umkahlil

While I am a strong advocate for peace education, in fact my professional growth plan is to further my studies in this area, as an English teacher I am attune to the universal theme of "appearance versus reality," which is why a message that I received from the Kern County Greens regarding "Minute for Peace Day," December 22, spurred me to send off a little reply.

Excerpts from the Kern County Greens message:

Jerusalem Mayor wishes Merry Christmas, offers Peace2005 Christmas Trees

The mayor of Jerusalem wishes a year of peace, tolerance and brotherhood

The mayor of Jerusalem, Uri Lupolinaksi, wishes a Merry Christmas
to the Christian residents of Jerusalem and a year of peace,
tolerance and brotherhood. The mayor invites people from
all religions to come and visit Jerusalem, the capital of Israel


Get a small tree to carry on the walk as a symbolic interfaith prayer
gesture from the Jerusalem Municipality for the Jerusalem Peacewalk
from Bethlehem on Christmas?

Such a Christmas Tree of Love and Peace
could symbolically center the circles and [be] carried on the walk?

And my message to the Kern Greens...

"In Jerusalem, Occupation Forces began to destroy a sacred graveyard containing remains which are hundreds of centuries old. Maman Allah is the biggest Muslim graveyard in Jerusalem and is located in the western part of the city, 2 km away from Khalili Gate. The destruction of the holy site is part of Jerusalem’s Judaization and will be followed by the construction of a new Zionist museum in its place." http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/1065.shtml

Hardly seems in keeping with the day's events. Nice of the mayor to distribute Christmas trees although they won't replace the hundreds of olive trees, some a thousand years old, uprooted by occupation forces.