The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice

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  • RACHEL CORRIE
    • Rachel’s Emails from Palestine
    • Rachel’s Words in Print
    • Rachel Corrie Memorial Archive
    • The Rachel Corrie Court Trial
  • ABOUT RCF
    • Mission & Guiding Principles
    • Board of Directors & Staff
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Internship & Volunteer Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • PROJECTS
    • A Tale of Two Cities: Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project
    • Gaza Projects
      • RCF Gaza Resource Page
      • Rachel Corrie Gaza Sport Initiative
      • Palestinian Cultural Palace – Youth Performances
    • Olympia Arab Festival
      • Shuruq 4.5 Olympia Arab Festival 2020
    • Peace Works
    • RCF Educational Scholarships
      • Birzeit University Women’s Scholarship
      • Rachel Corrie Memorial Scholarship
  • BDS
    • Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
    • Protect Your Right to Boycott! Fight Back Against Anti-BDS Legislation
    • Get Involved!
  • EVENTS
  • WAYS TO GIVE

Intern for RCF!

Posted on August 9, 2011

by Maya Harris

Last November, I contacted RCF in my search for an internship for my Student Originated Studies program at The Evergreen State College (TESC). I was interested in learning how a non-profit functions and benefits its community, and of all of the organizations I researched, I was most drawn to the Rachel Corrie Foundation by the passion and care of its staff.  With that, I became the Community Development and Educational Outreach Intern for RCF’s upcoming Peace Works conference: Solidarity in Action.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: Summer 2011 Newsletter

Sumud – Corrie Trial Update

Posted on August 9, 2011

by Cindy Corrie

“A lawsuit is not an event for the sprinter.” Mickey Rathbun

On July 10, my family returns to Haifa District Court for a closing session in the civil trial in my daughter Rachel’s case. Pinhas Zuaretz, Brigade Commander in charge of Southern Gaza in 2003, has now “committed” to attending. Zuaretz was expected at April and May sessions but failed to appear. Witnesses in an Israeli civil trial testify at the invitation of the court and are not subpoenaed. Due to trial delays, our family will make our fourth trial-related trip to Israel in sixteen months.  As the judge points out, Israeli law makes no special provision for plaintiffs from outside the country. Our family has grown to appreciate the Arab concept of sumud – steadfastness.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Reflections Tagged With: Summer 2011 Newsletter

BDS in Action: Peace Works ’11

Posted on August 9, 2011

by Zora Djenohan

Group Photo at Mural

Conference goers celebrate the installation of a BDS leaf at the Olympia Rafah Solidarity Mural. To purchase this picture, view videos, and read the summary report click here - Photo courtesy of Robert Whitlock.

With the bittersweet passing of the 2011 Peace Works conference, Solidarity in Action, we continue to celebrate the growth and success of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Born July 9, 2005 out of Palestinian civil society’s call for worldwide solidarity, BDS has since wedged its way into mainstream success as people from all sects of society stand up for human rights. This year’s conference welcomed organizers from across the nation to share their stories of struggle and success, and inspire attendees to join the movement by providing social, economic and political methods of action.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: Summer 2011 Newsletter

Purification Unit for Rafah Kindergarten

Posted on August 8, 2011

by Rochelle Gause

We extend our deepest gratitude to all those who contributed to RCF’s fundraising campaign to cover the cost of installing a water purification and desalination unit in a kindergarten at the Rafah Children’s Kindergarten. Because of this effort, 145 children will benefit from having regular access to clean water.

The Kindergarten, located on Salah Edin Street in Rafah, is run by the Early Childhood Education Association. The unit will be built, tested, customized, and installed with local labor in the next three months and will consist of 80% local materials.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: Summer 2011 Newsletter

Letter from the Board – Summer 2011

Posted on August 2, 2011

Dear Friends,

Handala, Olympia-Rafah Mural.

Palestinian and Palestinian American speakers at Peace Works stand in front of the Olympia–Rafah Mural with Handala. Photo courtesy of Andrew Kadi.

The first half of 2011 has been momentous. We watch from afar in solidarity as people in the Middle East take to the streets with hope and courage, risking their very lives as they demand greater freedom, democracy, and accountability from their leaders.

