Forging another way forward

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/01/2025 (441 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In Manitoba, as around the world, it has seemed that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine is one of the most intractable, polarizing issues in recent political history.

The options presented to us give us the impression that we must accept the totality of one position or the other — that solidarity with one community must come at the cost of empathy for another community. These camps are presented to us as a binary, and yet, there are many of us here in Manitoba, as there are in Palestine and Israel, whose loyalty is not with a camp or a side but to peace, to human rights, to justice, to hope.

This does not mean we don’t have personal connections to these communities; on the contrary, we carry immense grief and fear for our family and friends in the region. But we also have room in our hearts to grieve and wish for safety for those with different last names or religions than ours and we know that there is another way, a better way, even in the face of such a devastating reality.

Recently, in Manitoba, some of us who have been seeking another way to contend with the horrific violence in Palestine and Israel have begun to find each other. Those of us who refuse to accept the inevitability of mass killing, starvation, destruction, displacement and the dehumanization and fear used to justify it all. Those of us who cannot do nothing and yet have found it difficult to know what to do. Those of us who would rather have difficult conversations with each other — even when we don’t agree on everything — than sit comfortably in a social media echo chamber or bury our heads in the sand waiting for the horrors to end. Because we agree on what is important: the value of human life and dignity and an enduring hope for peace.

Those of us who have been organizing these groups locally are inspired by peace activists on the ground in the region, who despite immense and ongoing trauma and loss, come together to fight for a better future in which Palestinians and Israelis can co-exist in the land which they both call home. Two such groups in Manitoba are the local supporter chapters of Women Wage Peace and Friends of Standing Together. These are two of dozens of grassroots peace groups originating in Palestine-Israel, which are dedicated to coming together in broad coalitions as a political alternative to the official leadership that has allowed the tragedy and injustice we see today to occur.

Women Wage Peace (WWP) was co-founded by Vivian Silver, a Jewish Israeli peace activist from Winnipeg who was murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. WWP advocates for a political solution rather than a military one to the ongoing violence in Palestine-Israel, with significant participation by women. Together with its sister organization, Women of the Sun, WWP currently has more than 50,000 members of all religions and political stripes in Israel-Palestine. Here in Winnipeg, women who knew Silver or have been inspired by her legacy and WWP’s message have been meeting regularly. Among other initiatives, they are planning a workshop on compassionate listening that they hope will empower Manitobans to engage in difficult conversations and build bridges across communities in these polarized times.

Standing Together is a grassroots social movement co-led by Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel, who envision, and are committed to building, “a society that chooses peace, justice, and independence for Israelis and Palestinians — Jews and Arabs.” Alongside other local peace groups, Standing Together has been organizing massive rallies in Israel, calling for a ceasefire agreement and hostage deal, sending aid to Gaza in the midst of the ongoing devastating bombardment from Israel and providing inspiring alternative political leadership where hope is in short supply. The Manitoba chapter of supporters, including Palestinians, Jews and others, meets regularly and recently hosted a storytelling event called Listening to Each Other, featuring Palestinian and Jewish stories of grief and hope.

The local chapters of Standing Together and Women Wage Peace supporters are new, but determined. Despite the challenges inherent in our activism, the overwhelming response to us has been positive. Those who attend our meetings or events express their relief and gratitude in learning that they are not alone, that there are others who share their desire to create respectful peace and coexistence here at home and in Palestine-Israel.

We have been honoured to learn from and collaborate with other groups with similar goals here in Manitoba.

Emma Fineblit represents Manitoba Friends of Standing Together. Chana Thau represents the Canadian Supporters of Women Wage Peace, Winnipeg Chapter