A must see 2 minutes video: Shministim talk about Occupation
And shamelessly stealing this post from my dearest Mary Rizzo @ Palestine Think Tank:
A note from Shministit Omer Goldman.
Dear Mary,
My name is Omer Goldman. I am 19 years old. I am one of the Shministim. Thank you for signing the Shministim letter to support me and my friends.
Tell your friends to send a letter to the
Israeli Minister of Defense.
I am Omer Goldman.
I am one of the Shministim.
I need your help.I first went to prison on September 23 and served 35 days. I am lucky, after 2 times in jail, I got a medical discharge, but I'm the only one. By the time you read this, many of my friends will be in prison too: in for three weeks, out for one, and then back in, over and over, until they are 21. The reason? We refuse to do military service for the Israeli army because of the occupation.
I grew up with the army. My father was deputy head of Mossad and I saw my sister, who is eight years older than me, do her military service. As a young girl, I wanted to be a soldier. The military was such a part of my life that I never even questioned it.
Earlier this year, I went to a peace demonstration in Palestine. I had always been told that the Israeli army was there to defend me, but during that demonstration Israeli soldiers opened fire on me and my friends with rubber bullets and tear-gas grenades. I was shocked and scared. I saw the truth. I saw the reality. I saw for the first time that the most dangerous thing in Palestine is the Israeli soldiers, the very people who are supposed to be on my side.
When I came back to Israel, I knew I had changed. And so, I have joined with a number of other young people who are refusing to serve - they call us the Shministim. On December 18th, we are holding a Day of Action in Israel, and we are determined to show Israelis and the world that there is wide support for stopping a culture of war. Will you join us?
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Many have asked me about what it was like for me during this time. Of course I got scared while in prison. But also, it's frightening that my country is the way that it is, locking up young people who are against violence and war. And I worry that what I am doing may damage my future. It's hard to go from being a free girl who can decide things for herself -- what to wear, who to see, what to eat -- and then go back to having every minute of the day time-tabled.
Last time I was out of prison, I went to see my dad. We tried not to talk politics. He cares about me as his daughter, that I am suffering, but he doesn't want to hear my views. He never came to visit me in prison. I think it was too hard for him to see me in there. He is an army man.I suppose, actually, we have similar characters. We both fight for what we believe in.
I understand from our friends at Jewish Voice for Peace that you are also someone who fights for what you believe in. Believe in me. Believe in Omer Goldman. Believe in the Shministim.
Thank you,
Omer Goldman
Tel-Aviv, Israel
{ 25 comments }
well done you have my full support the power is in our hands woooo hoooo
I am so happy, and grateful for your courage to voice your opinion in such a powerful maner. I am a young man from Denmark dreaming a about a world in peace and brother sisterhood – you are manifesting it by your simple message!
Omer and the Shministim, you have my support and I am spreading the word in my blog and by bulletin at Myspace!
Bless your good hearts and your strong minds. Count on me, I will keep spreading the word around.
Love and Peace for ALL.
Mimi
Middle East
you are on cnn ireport
Love and Peace for ALL
Mimi
cnn i report link
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-179191
Love and Peace for ALL
Mimi
For not wanting to be part of an army that kills children, you should be rewarded not jailed ….You are a wonderful soul and if Israel has many people like you; our world would be different.
As a Palestinian I could only say to you: down with my hat for your courage, may God bless you
well done you have my full support . I pray for PEACE everywhere!
THANX FOR THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE. MY BIGGEST DIFFICULTY WITH THE ISRAELI MILITARY ACTIONS IS THEIR REPEATED EXCESSIVE RESPONSES IN SO MANY PAST ACTIONS AS WELL AS THIS CURRENT ONE. CONTINUED STRENGTH TO YOU IN YOUR
STANCE
I’m so impressed by these comments.
The right to life and the right to live as a human being belongs to everyone. The power game that Israel is playing, keeping Palestinians weak and powerless is disgraceful. It will end up as a backlash against Israel. I don’t want to see that either.
