PEACE with Penny SEASON 5 A Peace-filled Greeting during Israel at War from Penny S. Tee, October 13, 2023
Shabbat Shalom
Can I please have 10 minutes of your time?
A plea to Our BELOVED ERETZ YISRAEL (Land of Israel):
I understand as best I can,
NOT BEING IN YOUR POSITION.
I’m a Jewish mother from the Diaspora,
Who in 2014, felt the percussion of the bitter Palestinian missiles.
Thank you Israel, and the U.S., for Iron Dome!
Experiencing these attacks changed my life, surprisingly in a positive way.
Now, nine years later, my book, BLASTED from Complacency: A Journey
From Terror to Transformation in Israel, Speaking, and now my vodcast,
PEACE with Penny are the platforms of my Peace activism.
Yet, I was angry too. You want to protect your family,
with every fiber of your being,
As we repeatedly hunkered down in bomb shelters.
But once home, and my sanity returned, I realized,
PEACE is the ONLY SOLUTION.
We listen to the understandable anger, frustration from years of terror attacks,
The indescribable barbarism of innocent lives taken—
Babies shot 50 times and beheaded, charred bodies burned alive,
it’s all too horrific to even repeat,
This is a horror tale no one would compose,
Because it is too outlandish to believe, yet in 2023,
Here WE are.
Not since the Holocaust
have we seen these types of atrocities and anti-semtism,
and yet we hear these repugnant actions
described as merely resistance.
The promise of NEVER AGAIN, is broken.
Israel, you’ve lived the pain far too long.
Don’t let the assassins’ barbarous actions
Taint your blood with their poison.
Violent retaliation gives the extremists more ammunition.
And worse, is not a solution.
It does matter how you protect your citizens.
Don’t take more innocent lives.
Don’t cause more traumatizing pain.
Never lose your humanity.
Find a humane way to protect your country,
Our country.
We know HAMAS has built the tunnels
from where they shoot missiles
and traffic supplies and terrorists
below mosques, schools and hospitals,
intentionally causing civilian casualties,
callously making their people human shields,
and we also wonder where they are holding our hostages?
You are intelligent, resilient, creative, and strong.
Too often the World’s Silence has been
Deafening and dangerous.
But we hear your anguish.
We are your mispuchah (family).
Am Yisrael Chai! (The People of Israel Live!)
May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام.…
A MESSAGE FROM PENNY S. TEE of PEACE with Penny. On Fridays, I consistently write a front end to the trailer about what is on my mind. Today, was a little longer, and I apologize, succinct is not one of my fortes. And it’s not even really a trailer, these are more thoughts about what has been on my mind.
Usually, I would be sending out a trailer for Tuesday’s interview, but there are some things I needed to say, so I decided to take this time to do so. I’m hoping Todd Morehead and Justin Kron, the producers of Hope in the Holy Land, a very fair film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by two Christian fellows, who are scheduled for Tuesday, October 17th, won’t be upset.
As these tragic days go on, I’m trying to work out, how I should handle this situation. My initial response is to continue the interviews and also stress what it is honestly like living under these unbearable times, given the situation, to try and work on Peace, or if their members will be comfortable doing so.
At anytime, working on a Peace vodcast for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to many people seems like a loss leader, some more vocally tell me it’s a waste of time.
As far as personal satisfaction, I feel like a tycoon metaphorically, there is nothing that I’d rather be doing. For me, this is a home run, other than my son, my legacy. After working on Peace for nine years, it may be a road less traveled, but it is my passion, and I’m grateful that I’ve taken this journey and for the folks who’ve joined me to see where the road leads.
Now my personal knippel, which means in Yiddish a woman’s little bit of personal funds, are gone and I need to find financial supporters so I can kick this up to the next level.
We give hope, because there are, and have been, Israelis and Palestinians working together at the grassroots level, some for decades. These Peace organizations deserve to be known with louder voices than the extremists that we only hear and see from on our television sets. Do you agree?
But, how does one maintain a Peace vodcast, between Israelis and Palestinian Peace organizations when Israel is barbarously attacked, and goes to war? After almost three years, there have been over 75 interviews with incredible Peacemakers, so I’ve sought counsel from the Peace organizations I interviewed to see what they are doing and how they feel.
Some say, our work is more important than ever. Some feel they will have to pause at this time. No one has a crystal ball, and everyone is watching and waiting to see what will happen.
Honestly, synchronistically, I’ve also been thinking about what I should do with PEACE with Penny, anyway.
Now, I’m also seeking counsel from our viewers. I have many questions, should I make PEACE with Penny a non-profit organization, although I seem to excel at that, my husband reminds me. How to obtain marketing expertise to kick our reach upward so more people are aware of the incredible work these Peace organizations do? Are there others PEACE with Penny can collaborate with, etc. There are many questions to ask, and we’re looking for experienced folks to answer.
So, I ask you, are you that person or organization that would like to work on Peace between Israelis and Palestinians and would like to help? Or maybe you already do?
Are you willing? These are volunteer positions, but the awards of personal satisfaction are endless. Do you have ideas of how to grow this? My ultimate dream is to have a huge Peace movement of Israelis, Palestinians, and people who care about Israel/Palestine from the diaspora, with a strong loud voice, that we want Peace so that every child can play safely in their backyards.
I know as always that not everyone will agree with me, and I can just hear in my mind those that would advocate just blowing up the bastards to smithereens. But then what? It would just be an endless loop of hate, with no long-term satisfaction, as I’ve said repeatedly, violence is not the solution.
May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام.…
#Israel War; #Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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