I've rewritten the statement to address your specific requests about acknowledging Hamas as an aggressor, recognizing the oppression of Palestinian people by Hamas, and acknowledging Jewish indigeneity to Israel:
"The event organizers would like to acknowledge that we are gathering during a time of struggle and violence affecting many peoples. We recognize the complex situation in the Middle East, where Hamas has engaged in acts of aggression against Israel while also oppressing the Palestinian people who suffer under their control. We acknowledge the historical Jewish indigeneity to the land of Israel while also recognizing Palestinian civilians caught in this conflict deserve safety and dignity.
We also stand in solidarity with victims of genocide in Sudan and Congo, and with the Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral homelands this conference is being held, including the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash tribes. We stand firmly against all forms of hatred and violence, including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment. We recognize that systemic violence and oppression must be named and opposed. We stand with immigrants facing unjust treatment and policies. We also oppose violence and discrimination against trans, queer, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people being legislated across the United States. Therefore, as we begin our event, we wish to underscore that none of us are free until all of us are free, and that all struggles against oppression are interconnected.
1. I don't think describing Hamas rapes, murders, kidnapping as "acts of aggression" is strong enough though I do think the acknowledgement of their suppression of the Palestinians is good.
2. It is complicated, but I wonder if the Palestinians who cheered when the coffins of the Bibas babies were returned deserve as strong a shout-out as is given here. Me, I'm anti-Palestinian at this point. Not sure there is a polite middle ground here, especially when Tin House and Sewanee are calling out Israel so harshly.
3. I personally find land acknowledgements performative, but if it's politic to leave this one in, okay.
4. In the terms of the left, all struggles against oppression are not interconnected. I wouldn't use that language. Jewish women being raped is an obvious exception.
5. My personal position, which others may not want to mirror, is that the stance of many of our progressive friends has separated me from the political movement I spent my life in. They are not going to bend their position to admit flaws in it, and trying to conform with them on every other issue won't change their minds.
6. I think I would make my statement solely about the destructive pain the antisemitism in the literary community has caused to Jews and their allies.
I’m with Kresha on this. Personally, I oppose the whole practice of framing these panels as part of some catch-all social justice engagement. It all seems like part of a recipe meant to mix Israel into an oppression narrative.
Replace that sentence with something like “The Palestinian and Israeli peoples continue to be stuck in a cycle of violence fueled by extremism and hatred - including the actions of Hamas - which holds its own people hostage as well as 59 remaining hostages taken from Israel on October 7 who still need to return home.”
That doesn’t address the whole Israel isn’t a colonizer because Jews are indigenous thing - but is a more accurate and still diplomatic sentence.
Who ARE the event organizers? Re Hannah's statement -- which is overall excellent --
I agree that "acts of aggression "is not strong enough to describe the acts of terrorism committed on Oct. 7, which Hamas has said they wish to repeat again and again. I think it should also be clearlyt stated that Israel's actions in Gaza are NOT genocide and that to say so only incites more violence and impedes any progress toward peace. Pat Johnson on Substack does a good job of making this and other pro-Israel points.
Sarah. You are on your way to AWP. l wish you strength.
Hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since I took your Hippocamp collage essay workshop.
Since then, antisemitism has grown in the literary (mainstream) world. I did not make the connection back then to your Jewish background. Thank you for representing.
Yasher Koach:
Debra
In reference to your Substack essay “AWP as a Narrow Place”, I offer these words from an epigram attributed to the Hasidic Reb Nachman
“The whole entire world is a very narrow bridge
And the main thing is to have no fear at all.”
Israeli singer Ofra Haza performs a version of the song.
In regards to the rawi statement we'd like to affirm that Palestine is a bullshit colonizer fantasy for nazis. Am Yisrael Chai. Fuck hamas. Amd fuck it's nazi fans.
Sarah. You are on your way to AWP. l wish you strength.
Hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since I took your Hippocamp collage essay workshop.
Since then, antisemitism has grown in the literary (mainstream) world. I did not make the connection back then to your Jewish background. Thank you for representing.
Yasher Koach:
Debra
Re: Substack essay “AWP as a Narrow Place”, I offer these words of a song from an epigram attributed to the Hasidic Reb Nachman.
“The whole entire world is a very narrow bridge
And the main thing is to have no fear at all.”
Israeli singer Ofra Haza performs a version of the song.
I was going to say delete the word “colonial” and it seems you have done this already,
but it reads to me as being unbalanced. Agree with your framing of Hamas, but the conflict is been going on since 1947…. Can’t blame Hamas for everything….the Israeli shoulder some blame here….
If you said we recognize that Hamas and the Israeli government have engaged in acts of aggression etc. that is more balanced imo.
I've rewritten the statement to address your specific requests about acknowledging Hamas as an aggressor, recognizing the oppression of Palestinian people by Hamas, and acknowledging Jewish indigeneity to Israel:
"The event organizers would like to acknowledge that we are gathering during a time of struggle and violence affecting many peoples. We recognize the complex situation in the Middle East, where Hamas has engaged in acts of aggression against Israel while also oppressing the Palestinian people who suffer under their control. We acknowledge the historical Jewish indigeneity to the land of Israel while also recognizing Palestinian civilians caught in this conflict deserve safety and dignity.
