Gaza/Palestine is the litmus test of our time
“May our nonviolent resistance be bold. May our love be fierce. May our struggle be faithful. And may we never forget: the arc of the moral universe bends, but it bends towards justice only when we push—and we, we are still pushing." – Omar Haramy, Sabeel Jerusalem
“The litmus test of our time"
From May 28–30, Palestinian and Canadian scholars gathered in Ottawa at Saint Paul University to consider Palestine, Settler Colonialism and Western Churches.
Presenters explored many facets of the current catastrophe, such as the Doctrine of Discovery, types of settler colonialism, Canada’s complicity in arming the Israeli military, erasure of the natural ecosystem that is the basis of Palestinian prosperity, and Western techniques of denial with regard to the genocide.
Others focused on strategies of response, including authentic Christian witness, the nature of allyship, and the work of CFOS and FOSNA to build North American solidarity with the Palestinian people.
One phrase emerged as a major theme of the conference: “Gaza/Palestine is the litmus test of our time.” It forces us to reflect on what kind of world we want and are willing to work for.
CFOS endorsed and supported the conference. A fuller report and reflection by CFOS board member Rev. Dr. Dorcas Gordon is posted on our website here.
A plea for nonviolent resistance
On May 12, Omar Haramy of Sabeel Jerusalem was awarded the Berrigan-McAlister Award by DePaul University’s Catholic Studies Department in Chicago. This annual award is given to a person or organization who exemplifies the practice of active Christian nonviolence.
In his acceptance speech, delivered by video from Palestine, Omar stressed his belief that nonviolent resistance is not only morally right, but also the most effective path to change: “It is the path that leads to lasting change without the threat of losing our soul in the process.” He offered three moving anecdotes of nonviolent resistance on the part of Palestinians that he himself has personally witnessed.
Honouring the memory
Executive Director Rana Atie has written an affectionate appreciation of her Palestinian family, inspired by the death last month of her grandmother, the last member of her family born and raised in Palestine. All of them since then were born in the diaspora.
Rana recalls her grandmother’s tales and memories of their home streets in Haifa, the architecture of the family home, the fragrance of backyard flowers, the neighbourhood economy and way of life, traditions, and community. It’s a story of strength and dispossession, of pride and a vow that their culture and identity will continue.
Rana writes, “I will keep talking about our beloved Palestine, not just to honour her memory but to let the world know that the inhumane injustices
have not stopped since Teta Mikey has been kicked out of her home at 18 years old by a Zionist mob.”
Read this eloquent memoir, with accompanying photographs, here. We hope it will be one of a continuing series of profiles to be posted of Palestinians in Canada.
Urgent request to the prime minister
The partners of Kairos Canada, including CFOS, have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney on the one-year anniversary of their May 2024 Parliament Hill gathering to lobby Parliamentarians for a just peace in Palestine-Israel. The letter points out that the situation has since become even more catastrophic. The signatories ask urgently for a personal meeting with the Prime Minister about the need for an immediate ceasefire, delivery of humanitarian aid, release of all captives, an arms embargo on Israel, and holding Israel accountable for war crimes committed and the ongoing genocide. Read the entire letter here.
A cry from Palestinian women
We draw your attention to the powerful eloquence of “Women’s Voice for Gaza: A Palestinian Christian Call for Justice and Life.”
This statement of Palestinian Christian Women cites the biblical voices of Mary in her Magnificat (Luke 1:52-53), Tabitha (Acts 9:36), Huldah (II Kings 22), Rizpah (II Samuel 21:10), and Phoebe (Acts 16:1-2). It describes the reality in Gaza of "inhuman conditions, under permanent blockade" (Kairos Palestine, §1.1.1). It calls “upon women of all nations to join us in demanding an immediate end to the starvation of Gaza.”
It concludes quoting again from Kairos Palestine: “We proclaim our hope. We believe that God's goodness will finally triumph over the evil of hate and of death that still persists in our land” (Kairos Palestine, §10).
The full text available here. Please sign and endorse.
Calling all influencers
The CFOS Influencer Project continues to take shape and gather steam. CFOS is seeking artists, writers, musicians, Indigenous leaders, church leaders, and others to travel to Palestine, where they will experience local Palestinian perspectives in the occupied territories and share their learnings widely when they return. Five partially subsidized influencer exposure trips to Palestine are now planned, between September 2025 and September 2026. More information is available from cfosinfluencer@gmail.com.