“I’M HERE BECAUSE I CANNOT PRAY”

J.T. the L.A. Storyteller

This is a special rebroadcast episode outside of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast’s regular schedule.

Today in Washington D.C. U.S. House Representative Rashida Tlaib (Democrat, Michigan), the sole Palestinian-American member of Congress, held a news conference alongside Rabbis for Ceasefire and fellow Congress members calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, where the state of Israel, supported by billions in U.S. military funding, has killed more than 11,000 people and displaced at least 1.4 million others. According to Tlaib, over 65% of Americans now support a ceasefire, and every moment the U.S. fails to halt Israel only leads to more lives lost and irreparable damage for the Palestinian people. On Wednesday, November 15th, Jewish Voices for Peace is staging a Mass Action in Hollywood also calling for an immediate ceasefire.
(2:42) Rabbi Brian Walt: Most Jews and nearly all Israelis know someone whose family member is held hostage
(8:45) Representative Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), the only Palestinian-American Congressmember who was also recently censured in the U.S. House of Representatives
(13:11) There is nothing humanitarian about a “humanitarian pause” that still leads to bombing innocent civilians
(15:21) Representative Cori Bush (Missouri), a St. Louis native and the first Black Congresswoman from Missouri
(18:05) Bush describes giving birth to her premature baby and grieving for the lives of families and their loved ones in Gaza
(19:41) On evoking the message of Dr. Martin Luther King in Congress and how he would have stood on the side of peace today
(21:10) Representative Alexandria Ocasion-Cortez (New York)
(22:54) On how unconscionable it is to call the killing of innocent civilians “collateral damage”
(24:26) How to define “ceasefire” for those asking what this demand means
(28:17) Representative Jonathan Jackson (Illinois)
(29:16) Gazans now make up the largest refugee crisis in the world; rebuilding will be difficult because of the amount of pollution from bombing
(29:57) In 1993, in Rwanda, 1 million people were killed in 100 days; today, Rwanda found peace and reconciliation and is now one of the most peaceful nations on earth
(31:53) Representative Delia Ramirez (Illinois)
(35:10) Only a week prior, post 9/11 veterans also stood at the U.S. Capitol to call for peace, not war
(35:57) We should not have to justify why we’re calling for a ceasefire; those not doing so should be justifying why they’re not
(38:27) Rabbis Abby Stein and Salem Pearce
(39:10) On echoes of the Vietnam war in Gaza today; I’m here because I cannot pray
(41:08) Can any of us say that we don’t have blood on our hands? Because none of us can say that we did not see
(43:58) Neither Jewish nor Muslim-Americans can feel safe in the U.S. as long as this war continues
(45:39) Representative Nydia M. Velazquez (New York)
(46:23) On Puerto-Rican American solidarity with all people seeking the right to self-determination
(47:27) For Velazquez, calling for a ceasefire is not about the next election
(50:01) Representative Jamaal Bowman (New York)
(52:13) The United States has a history of bombing people all over the world; are we corrupted by violence?
(53:28) As a school principal for ten years, Bowman mourns for children killed in Gaza
(56:13) A coalition of faith and elected officials; we have Jews, we have Christians, we have Muslims
(57:28) The bible tells all of us: Love thy neighbor
(58:12) Representative Summer Lee (Pennsylvania)
(1:01:09) Whole bloodlines have been erased in Gaza over the last five weeks; and there are no universities left
(1:02:45) Our movement is the new pro-peace movement, locking arms with people all over the world
(1:03:45) Representative Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts)
(1:05:47) Children in Gaza should not have to hold a press conference asking to live
(1:08:58) Representative Omar Ilhan (Minnesota)
(1:12:01) Even children in Somalia can see the unfolding genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
(1:14:50) Deaf couple in Gaza is terrified of being unable to hear the bombs or anything during this siege
(1:15:21) Ilhan’s colleagues were quick to sympathize with Ukraine was getting bombed
(1:18:59) Rabbi Yosef Berman closes out the press conference with a prayer; am I my brother’s keeper?
This rebroadcast would not exist without the tremendous efforts of Rabbis for Ceasefire to let the nation know. Please consider making a donation to the organization for more independent media through our communities. To support the production of J.T. the L.A. Storyteller Podcast, please check out my PATREON.
J.T.