For Gaza: Fast, Remember, Give
There are many vital actions people are taking to respond to the intensifying crisis in Gaza. Inspired by the work and teachings of the Vietnamese Buddhists Thich Nhat Hanh and Chân Không, we offer the following simple practice for your consideration.
Pick a particular day (of the week or month) and decide to fast from breakfast to dinner.
By skipping lunch, one may feel some mild discomfort toward the later afternoon. Use that discomfort (1) to remember the people in Gaza who are struggling for life and (2) to resolve to find ways of responding to their suffering with efficacy.
The money one would have spent on lunch, say, $5.00, send to a project or an organization in or for Gaza that is trying to alleviate the suffering caused by the blockade since 2005 and Israel’s bombing and invasion since late December 2008.
Possibilities include: Red Crescent, UNRWA, and the Ahli Arab Hospital. People can post worthwhile projects and organizations on this Wall.
If this makes sense to you, please join us. If not, good luck in your own efforts.
Nima Sheth, Saint Louis University Medical School
Matt Miller, Washington University in Saint Louis
Mark Chmiel, Center for Theology and Social Analysis