WAR between HAMAS and ISRAEL
LOCAL RESPONSE by Mt Washington Valley Chavurah
We are saddened and disheartened to see and hear what is happening in Israel. The situation there has long been complicated and we all have strong and often diverse opinions. However, the current acts of terrorism are outrageous.
We must express our horror that innocent civilians, young children, the elderly, members of the audience at a concert, citizens of a number of countries from around the world and others have been taken hostage. The images are brutal.
Today, we plead for an end to violence and our hope that a peaceful solution can quickly be negotiated so that all sides may live in a just and equitable world.
— SMWV Jewish Community’s Corresponding Secretary
Note fom JCC: As local spiritual leaders share additional infomation or responses that might be meaningfl to our community, we will share these updates.
INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES:
- Axios: https://www.axios.com/2023/10/08/israel-gaza-hamas-war-explainer
- BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c207p54m4rqt
- Wall Street Journal world news: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza
- Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/israel-palestine-conflict
- AP: Ihttps://apnews.com/live/israel-hamas-war-live-updates
- 972 news magazine run by Israelis and Palestinianss: hthttps://www.972mag.com/topic/october-2023-war/
OTHER INFO:
- My Jewish Learning:
- Modern Israel: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/contemporary-israel-101/
- 1973 Yom Kippur War history: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/yom-kippur-war/?utm_source=mjl_maropost&utm_campaign=MJL&utm_medium=email
- What Jews pray for when they pray for peace: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-jews-pray-for-when-they-pray-for-peace/
- The Palestinian-Israeli conflict – a chronology by The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/israel-palestine-conflict-timeline-history-explained/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
- UCC (United Church of Christ), as part of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), statement on this issue: https://www.ucc.org/churches-for-middle-east-peace-condemns-violence-calls-for-prayer-and-implores-global-leaders-to-address-war-between-hamas-and-israel
In the sky of the Old City
a kite
At the other end of the string,
a child
I can’t see
because of the wall.
—Yehuda Amichai (excerpt)
… UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) spokesperson James Elder said t… “When you listen to the testimonies coming out of Gaza, from children in Israel, it is consistent stories of fear, of suffering, of pain,” Mr. Elder said.
“We have to listen to those children of Gaza and of Israel who are very clearly and usually through tears saying, ‘Enough. Leave us alone.’” — UN News, full article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/10/1142097
Hamas and Israel are at open war
Again
Israelis have been killed
Barbarically
And Palestinians have been killed
Randomly
And I know this because
I have been reading comments
On a DK post
Both sides are right,
Both sides are wrong,
One side is more right
Than the other
And conditions have been really bad
The last few years
Or it started back in 1948
Or from events in distant history
Or all this is true
Or not
And this is all I know
About the subject currently
‘Cause I have not watched TV
News shows this weekend
And really!
What can I do about it?
Living 7,000 miles away
In a small home
That’s turned cold enough
To need another blanket on the bed,
Where my personal fretting is over
The food budget …
The only way I can see
To change the world
Is to increase my level of kindness
To my wife
And everyone else I come in
Contact with and hope
It spreads onward
And to vote for sanity
When it is that time
Again.
— Haggai Matar is an award-winning Israeli journalist and political activist, and is the executive director of +972 Magazine
- Source for the graphic above and coverage of the topic: https://my.lwv.org/california/torrance-area/article/how-reliable-your-news-source-understanding-media-bias-2022
- Pace Universaity’s guide: Liberal, Conservative & Non-Partisan Periodicals – The purpose of this guide is to provide information and resources on the role of news and magazines and how to evaluate them for bias. https://libguides.pace.edu/c.php?g=63918&p=410866
… As the audience for traditional news outlets is shrinking, 20 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds say they use TikTok as a source for news, according to a recent report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism — up five percentage points from last year.
