"Human Rights Abuse" means that people are treating other people like they aren’t people. It happens the world over.

I believe in equality for all the species.

I believe that all the humans deserve peace and love and beauty equally. This belief seems so obvious I can hardly say it out loud.

My mom gave an identity to my tiny pink born body: Jewish.

I am afraid of what having a racial identity can too quickly lead to: racism.

My mom gave me my sense of justice and fairness and compassion. She called them Jewish Values.

I can’t hate my Jewish identity. I won’t. I miss my mom. I love my mom. She gave me a lot of things that don’t just go away. Like my human form and the knowledge of what real love is.

Right now, the Israeli government is slaughtering humans. Jews the world over support the massacre. I am at a loss.

Sixty years ago Jews were slaughtered in Europe. Millions were tortured and slaughtered. America dropped bombs all over the place until the few scrawny undead Jews were free.

I used to understand my Jewish identity as that of a persecuted people, a people that thrived in the face of discrimination and irrational hate. I miss that identity.

Peace is real.

I learned about Non-Violent Communication from Marshall Rosenburg’s audiobook. He states the obvious. For a ticket into the world of peace, just say what you see, feel, and need. Then make a clear request. Don’t diagnose somebody else. Take responsibility for your own feelings. Share them clearly and honestly.

Marshall tells me not to say "The Israeli Government and those who support it are war mongering, blood thirsty, racist killers."

He tells me to say, "When I see the Israeli military massacring Palestinian civilians in Gaza, I feel scared and angry. I feel ashamed of my Jewish identity. I feel hopeless and helpless."

Marshall makes it sound so easy. I wish I were better at it.

I am afraid of nationalism. Deeply afraid of nationalism. I am afraid that having "a land to defend" is too dangerous a possession.

There are people the world over who value peace and equality and non violent communication even more than they value their born identities. I am one of them.

Israel/Palestine is a power spot. Right now, the power is a fierce one. A deadly one.

I know about beautiful power. I've even seen beautiful human power. I've even seen beautiful human power, really strong stuff, in Israel/Palestine. Please, Universe, let beauty take over!