Comments on: Letter from Palestine #4 http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/12/29/letter-from-palestine-4/ Mon, 21 May 2012 15:21:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rae http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/12/29/letter-from-palestine-4/comment-page-1/#comment-24282 Rae Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:52:44 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=205#comment-24282 Thanks, Hildy, for bringing us the posts from Nora about the Dahlia Association. I respectfully differ with Janice - the stories we hear in the media are predominantly from the Israeli perspective. Israel does not allow the press to enter Gaza, so we have no opportunity to hear what might be objective reporting. There is little published in the U.S. about the Palestinian experience and less with any positive perspective about Palestinians. I greatly appreciate hearing about the positive work of the Dahlia Association and the challenges being addressed. Best, Rae Thanks, Hildy, for bringing us the posts from Nora about the Dahlia Association. I respectfully differ with Janice – the stories we hear in the media are predominantly from the Israeli perspective. Israel does not allow the press to enter Gaza, so we have no opportunity to hear what might be objective reporting. There is little published in the U.S. about the Palestinian experience and less with any positive perspective about Palestinians. I greatly appreciate hearing about the positive work of the Dahlia Association and the challenges being addressed. Best, Rae

]]> By: Hildy http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/12/29/letter-from-palestine-4/comment-page-1/#comment-24174 Hildy Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:21:09 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=205#comment-24174 Janice: I would love to tell that story. In fact, I would love to share the stories of anyone who is using vision-based, possibility-based, strength-based approaches to building community when all they see around them is war. The point of sharing Nora's stories has never been to take sides. The point has always been to share humanity between people around the world who are working to build strong communities. It is one thing to talk about who is right and who is wrong. It is quite another to see through the eyes of someone who is doing that work against all odds. So if anyone knows someone working inside a war-torn area, where the struggle to just live everyday life seems insurmountable and yet they continue to do their work to build their community from the ground up, please have them contact me directly! And thanks for raising the question, Janice! Hildy Janice:
I would love to tell that story. In fact, I would love to share the stories of anyone who is using vision-based, possibility-based, strength-based approaches to building community when all they see around them is war.

The point of sharing Nora’s stories has never been to take sides. The point has always been to share humanity between people around the world who are working to build strong communities. It is one thing to talk about who is right and who is wrong. It is quite another to see through the eyes of someone who is doing that work against all odds.

So if anyone knows someone working inside a war-torn area, where the struggle to just live everyday life seems insurmountable and yet they continue to do their work to build their community from the ground up, please have them contact me directly!

And thanks for raising the question, Janice!
Hildy

]]> By: Janice http://hildygottlieb.com/2008/12/29/letter-from-palestine-4/comment-page-1/#comment-24171 Janice Tue, 30 Dec 2008 14:35:43 +0000 http://hildygottlieb.com/?p=205#comment-24171 As a long time supporter of your amazing work, I've been somewhat hesistant to reply to this latest blog post. If you are truly supportive of the idea of Community Benefit Organizations versus nonprofit organizations, then you should talk about not just one piece of the community, but the whole of the community. As you talk about the horrific life the citizens of Palestine experience, you should also talk about the horrific life the citizens of Israel also endure. It is always the common-folk citizens who take the brunt of the government's power struggles, and that is a true shame. But please when you tell the stories of the struggles of one group and neglect to tell the stories about the struggles of the other group, you are contributing to the misinformation, ignorance and hatred that seem to fuel these conflicts. Please paint the whole picture so we can truly move toward a better and more humane community. As a long time supporter of your amazing work, I’ve been somewhat hesistant to reply to this latest blog post. If you are truly supportive of the idea of Community Benefit Organizations versus nonprofit organizations, then you should talk about not just one piece of the community, but the whole of the community. As you talk about the horrific life the citizens of Palestine experience, you should also talk about the horrific life the citizens of Israel also endure. It is always the common-folk citizens who take the brunt of the government’s power struggles, and that is a true shame. But please when you tell the stories of the struggles of one group and neglect to tell the stories about the struggles of the other group, you are contributing to the misinformation, ignorance and hatred that seem to fuel these conflicts. Please paint the whole picture so we can truly move toward a better and more humane community.

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