… For news content creators who don’t want to take a side, the landscape can be fraught. Users want the people they follow for news to be overt and clear about their opinions and allegiances, and any effort to obfuscate or push a both-sides narrative about the conflict can be met with hostility, according to Jessica Yellin, a former chief White House correspondent for CNN who runs her own media brand and posts to TikTok …
“People are taking sides in what seems to be a sporting event,” she said. “The emotional stuff gets accelerated over the information. People who report with emotion, passion, outrage and fear, their content explodes. If you’re calm and measured and you base your content in actual information, it doesn’t get pickup. I think it’s embedded in how these platforms and algorithms are designed.” Yellen said the discourse has been especially toxic on this issue, which has elicited an “intense rage and vitriol” from social media users.
But [Jamie Cohen, assistant professor of media studies at Queens College in the City University of New York] said that it’s that exact emotion and passion that’s leading so many more people to engage with news content. Young people want to be politically engaged in the world, he explained, and they don’t want to hear news from a dispassionate, imaginary middle ground. ###
Special Opportunities Made Possible by UCC National Synod and NH Council of Churches: LEARNING TOGETHER in July, August and September!
Some questions for followup discussions after screenings of keynote addresses or documentary:
- What was your takeaway? What did you appreciate about the documentary?
- What surprised you about this 2022 documentary filmed in NH?
- What were one (or more) questions you have after watching this video? Were any areas particularly challenging? Is there something you want to learn more about?
- What thoughts do you now have about this nonprofit’s intentional effort to become more inclusive and how it might reflect on what we could do in our own community?
Attend Screenings of KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
from UCC NATIONAL SYNOD: Bryan Stevenson & Ibram X. Kendi
WED, JULY 19 @ 3pm:
Screening of Q&A with Ibram X. Kendi
Join us in the JCC Parish Hall. Please RSVP if you are interested in seeing this presentation.
Ibram X. Kendi (More info about this scholar, author and speaker.)
For a limited time, get access to this important conversation between Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Rev. Traci Blackmon and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson.
Please note: access to this recorded conversation is only available until July 31st, 2023.
WED, AUG 16 @ 3pm:
Screening of keynote address by Bryan Stevenson.
Join us in the JCC Parish Hall. Please RSVP if you are interested in seeing this presentation.
Bryan Stevenson (more about this attorney, author and scholar)
In this moving and poignant speech, Bryan Stevenson talks about how to engage the work of justice with courage, compassion and a fierce hope for a better world. Drawing on his experience as an attorney defending vulnerable clients within a broken judicial system, he illustrates how our proximity to the pain of others creates the internal conviction to fight for justice and goodness in the world. He speaks of his grandmother and the promises he made to her that became a guide for his life (and good advice for ours). Stevenson is a prophet for our time with big expectations for the role of the Church in shaping a more just world for all.
This arrangement is based on the UCC criteria for access to these videos: “The cost is $34 for each keynote. The recordings cannot be downloaded, but can be watched more than once. Again, the Ibram X. Kendi keynote will only be available until July 31, 2023.” We’ll focus on Ibram X. Kendi’s keynote address this month, since it is only available for viewing through July 31.
We’ll continue this fall:
WED, SEPT 20 @ 3:30pm
SANTA CAMP Documentary Viewing with JCC
Watch together and discuss in September!
Link to trailer of Santa Camp documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXteuDaI7Sk
Part of our ongoing process to explore what it means to be ever-more inclusive and open in our welcome to all family, friends, and neighbors.
The NH COUNCIL of CHURCHES
Summer Seminar & Keynote
by Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward
(author of The 7 Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism)
Attend In-Person for free!
Concord, NH
Tue, Aug 29 (free)
You can register here: https://www.nhcucc.info/event-details/lecture-seminar-with-carter-heyward
Have you registered for our summer keynote yet with Rev. Dr. Carter Heyward?
Just yesterday, I gathered with community and faith leaders regarding the latest act of white supremacist violence in our state. In a time of rising hate activity, the Church has a particular responsibility in the work of dismantling white Christian nationalism. It is a gift to have an expert like Carter with us to do just that!
We invite you to join us for either the daytime event, evening event, or both! The event is generously happening at no cost to you to ensure as many people as would like to attend are able to do so. We hope you will make this a part of your summer plans, and share with your neighbors…
THE CHURCH’s RESPONSE to WHITE CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM
A Presentation by Rev. Traci D. Blackmon, RN, MDiv. Associate General Minister of Justice & Local Church Ministries in the United Church of Christ.
