Dear Family and Friends,
    I have been troubled as I watch reports of the human toll in both Israel and Gaza. So, I asked friends how to send support for humanitarian aid. They suggested the organizations described below. I know that the need is tremendous, but I hope that the small donations I have sent to both organization will at least bring encouragement to those in the midst of the suffering who are responding the those who are suffering. 
    Ken Bedell
    kbedell@EndingRacismUSA.org

Help Ethiopian Jewish Soldiers and Their Families Traumatized by the Gaza War

My friend, Peter, recommended Wuste Tzega as an organization in Israel that is responding to the needs of Ethiopian Jews. Wuste Tzega is a nonprofit organization and center in Israel providing mental health therapy tailored to the cultural and life experiences of traditional ccommunities in Israel, particularly the Ethiopian Jewish community. The war in Gaza is especially difficult for the Ethiopian Jews who are in the military and their families. They were not fully welcomed into Israeli society. And now the war is resulting in emotional trauma for both soldiers and their families.  

You can learn more at  https://friendsofethiopianjews.org/wuste-tzega/.  Donate online or send a check to Friends of Ethiopian Jews, P.O. Box 590600, Newton Centre, MA 02459.   

Send Humanitarian Relief to Palestinians in Gaza

My friend, Abdel, recommended Islamic Relief USA as an organization with a history of providing humanitarian support to Palestinians. The suffering of people in Gaza where thousands of civilians have been killed is well known.  Islamic Relief USA is currently working in Gaza and preparing to be able increase their humanitarian aid as conditions allow. You can read about their extensive programs of providing humanitarian relief around the world at www.irusa.org. The link to donate to the Palestinian relief is https://irusa.org/middle-east/palestine/. Or send a check to Islamic Relief USA, P.O. Box 22250, Alexandria, VA 22304.

The story of the 1621 Thanksgiving feast with Pilgrims and Indians is part of the curriculum of every American pre-school and the early school grades. Young American children are led to believe that good Christian white people made friends with the natives. And the Indians accepted the legitimacy of white people occupying the land so that America could become a country for white people. But it doesn't need to be this way. There are other stories that can be used with children to give meaning to Thanksgiving. And a more complete historical discussion will help all of us understand the complex early relationship between Europeans and Native Americans.

The Cult of the Constitution is a very provocative discussion of the U.S. Constitution. Franks observes: “We are facing a continuing crisis of constitutional inequality. For more than two hundred years, the lion’s share of legislative, judicial, political, and social resources has been devoted to protecting the constitutional rights of white men above all others…It is hardly surprising, then, that the picture of who holds power today does not look that different from 1787.”  Her critique of the Constitution is convincing.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has created emotional outbursts at school board meetings. President Trump’s executive order banning CRT in government agencies and FOX News rantings all feel like impolite and annoying uninformed racism. But what is at stake is the future of public education and the creation of a multicultural nation without racism. Supporting and promoting CRT is important, not just to ensure a quality American education, but for the future of America.

A small group at the church I attend is reading Isabel Wilkerson’s book, Caste. We are an all-white group learning about racism. One of the participants said, “I wish I knew something that I can do about racism.” Since then, the question has haunted me.

What can I do

Realizing the Civil Rights Dream explains how America can realize the civil rights dream in the 21st century – if U.S. citizens take actions as individuals as well as work together for full participation of all. Asks―and answers―the troubling question: Why have the civil rights hopes of the 1960s not yet been realized? Demonstrates the relationship between what happens in everyday life and racism's persistence. Presents a framework for understanding how social forces preserve racism