Gaza Reflections and Path Ahead
There will be a Community Forum on the background of the current crisis in Gaza and path ahead on Thursday, January 18th at 7PM at the Greensboro United Church of Christ. Speaking will be Hamed Bakir, a Palestinian American living in Fairfax Vermont, and the uncle of Elizabeth Rossano of Hardwick. Hamed was born in a refugee camp near Ramallah in Palestine. Through narrating his family's account, Hamed likes to tell stories of Palestinians resilience and their love of life in the face of adversity. Also presenting will be Jason Hirsch, of the group Jewish Voice for Peace,
Hamed retired from a 35 year international career in public health and the environment with the WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and other international development agencies. He specialized in climate change and health; children's health and the environment; water sanitation and health.
Jason Hirsch is an Ashkenazi Jew and an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace of Vermont and New Hampshire. Jewish Voice for Peace is a national, Jewish-led organization working for the liberation of all peoples in Israel and Palestine. He teaches cultural anthropology at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, focusing on ecological anthropology, climate justice, and political imagination. He also serves as the President of the Board at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Plainfield, and is completing a book about Western herbal medicine and its role in ecological transition.
The evening is sponsored by the Hardwick Peace Vigil Committee. Everyone is welcome and invited to stay for tea after the discussion.
Over 22,000 Palestinians and over 1,200 Israelis have been killed in Gaza since early October in this war and over 2 million people, 85% of the population, are currently homeless, at least half of them children. Food and water are critically scarce. These well informed panelists and ensuing discussion should help further a deeper understanding of the roots of the conflict and possible pathways to peace.

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