On 9 March, supporters of Standing Together in the UK heard inspirational and fascinating talks by Mina Tatour from Standing Together in Israel and Noa Golan from the Gaza support group, also in Israel.
Noa Golan
Noa spoke first and began by talking about how she has two little boys and living in Israel is concerned about how militarism is in the country’s DNA and how it has skewed the mentality. She worries about what will happen with her two small boys as they reach fighting age.
Noa then went on to talk about how she felt very lost after the events of 7 October 2023.
Six months into the war in Gaza, Noa became very ill and was also pregnant. She felt that she couldn’t do anything as her body reacted to what was happening.
It was then that Noa ‘asked the universe what was wanted from her ‘.
Everything Noa believed and thought and valued seemed to be going wrong. She tried going to demonstrations, but that didn’t work, so she ‘sat on the fence’.
Finding how to make a difference
But something was missing; until she received a message from someone in Gaza, asking for money and help.
At first Noa wondered if it was a scam of some sort, but it turned out to be just what she was looking for.
Noa asked if she could get to know the man from Gaza as she tries to live by the idea that we are all linked.
Noa then had a video call with the correspondent from Gaza and they were able to see each other’s houses and children. Noa had wanted to check that all was well and that she could join the project.
Expanding
Noa then shared her news on Facebook and got a very positive response from friends, but also from people she didn’t know.
Soon Noa got messages from Facebook telling her of other people who wanted to be Friends and join her support group.
She then thought it through about how much money it takes to feed a family for a day and worked out that it would cost about 2 000 shekels (£500) a month . So, if 10 people could donate 200 shekels (£50) per month, then a family could be fed.
Noa shared this information on Facebook and got 200 messages the next day from people who wanted to know how they could help.
Within 3 weeks, Noa had a network supporting 20 families in Gaza.
Now they have 60 families being supported. Each family support network is unique, with some Gaza families in touch with everyone on their network and others with just the coordinator. It is all about building trust which is dependent on personal relationships.
That is the main work that they do.
They also run specific campaigns for winter gear, as people were living in tents, and also for medicinal equipment and during Ramadan.
The support network is also helping to connect big organisations with people in the field. They ask people what they need and liaise with big organisations who can supply it.
People are being connected in a very organic, natural and loving way.
The support network has no big aims, they just want to use love and connect with people.
Noa finished by commenting that the news at the moment was so sad, but she wants to keep going, practicing what she believes from within in a very intimate way.
Mina Tatour
Then Mina Tatour from Standing Together spoke.
Mina thanked everyone attending and started with a poem as a reminder that people can carry on working together for peace:
“We love life wherever we can find our way to it.
And wherever we are, we plant what we can grow.”
Mina then told us that she was a student, currently writing her thesis and is also a student organiser for Standing Together.
Mina grew up in a home, where the Palestinian heritage was protected and while the Naqba was not mentioned at school, it was talked about at home. Her family had to return home and stay during the Naqba.
Mina said that her parents kept the Palestinian culture alive and Mina went to summer camps, where she learnt about Palestinian history.
This helped to make her identity stronger, but she was still fearful when she went to university and met other people. Mina found that she couldn’t say out loud that she was Palestinian.
Joining Standing Together
Mina realised that she was still hiding her true identity. Then she began to notice signs about peace and equality around the university and it turned out that the signs were from Standing Together, so Mina decided to get to know them better.
Then at a seminar, Mina learnt how to express herself as a Palestinian. For the first time she felt that her identity was being engaged by the wider society. Mina had found a space where she could say what she wanted and her voice mattered.
Then 7th October happened and Standing Together said that Palestinians needed support, so Mina joined the staff. Mina felt that they were doing good work and wanted to go on to do more.
Mina has found that working with Standing Together has given her the opportunity and the space to be with others from the ‘other side ‘ who also want to work for justice and peace.
The work that Standing Together does saves lives and helps Mina to feel that her voice and identity matter and that others can be helped to feel the same way.
Mina also spoke briefly about some other pressing issues. She said that at the moment she wasn’t sure if the elections planned for September would take place.
As for whether Standing Together would stand candidates, Mina pointed out that Standing Together is a movement, not a political party, and commented that they want their voices to be heard in the Knesset, but didn’t talk too much about it.
Bringing Standing together to more places
Mina talked about the new purple house established by Standing Together in Nazareth in the West Bank. She said that it was a place for meetings and other gatherings, as there were no alternatives to what Standing Together were doing.
Standing Together wants Nazareth to be part of the movement, as it is an important city. Sadly, not many positive events are taking place these days, when there used to be many, such as Christmas markets.
Mina also told people that they wanted to support filmmakers whose films were banned, but still important and should be seen.
Standing Together is planning to establish more purple houses in other places. Standing Together want places for people to gather and have a place to meet.
Finally, with regards to actions, Mina said that Standing Together are continuing to do things like put up Stop the War messages and contact people to check that they are OK.
They also raise money to help villages in the south have shelters . These villages also have a lack of electricity, water, schools and health services. During the war they were very vulnerable and the priority was helping families and disabled people. Standing Together also wants villages in Gaza to have shelters and for children to be safe.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
