustafa Barghouthi, the Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative, detailing why Israel’s actions are the actions of an occupying power, not acting in self-defense, not simply striking military targets. Barghouthi writes that the attacks are a political stunt intended to make Tzipi Livni look tough enough to get elected-comparing her to John McCain when he "suspended" his campaign to face the economic crisis.

– A practical leftist Israeli perspective: An op-ed in Haaretz by Tom Segev, where he says Israel’s big mistake here may not only be a moral one-it’s also a military one. Targeting Palestinian authorities with violence and attempting to impose a new, moderate leadership has never resulted in improved relations with Palestinians. "Since the dawn of the Zionist presence in the Land of Israel, no military operation has ever advanced dialogue with the Palestinians."

– A Palestinian student’s personal experience: Check out this email, currently being forwarded around by Jewish Peace News (a subset of Jewish Voice for Peace). Here’s an excerpt: "Outside my home, (which is close to the 2 largest universities in Gaza) a missile fell on a large group of young men, university students, they’d been warned not to stand in groups, it makes them an easy target, but they were waiting for buses to take them home.  7 were killed, 4 students and 3 of our neighbors kids, young men who were from the same family (Rayes) and were best friends. As I’m writing this I can hear a funeral procession go by outside, I looked out the window a moment ago and it was the 3 Rayes boys,  They spent all their time together when they were alive, they died together and now their sharing the same funeral together. Nothing could stop my 14 year old brother from rushing out to see the bodies of his friends laying in the street after they were killed.  He hasn’t spoken a word since."

– More personal accounts of the violence from Amira Hass on Haaretz‘s website

– A summary of conditions in Gaza since 2005 from B’Tselem, another Israeli human rights organization

– A humanitarian appeal: From Physicians for Human Rights-Israel comes a call for donated supplies. They write: "As the situation stands, Palestinian doctors are performing surgeries without surgical gloves, local or general anesthetics, gauze, sterilized equipment or sufficient oxygen for patients. All together, there are only 1,500 hospital beds available in Gaza’s 13 publicly run hospitals. A fleet of 60 ambulances is now reduced by half. The endless flow of new wounded and the need for beds has led to a suspension of care for dozens of other patients, including cancer, cardiac, and other chronically ill patients, who have all been sent to their homes for the duration of the crisis. Patients are not being permitted entry to Egypt and all referrals out of Gaza via Erez crossing have been suspended."

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They also call for dialogue and an end to the claim that there is no one to talk to on the Palestinian side: "In a place were there are humans, there is someone to talk to."

It is moving to see young Israelis choose to serve repeated jail sentences rather than act in opposition to their moral views.

If you’re interested, you can send a letter of support for their cause to the current Defense Minister, Ehud Barak.

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Consider this article: "Give It a Rest." Written by a youth pastor from Essex, Massachusetts, the article gives a description of the Sabbath that would be equally at home on a Jewish Renewal message board:

"Whenever the word holy appears in the Bible, it means set apart just for God. In other words, totally devoted to God. A holy Sabbath, then, isn’t just any old time of rest, and it’s not just rest for our physical bodies. God didn’t give us the fourth commandment as encouragement to zone out while watching TV or spend an entire weekend playing Rock Band. Doing those things might help us recharge our batteries physically, but a Sabbath is more than a time of physical rest. It’s also a time of spiritual rest—rest devoted totally to God."

The pastor encourages teens to take the time to do something special to bring themselves closer to God: write in a journal, take a walk, pray alone or with others. Find something holy to you as an individual. That is the essence of Sabbath rest.

It’s such a simple, unfettered message. Whatever you think about Christianity, there is a simplicity to it that’s sort of refreshing. Do something special. Refrain from doing something mundane. (Sorry about the heresy inherent in this paragraph.)

In Judaism, we’re told we can’t do 39 specific types of work: trapping, tearing, whitening, etc. All of which have been interpreted to mean a million different things—i.e. you should probably pre-tear your toilet paper. Then there are the many required things you must do on Shabbat: prescribed prayer times and prayers, candles to light, Kiddush to say, meals to be eaten in precise amounts at precise times. It’s pretty complicated, especially for a newbie who hasn’t done it a million times before.

Don’t get me wrong. I love a really good, thorough Shabbat with all the requisite parts. I sincerely enjoy turning off my cell phone, having fresh challah on the table, searching for three stars after the sun goes down on Saturday night. I don’t always do it, but I like it when I do.

The trouble is that sometimes the essence gets lost in the trappings. It’s a problem with a lot of Jewish traditions, I think.

For example, I recently took up praying every night before bed. At first, it was a meaningful opportunity to take a moment, be grateful for my blessings, ask for certain things, align my chakras, etc. But lately I’ve been getting home late, and I’m really tired when I get into bed, and I just race through: thank-you-for-my-family-and-friends-and-please-keep-them-safe-and-well-and-everyone-else-too-you-know-who-i-mean.

I feel like one of those Orthodox guys who prays like he brushes his teeth.

So a little essentializing might not be so bad. Some Jews—like my mother, a Renewal rabbi—have interpreted the commandment to guard (shomer) and to remember (zocher) Shabbat like our pastor does—as a commandment to both do something special, and refrain from something mundane. Be aware of what day of the week it is, and make a couple of individualized choices.

Simple. Kind of Shabbos-y, really.

Of course, this list of Christian things to do over the summer is pretty hilarious. ("Over a period of 10 days, pray daily for two or three non-Christian friends, asking God to show you how you can reach out to them in the coming school year." Yikes.)

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