THURS, April 20 – SUN, April 23
THURS, April 20
- Community Resource: LIBRARIES
- 10am-7pm • Jackson Library
Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org - 2-5pm • Bartlett Library
More info: https://www.bartlettpubliclibrary.org/
- 10am-7pm • Jackson Library
- Community Service: WAY STATION SHIFT
All Day • Way Station, 15 Grove St, No Conway- Volunteers open day resource center for showers, mail pickup, grocery distribution, more.
- Community Event: MOANA Jr. by Arts in Motion
7pm • Majestic Theater- Produced by Arts in Motion Theater Company, this is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the 2016 Disney animated film, bringing the adventures of Moana and her village of Motunui to life onstage.
- Moana JR. features all the beloved songs from the film, written by Tony®, GRAMMY, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina, including “How Far I’ll Go,” “Shiny,” and “You’re Welcome.”
- Tickets from Arts in Motion: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=aim
- Community Event: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
7:30pm • M&D Playhouse, North Conway- Directed by Stacy Sand
- Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=145460
- From the novel by Choderlos de Laclos
- This tale of seduction among aristocrats is set in France before the revolution. Two rivals, Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, are frenemies who manipulate and connive with the affections and sexual vulnerabilities of others in order to gain power and seek revenge. Their strong attraction to each other only adds to the tension.
- Contains adult themes and situations.
- Community Events: MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT AROUND TOWN
- Red Parka Pub: Bingo for Bartlett Firefighters Association – 5:30-7pm
- Shannon Door: Jeremy Dean • 6-9pm
FRI, April 21
- Community Event: ZUMBA with Dotti Aiello
8:15am • Whitney Community Center- For more info, contact Dott: dottiaiello@gmail.com
- Just a reminder that class is $5 per person with no sign in. Please bring the correct amount.
- Also, bring your water, a small towel and a smile and leave your inhibitions at home!
- FITNESS CLASS with Laurie McAleer (no class this Friday, resumes next week)
9:30am • Jackson Community Church- Free to all participants.
- Gentle, chair-based stretch and fitness for all levels of ability
- Community Event: LINE DANCING with Dotti Aiello
9:30am • Whitney Community Center- For more info, contact Dott: dottiaiello@gmail.com
- Just a reminder that class is $5 per person with no sign in. Please bring the correct amount.
- Also, bring your water, a small towel and a smile and leave your inhibitions at home!
- Community Resource: LIBRARIES
- 2pm-5pm • Jackson Library
Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
- 2pm-5pm • Jackson Library
- MISSIONS MEETING
3pm • Jackson Community Church- Meet to discuss missions team projects including upcoming plant sale, participation in fundraising walks for cancer and Alzheimers, and more
- C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATION
5pm • Zoom link and password required- Bring your preferred beverage and join us for a conversation about the scripture to be used during Sunday’s worship
- Community Event: MOANA Jr. by Arts in Motion
7pm • Majestic Theater- Produced by Arts in Motion Theater Company, this is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the 2016 Disney animated film, bringing the adventures of Moana and her village of Motunui to life onstage.
- Moana JR. features all the beloved songs from the film, written by Tony®, GRAMMY, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina, including “How Far I’ll Go,” “Shiny,” and “You’re Welcome.”
- Tickets from Arts in Motion: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=aim
- Community Event: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
7:30pm • M&D Playhouse, North Conway- Directed by Stacy Sand
- Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=145460
- From the novel by Choderlos de Laclos
- This tale of seduction among aristocrats is set in France before the revolution. Two rivals, Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, are frenemies who manipulate and connive with the affections and sexual vulnerabilities of others in order to gain power and seek revenge. Their strong attraction to each other only adds to the tension.
- Contains adult themes and situations.
