A community Forum was held in January to address the background of the current crisis in Gaza and the path ahead. One of the speakers was Hamed Bakir, a Palestinian American living in Fairfax, Vermont, and the uncle of Elizabeth Rossano of Hardwick. Hamed was born in a refugee camp near Ramallah in Palestine. Through narrating his family’s account, Hamed likes to tell stories of Palestinians’ resilience and their love of life in the face of adversity. Hamed retired from a 35-year international career in public health and the environment with the WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, and other international development agencies. He specialized in climate change and health; children’s health and the environment; water sanitation and health.

Another speaker was Jason Hircsh, of the group Jewish Voice for Peace. Jason is an Ashkenazi Jew and an organizer with Jewish Voice for Peace of Vermont and New Hampshire. Jewish Voice for Peace is a national Jewish-led organization working for the liberation of all peoples in Israel and Palestine. He teaches cultural anthropology at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, focusing on ecological anthropology, climate justice, and political imagination. He also serves as the President of the Board at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Plainfield and is completing a book about Western herbal medicine and its role in ecological transition. The evening was sponsored by the Hardwick Peace Vigil Committee.

Over 22,000 Palestinians and over 1,200 Israelis have been killed in Gaza since early October in this war and over 2 million people, 85% of the population, are currently homeless, at least half of them children. Food and water are critically scarce. These well-informed panelists and the ensuing discussion helped further a deeper understanding by the audience of the roots of the conflict and possible pathways to peace.