August 28, 2012
Dear Craig and Cindy,
We were very saddened and angry to learn that Judge Oded Gershon in the Haifa court found Rachel’s death to be an accident, and not a killing, when she acted as a human shield against the demolition of a home in Gaza, and was run over by an army bulldozer. We remain deeply touched by her courageous actions and her aspirations to defend human rights.
We are members of Other Voice (www.othervoice.org) – comprised of Israeli citizens from the Sderot region (adjacent to Gaza) – that calls for a non-violent end to the conflict between Israel and the Hamas. We believe in human dignity, peace, and the rights of all peoples of the Gaza-Sderot region to live lives of dignity and security. We have a number of contacts in Gaza and do what we can to spread the message that violence, killing, siege, and Occupation are no solutions, and they dehumanize us all.
Please accept our condolences; we believe that Rachel’s death was not in vain. Her actions have been a light for us all. We are hopeful that our work, which also reflects Rachel’s commitment to human dignity, will ring more loudly across this land.
In solidarity,
Members of Other Voice (We all either live and/or work in the Gaza-Sderot region)
Dr. Julia Chaitin – Kibbutz Urim, and Sapir College
Dr. Naomi Benbassat, Moshav Ein Habsor
Nomika Zion, Kibbutz Migvan, Sderot
Daniel Lazare, Kibbutz Sa’ad
Arnon Ronen, Moshav Sde Nitzan
Rafi Davidson, Beer Sheva
Eric Yellin, Kibbutz Migvan, Sderot
Dr. Eitan Shahar, Kibbutz Lahav, and Sapir College
Moran HarTuv, Sderot
Roni Keidar, Moshav Nativ Ha’asara
Dr. Tami Razi, Sapir College
Yirmi Patishi, Sderot
Zohar Avitan, Sderot and Sapir College