- Community Event: FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Jim McLaughlin (piano), Al Hospers (bass), Tim Gilmore (drums)
7pm • Majestic Theater Cafe, Conway Village- Info & tickets: https://mountaintop.ludus.com/index.php
- $10/pp
- Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
- Wildcat Tavern: Al Shafner • 6-8:30pm – $5 cover
- Shannon Door: Scott Baer • 6-9pm
- Red Parka: Rek’lis • 8-11pm
SAT, April 22
- MEN’s BREAKFAST
7:30am • Parish Hall, Jackson Community Church- Co-hosted by Barry Chisholm and Chris Doktor
- Chris Doktor will provide breakfast for everyone
- RVSPs welcome; walk-ins encouraged: we want everyone interested to come!
- Brainstorming session by attendess about next steps to kickstart men’s fellowship at JCC
- Community Resource: LIBRARIES
- 10am-2pm • Jackson Library
Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org - 11am-3pm • Bartlett Library
More info: https://www.bartlettpubliclibrary.org/
- 10am-2pm • Jackson Library
- Community Event: MOANA Jr. by Arts in Motion
2pm & 7pm • Majestic Theater- Produced by Arts in Motion Theater Company, this is a 60-minute musical adaptation of the 2016 Disney animated film, bringing the adventures of Moana and her village of Motunui to life onstage.
- Moana JR. features all the beloved songs from the film, written by Tony®, GRAMMY, Emmy, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa’i, and Mark Mancina, including “How Far I’ll Go,” “Shiny,” and “You’re Welcome.”
- Tickets from Arts in Motion: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=aim
- Community Event: HELIAND CONSORT’s VIGNETTES
7:30pm • Private Home in Silver Lake, NH- The Heliand Consort presents Vignettes, an evocative program of miniatures and songs
- Pianist Cynthia Huard, oboist Katie Oprea, and bassoonist Rachael Elliott return to Mountain Top Music to perform pieces by Haydn, Beethoven, Clemence de Granval, William Grant Still, Chick Corea and others.
- At a spectacular private home in Silver Lake. Directions provided with ticket purchase. Tickets $40.
- More info: https://www.conwaymajestic.com/
- Community Event: DUCKS & DONUTS
8:30-11:30am • Meeting point available upon registration- The streams and ponds are opening up and ducks are returning. We’ll explore the old course of the Saco River and other open water in search of wood ducks, hooded mergansers, common golden eyes, and other early migrants. Bring binoculars and we’ll bring the donuts!
- Space is limited; reservations required. Click HERE to register online or call 603-447-6991
- Cost: $5/member, $15/non-member or $25/household
- Community Event: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
7:30pm • M&D Playhouse, North Conway- Directed by Stacy Sand
- Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=145460
- From the novel by Choderlos de Laclos
- This tale of seduction among aristocrats is set in France before the revolution. Two rivals, Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, are frenemies who manipulate and connive with the affections and sexual vulnerabilities of others in order to gain power and seek revenge. Their strong attraction to each other only adds to the tension.
- Contains adult themes and situations.
- MUSIC AROUND TOWN
- Red Parka Pub: Lazy River Riders • 8-11pm
- Shannon Door: Scott Baer • 7-10pm
- Wildcat Tavern: Jonathan Sarty • 6-8:30pm – $5 cover
SUN, April 23
- INTERFAITH SERVICE
8am • Old Red Library & Zoom, Jackson, NH- Join us for poetry, prayer, and conversation. Bring your own hot beverage!
- Zoom link and password required
- WORSHIP @ JCC
10:30am • Jackson Community Church & Zoom- Zoom link and password required
- Music by Sharon Novak
- Message by Rev Gail Doktor
- ANNUAL MTG of NORTH COUNTRY ASSOCIATION of NH UCC Conference
2:30pm • Lancaster Congregational Church, 142 Main Street, Lancaster, NH- Business meeting for the North Country Association, to which Jackson Community Church belongs, as part of the NH Conference of the UCC
- Rev Gail attends and participates
- Other members of JCC interested in participating as voting delegates are welcome and encouraged to attend
- INSTALLATION of REV PAM SPAIN
3:35pm • Lancaster Congregational Church, 142 Main Street, Lancaster, NH- Worship service to officially install Rev Pam Spain at Lancaster Congregational Church
- Rev Gail attends and participates
- Community Event: LES LIAISONS DANGEREUSES
3:30pm • M&D Playhouse, North Conway- Directed by Stacy Sand
- Tickets: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=145460
- From the novel by Choderlos de Laclos
- This tale of seduction among aristocrats is set in France before the revolution. Two rivals, Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, are frenemies who manipulate and connive with the affections and sexual vulnerabilities of others in order to gain power and seek revenge. Their strong attraction to each other only adds to the tension.
