In the week before October 7, 2023: IJV Factsheet

Throughout the Days of Awe this year, reflecting and making any sort of clear meaning of this moment has felt an almost impossible task. Honestly facing the overwhelming suffering that has been inflicted upon Palestinians this year is overwhelming, painful, and difficult to fully comprehend. And yet, it is our responsibility to hold vigil, to be awake to our world. This is the work of Yom Kippur, and this is the work of solidarity. 
We can’t let this go on.

Today, we are in mourning. We have been in mourning every day for the past year, as each day has brought news of incalculable loss and suffering. Israel’s occupation and escalation of violence in Gaza has been ongoing for years, but this past year has seen an unprecedented wave of destruction, cruelty and killing. Today we mark the first yahrtzeit, the one-year anniversary, of this gruesome genocide by asking our community to work for justice.
We can’t let this go on.