I did not have the good fortune to meet Rachel Corrie, but as a new board member at the foundation, and a faculty member at The Evergreen State College which Rachel attended, I often wonder what she would have said about this Arab Spring.  In 2003, she wrote to her mother Cindy in an email from Rafah,

I think freedom for Palestine could be an incredible source of hope to people struggling all over the world. I think it could also be an incredible inspiration to Arab people in the Middle East, who are struggling under undemocratic regimes which the US supports …

Rachel’s words draw attention to the interconnected political realities of the region, such that pro-democracy movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, and Yemen, make it increasingly difficult for both Arab leaders and the international community to continue to suppress the liberatory aspirations of the people of Palestine.

This coming September, the Palestinian unity government plans to appeal for statehood at the United Nations Security Council, and, if it declares its intention for independence, it will need the support of international civil society to mobilize allies en masse.  Today, 106 member countries of the UN officially recognize the state of Palestine; the United States is the only nation among the worldís most populous nations not to do so.

We are acutely aware of the moment of opening and opportunity offered by this Arab Spring – an opportunity for us as US citizens, to support these ongoing efforts to bring peace and justice to the region. As Mark LeVine, professor of history at UC Irvine, states,

The people of the Arab world have begun to do their part. What is necessary now is for citizens in the West to join the fray by taking on their militarized and finance-dominated governments with the same passion as their counterparts from Tunisia to Bahrain have taken on their autocratic systems…

To this end, we share with you our news of on-going projects and plans, inviting you to join the movement calling for a just and peaceful US foreign policy.

In May, RCF representatives attended the Move Over AIPAC conference in Washington DC which coincided with the annual conference of the American Israeli Public Affairs Council. Hundreds of demonstrators captured the attention of national media at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out the prospect of a sovereign Palestinian state in his address to the US Congress.

In late June, we helped send off representative members of our community  in Olympia on two delegations to Palestine.  Richard Lopez, local musician and father of five, joined 50 Americans on the US boat to Gaza, The Audacity of Hope. The ship’s cargo consisted of over 3000 letters from US citizens to the people of Gaza.

In a second effort, RCF board member Andrew Meyer joined Dr. Susan Greene, Alicia Martinson, Hilary Hacker, and others for the Olympia Rafah Solidarity Mural Project’s MAIA Mural Project, the Gaza installment of The Tale of Two Cities. Delegates travelled at the invitation of Gaza civil society organizations to paint murals on water purification units installed by the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) at local kindergartens and schools, one of which was funded by the Rachel Corrie Foundation.

In August, we plan to continue efforts to promote community development in Gaza by supporting the fourth annual Ramadan Soccer Tournament. This year we would like to thank KinderUSA for their generous contribution.

We are beholden to you, our friends across the states, and ask you to remember the plight of those in Palestine who have bleak prospects for a future under occupation, as we seek your help in our ongoing efforts. We are excited to launch a new monthly giving program that will help us build a foundation of sustainable support. Even a small monthly gift will help us fund our projects throughout the year. Become a monthly donor by visiting our website.

In closing, we thank and celebrate Maya, Zora, Kyra, and Elizabeth, our interns from The Evergreen State College. We are inspired by their spirited commitment to social justice and acknowledge the integral role they have played in all that we have accomplished from Peace Works to this very newsletter!

Salaam, Shalom, Peace,

Savvina Chowdhury
Board of Directors

Filed Under: News and Updates Tagged With: Summer 2011 Newsletter

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The Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace & Justice
203 East Fourth Ave., Suite 402
Olympia, WA 98501

Phone: 360-754-3998
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MENU
  • RACHEL CORRIE
    • Rachel’s Emails from Palestine
    • Rachel’s Words in Print
    • Rachel Corrie Memorial Archive
    • The Rachel Corrie Court Trial
  • ABOUT RCF
    • Mission & Guiding Principles
    • Board of Directors & Staff
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Internship & Volunteer Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • PROJECTS
    • A Tale of Two Cities: Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural Project
    • Gaza Projects
      • RCF Gaza Resource Page
      • Rachel Corrie Gaza Sport Initiative
      • Palestinian Cultural Palace – Youth Performances
    • Olympia Arab Festival
      • Shuruq 4.5 Olympia Arab Festival 2020
    • Peace Works
    • RCF Educational Scholarships
      • Birzeit University Women’s Scholarship
      • Rachel Corrie Memorial Scholarship
  • BDS
    • Palestinian Call for Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions
    • Protect Your Right to Boycott! Fight Back Against Anti-BDS Legislation
    • Get Involved!
  • EVENTS
  • WAYS TO GIVE