We also stand in solidarity with victims of genocide in Sudan and Congo, and with the Indigenous peoples on whose ancestral homelands this conference is being held, including the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash tribes. We stand firmly against all forms of hatred and violence, including antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiment. We recognize that systemic violence and oppression must be named and opposed. We stand with immigrants facing unjust treatment and policies. We also oppose violence and discrimination against trans, queer, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people being legislated across the United States. Therefore, as we begin our event, we wish to underscore that none of us are free until all of us are free, and that all struggles against oppression are interconnected.
In solidarity,"
1. I don't think describing Hamas rapes, murders, kidnapping as "acts of aggression" is strong enough though I do think the acknowledgement of their suppression of the Palestinians is good.
2. It is complicated, but I wonder if the Palestinians who cheered when the coffins of the Bibas babies were returned deserve as strong a shout-out as is given here. Me, I'm anti-Palestinian at this point. Not sure there is a polite middle ground here, especially when Tin House and Sewanee are calling out Israel so harshly.
3. I personally find land acknowledgements performative, but if it's politic to leave this one in, okay.
4. In the terms of the left, all struggles against oppression are not interconnected. I wouldn't use that language. Jewish women being raped is an obvious exception.
5. My personal position, which others may not want to mirror, is that the stance of many of our progressive friends has separated me from the political movement I spent my life in. They are not going to bend their position to admit flaws in it, and trying to conform with them on every other issue won't change their minds.
6. I think I would make my statement solely about the destructive pain the antisemitism in the literary community has caused to Jews and their allies.
I’m with Kresha on this. Personally, I oppose the whole practice of framing these panels as part of some catch-all social justice engagement. It all seems like part of a recipe meant to mix Israel into an oppression narrative.
I don’t disagree with either of you. Just fulfilling the ask.
That is absolutely beautiful and much more balanced.
Love this!
I love this! Perfect. Objectivity, factual, kind, compassionate, perspective. Perfect.
Did you use ChatGPT? ;)
Replace that sentence with something like “The Palestinian and Israeli peoples continue to be stuck in a cycle of violence fueled by extremism and hatred - including the actions of Hamas - which holds its own people hostage as well as 59 remaining hostages taken from Israel on October 7 who still need to return home.”
That doesn’t address the whole Israel isn’t a colonizer because Jews are indigenous thing - but is a more accurate and still diplomatic sentence.
I love this.
Ugh, I'm disgusted that Sewannee endorsed such a thing. That's about all I can say.
Me, too. Though not surprised.
Who ARE the event organizers? Re Hannah's statement -- which is overall excellent --
I agree that "acts of aggression "is not strong enough to describe the acts of terrorism committed on Oct. 7, which Hamas has said they wish to repeat again and again. I think it should also be clearlyt stated that Israel's actions in Gaza are NOT genocide and that to say so only incites more violence and impedes any progress toward peace. Pat Johnson on Substack does a good job of making this and other pro-Israel points.
Oops. I posted twice!
Sarah. You are on your way to AWP. l wish you strength.
Hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since I took your Hippocamp collage essay workshop.
Since then, antisemitism has grown in the literary (mainstream) world. I did not make the connection back then to your Jewish background. Thank you for representing.
Yasher Koach:
Debra
In reference to your Substack essay “AWP as a Narrow Place”, I offer these words from an epigram attributed to the Hasidic Reb Nachman
“The whole entire world is a very narrow bridge
And the main thing is to have no fear at all.”
Israeli singer Ofra Haza performs a version of the song.
I love Ofra Haza's version!
In regards to the rawi statement we'd like to affirm that Palestine is a bullshit colonizer fantasy for nazis. Am Yisrael Chai. Fuck hamas. Amd fuck it's nazi fans.
https://marlowe1.substack.com/p/poems-by-pat-califia-high-risk
Sarah. You are on your way to AWP. l wish you strength.
Hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since I took your Hippocamp collage essay workshop.
Since then, antisemitism has grown in the literary (mainstream) world. I did not make the connection back then to your Jewish background. Thank you for representing.
Yasher Koach:
Debra
Re: Substack essay “AWP as a Narrow Place”, I offer these words of a song from an epigram attributed to the Hasidic Reb Nachman.
“The whole entire world is a very narrow bridge
And the main thing is to have no fear at all.”
Israeli singer Ofra Haza performs a version of the song.
I was going to say delete the word “colonial” and it seems you have done this already,
but it reads to me as being unbalanced. Agree with your framing of Hamas, but the conflict is been going on since 1947…. Can’t blame Hamas for everything….the Israeli shoulder some blame here….
If you said we recognize that Hamas and the Israeli government have engaged in acts of aggression etc. that is more balanced imo.