text: hedy epstein speach in tahrir square. #gaza #gfm
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8/14/2019 Text: Hedy Epstein Speach in Tahrir Square. #Gaza #GFM
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HedyEpsteinSpeaksfromCairoDecember31,2009
[Editors note: As this is posted at 9AM CST, three women from St. Louis, Missouri, Hedy
Epstein, JAnn Allen, and Sandra Tamari, maintain a presence in Cairos Tahrir Square along
with 300 delegates of the Gaza Freedom March from around the world. They are demanding anend to the military siege of Gaza. Ongoing reports from Cairo can be found at http://
palestine.ctsastl.org.]
WhentheclockstrikesmidnightthisNewYear'sEve,IwillnotbeintheGazaStrip.FormonthsI
hadplannedtobetherebecauseIknowwhatitisliketobeawakenedatnightbyaknockon
thedoor;tohaveyourhomeransacked;nottobeabletoaJendschool;tohaveyourparents
arrestedanddeportedtoanunknowndesKnaKon;nottoknowif,orwhentheywillreturn;to
hearplanesoverhead,waiKngforthemtounloadtheirdeadlycargo;tobeorphanedatayoung
age.
ButbecausetheoctogenarianleaderofEgyptunderoutsidepressurerefusedtoallowhundredsofpeoplefromaroundtheworldtopassthroughEgyptsborderwithGaza,Ihave
begunahungerstriketojolthimintodoingtherightthingbyallowingustopass.Egypts
foreignministerhasreferredtousderisivelyashooligans.
Ihavewrestledwithhumanrightsconcernsformostofmy85years.Myearlyyearsgrowingup
asaewishchildinGermanyhaveledmetoholdanacuteawarenessofhowpeopleare
treated.
IbelievethatPresidentObamaissimilarlyacutelyawareofthesufferingofothers.Andyetat
thepinnacleofAmericanpower,heseemsunabletochallengeprevailingwisdom.HisNobel
PeacePrizeisclearlyonehedoesnotdeserve.ItistooearlyandhisappallingsilenceandcomplicityinthesufferingofPalesKniansis,tomymind,toogreat.
HundredsofAmericansintendedtotraveltoGazatomodelwhatrealpeacemakinglookslike.
IntheabsenceofgovernmentalacKon,ordinaryAmericanciKzensaretakingacKonand
demandingmoreoftheirgovernment.ThespeechesgivenattheGazaFreedomMarchon
December31albeitfromCairowerenotaseloquentorprofessionallycra_edasObamas,
buttheywillbeahear`eltcallfortheworldtoli_thedevastaKngsiegeimposedagainstthe
peopleofGaza.
Morethan1,300peoplefrom42countriesplannedtocaravanfromCairotoGazatowitness
thedevastaKonfromlastwinter'sIsraeliaJackthatkilledmorethan1,400PalesKnians,some300oftheminnocentchildren.OnceacrosstheRafahborder,weweretobejoinedbyan
anKcipated50,000PalesKniansinanon-violentmarchtotheIsraeliborder.OntheIsraeliside
oftheborder,PalesKniansandIsraeliswillcallontheIsraeligovernmenttoopentheborder.
Togetherweintendtoreleaseballoons,flykitesandwaveflagspromoKngPalesKnian
aspiraKonsforfreedom.
http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/http://palestine.ctsastl.org/ -
8/14/2019 Text: Hedy Epstein Speach in Tahrir Square. #Gaza #GFM
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IrecognizethatIamoneoftheluckyoneswhosurvivedthehorrorsofwar-tornEurope.Today,I
leadaprivilegedlifeinSt.Louis.IamfreetotravelanddonotworryhowIwillputfoodonthe
table.MyexistenceisverydifferentthanthatofthemajorityofPalesKniansinGazawho
surviveonlessthan$2perday.
BecauseIknowallthis,becausetoomuchofmyearlylifeishaunKnglylikethePalesKnianexperience,"Icannotstandidlyby."(LeviKcus19:3)ItisincumbentuponmeandallAmericans
toreachouttoPalesKniansintheirKmeofneed,tostandinsolidaritywiththem,toletthem
knowtheyarenotalone,thatIambringingthemamessagefrompeopleinSt.Louisthatthey
areinourthoughtsastheyprepareforanotherwinternightwithoutsufficientelectricity,
sufficientwarmth,sufficientshelter.
IbeganahungerstrikeandothersjoinedmebecauseIaminspiredbytheresilience,strength,
andyes,evenhope,ofthePalesKnianpeople,despiteallodds.FiveKmessince2003Ihave
beentotheIsraeli-occupiedWestBank,butnevertoGaza.Despitebeingstymiedbythe
EgypKangovernment,IintendtosharewhatIknowofthePalesKnianrealityinGazawith
audiencesacrossthenaKon.AndIhaveeveryhopeoftellingmysenatorsandrepresentaKve,andperhapsevenPresidentObama,aboutdevastatedGazaanditscourageouspeople.
AsohnGing,theUNReliefandWorksAgency(UNWRA)directorofoperaKons,notes,"It's
urgentthatwechange.BecauseKmeisagainstus.AwholegeneraKonisgrowingup."
Ithasbeen16longyearssincetheOsloaccordsweresigned.ThatisKmeenoughfora
generaKontogrowupandhaveitsdreamssnuffedoutaseducaKonalandbusiness
opportuniKesareclosedtothem.PresidentBushandhissonfailedtosecurePalesKnian
freedom.PresidentClinton,too,failed.PresidentObamaisonthesamepathtofailure
becausehelacksthecouragetostanduptotheIsraeligovernment.
OurAmericantaxmoneysubsidizesIsraelsdominaKonofthePalesKniansaswellasEgypts
growingcomplicityinthesiegeandourUNSecurityCouncilvetoesshieldIsraelfrom
accountabilityforitsacKons.IfPresidentObamawantstoearnhisNobelPeacePrize,hecould
startbydoinghisutmosttosecurePalesKnianfreedom.
HedyEpsteinisaresidentofSt.LouisandaHolocaustsurvivor.Shecanbereachedat
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]