Dorit and Mary speaking at Women’s and Men’s Coffee at Church of Ascension, Pueblo on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
Dr. Mary Segall, member of the vestry of the Church of Ascension in Pueblo has just returned from a visit to Palestine. Mary joined a delegation of 23 American Christians, pastors and lay people, activists all, some who have been to Palestine and Israel often, a few who have lived and worked in the region, and a few who are visiting for the first time. Mary lived in Ramallah, West Bank in 2008-2009 during Operation Cast Lead when Gaza was bombed for three weeks up to the inauguration of Barak Obama. Witnessing this tragedy with people and staff living in Gaza has fueled her passion for a just peace for the people living in Palestine and Israel. Along with Dr. Dorit Ilani, who also lives in Pueblo, and is a practicing therapist and daughter of a holocaust survivor, we are most willing to share our stories and perspectives about what is currently happening in Gaza and the West Bank. We have been urgently called by our Palestinian sisters and brothers to bear witness to this abomination and have returned to the US with their message and plea to stop the violence.
To put our visit into context, “Nothing has changed, and everything has changed.” These are the words of Sam Bahour, Palestinian- American businessman and activist who spoke to our delegation. Nothing has changed because the deadly oppression of the Palestinian people has been ongoing for 76 years. Everything has changed since October 7, the day Hamas fighters pierced the walls of the concentration camp called Gaza. As followers of Jesus, we embrace non-violence and so grieve for all who have died, including the victims of the Hamas attack. Nevertheless, as our Palestinian friends reminded us, the violence did not begin on October 7; it must be understood in the broader context of at least 17 years of Israel’s inhuman strangulation of Gaza by land, air, and sea, 76 years of a continuing Nakba (since 1948), and over a century since the rise of Zionism. To invite Mary and Dorit to share with members of your congregation, kindly contact Mary at mesegall@icloud.com.