- Contains adult themes and situations.
- Community Event: SELECTED MAPS of the White Mounbtains: 1852-1903
4pm • Jackson Historical Society- Join presenter Peter Benson
- Following Peter’s first presentation on Early Maps of New Hampshire, Peter will now lead a presentation on White Mountain Maps from 1852 – 1903. This transformative period in American and World history brought many advances in communication and transportation, while at the same time creating a longing for the bucolic scenes of rural America. The White Mountain region, known as “The Switzerland of North America”, was at the forefront of welcoming visitors to the area, and numerous maps of many styles were created to satisfy the needs of a burgeoning tourist economy. We will look at sixteen maps of various styles and accuracy, from the Golden era of the Grand hotels and railroads.
- For more information on becoming a member of the Historical Society, visiting the JHS, future programs or becoming a volunteer docent, contact the Historical Society at (603) 383-4060.
- MUSIC AROUND TOWN
- Shannon Door: Scott Baer • 6-9pm
- Red Parka Pub: Greg Walsh • 5-8pm
UKAMA Sunday Service & Greetings from Zimbabwe
Abbreviated greetings from Chikanga Church, Mutare, Zimbabwe
Full greetings and project update from Chikanga Church, Mutare, Zimbabwe
Music from Chikanga Church (from prior holiday)
Chikanga Church Music 2 (from prior holiday)
Blessing Zimbabwe Musical Video
Worship Service with UKAMA and Living Waters Focus
Reflection/Sermon on Wells & Rivers: Living Waters
Greetings from JCC Council to Chikanga Church, Mutare, Zimbabwe
Blessings sent from Rev Gail Doktor for use in Chikanga Church’s UKAMA Worship
Our Church’s RESPONSE to HAITI’s CRISIS
UCC (United Church of Christ) Is Partnering with Global Ministries, Church World Service and the ACT Alliiance Jackson Community Church is sending urgently-requested funds from our Mission budget, held aside for disaster relief, as a first-wave donation to the UCC’s Haiti Appeal. As noted above, the UCC (United Church of Christ) is working with Global Ministries, Church World Service, and the ACT Alliance among other partners.
For anyone wishing to make the most direct impact, we advise adding your financial contribution to this Haiti Appeal, which will be put to work with organizations who have volunteers and resources on the ground in Haiti. You can make a direct donation from the link below. Note that our church is gathering all individual contributions that are submitted this week into one large additional donation to be sent in after this weekend. We suggest that you make out a check to Jackson Community CHurch with the subject line HAITI. All contributions will be sent together as followup addition to our church’s first response to the Haiti Appeal.
For more information, visit this line: https://www.ucc.org/ucc-haiti-appeal/.
Highlights from the UCC Haiti Appeal:
The UCC is working with Global Ministries, Church World Service and the ACT Alliance among other partners, all of which are currently assessing the situation for damages and needs.
… UCC Global H.O.P.E. team leader Joshua Baird was in touch with the partner networks on August 16 and said that the ACT Alliance reports that more than 60 percent of the people of Haiti have been impacted by the disaster. Both the ACT Alliance and Church World Service have spoken about “significant infrastructure challenges,” with road closures due to civil unrest compounded by earthquake damage.
… Immediate needs include water, due to the corruption of water tanks, and first aid. They note that there are not enough hospital beds in existing, structurally safe facilities. “People are being treated in hospital yards – or dying there,” according to Global Ministries’ bilateral partners CONASPEH (The National Spiritual Council of Haitian Churches) and House of Hope, Baird said.
Other challenges facing Haitians include COVID-19. Vaccination of health care workers and people over 65 only got started in early August. There’s also the political and social disruption following the assassination of the country’s president in July.