Sadly the power brokers of the Western World are unwilling to use the International justice system, the World Court, to cut through the lies and propaganda. Put some politicians in prison, not young people who have courage and understand the meaning of justice.
WELLDONE
WISH PEACE 4 ALL
peace in the middle east!
You have my full support, it’s not a war between the Jews & Muslims, It a war against Humanity, no matter who u are or what u believe, you have to stand for what’s right….God bless you, keep it up…We’re all proud of You
I support the Shministim. It a war against Humanity.This power politics again precipitate the world into war. Wartime Offensive never wasn’t in the cause of justice.
I am sharing this with you because I think it is a powerful show of global solidarity amongst military resisters standing against unjust war and occupation.Thanks
you’re right dear . GOD created us free and we can make our own choices . GOD BLESS YOU AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS.
I APPLAUD THESE YOUNG FOLK. IF EVERYONE TOOK THE SAME ACTION IT WOULD BRING AN END TO WARS AND SUPPRESSION. I AM 84 YEARS OLD AND I AND SEVERAL OF MY FRIENDS SEND OUR LOVE TO YOU.
THE REST OF THE WORLD TAKE NOTE OF THEIR EXAMPLE
How I wish I could write to each and every one of these courageous young souls in Isreal who are standing up like this. If only I could protect them, if only I could DO something besides simply say that, as an individual from the USA, I am sorry for what you are going through, and I support you. I am ashamed of my government, they do not represent us. Their support for this slaughter is not my support.
I will fast in solidarity with you. It isn’t a big thing, and it’s not world-changing. But please know that somewhere in the USA, a woman is fasting for one week. This deprivation I am choosing is to show you that, while you are forced to suffer for your moral choice, I suffer willingly as near to beside you as I can be.
My fast shall be for you, and for those for whom you are also standing- the poor souls in Gaza, trapped and under assault.
As they are deprived of food, so shall I be. As they are deprived of basic human rights, so shall I choose not to eat. I wish I could do something more REAL, more urgent, more… well… more. But this is all I have, and so it is my gift to you, and to them.
You do not suffer alone.
To all the brave Shministim, I stand with you in your quest not to fight in your country’s military. I support your right to make this choice and to expect that you should have the freedom to make this choice and not be jailed for your belief. The occupation and slaughter of innocent people has never been the right thing to do and I am sorry that my country has not seen fit to do anything in its power to stop it.
Allah be with you!
This is a God Bless ,you were chosed to do the right thing
this is again proves that we can live toghther as humans
Unfortunately, in the United States information like this is not seen in the regular media.
George Pragovich
Cancer Recovery and Fitness Specialist
gkp@charter.net
http://gkprenttoown.blogspot.com/
Skype: georgefitnesstrainer
http://cancerrecoveryandfitnessspecialist.blogspot.com/
What can I say…I’m sick to my stomach, this is so nonhuman what we’re seeing, & the worst part, is that none of this in shown on our Media, how pathetic. I just don’t understand, how comes they don’t call what the Zionists are doing a WAR CRIME ??? all they can say is Self-Defense, but if comes to other countries, especially Arab or Muslim countries, they call it all kind of stuff, from War Crimes, to Terrorism. I donoo, I really just can’t speak at the moment, I’ve lost all my words….The only thing I can say is, God bless u sis, I pray for u all the time, u & ur pals, what u guys are doing is a great thing, that’s real Heroism, if we had only 50% of our world population doing what you guys are doing, we would’ve accomplished a goal that everybody is dreaming of: PEACE….
Keep it up sis, we’re PROUD of you, of having a new generation like you, which is the Hope for our world….
PEACE & LOVE……
I recently begged one of my twin boys not to join the Army. I told him ‘the world is tired of wars my darlings. In the words of a song, Be the love generation. What you sow, so you reap’ I have three beautiful sons, all of conscription age and pray they and all others continue to resist war. With no-one to fight for their power and greed, maybe then we can plant a new seed that is love, understanding and peace. My total respect, admiration and support to all you brave shministims. May God keep you all safe in His heart until peace reigns again. Love to you all.
dear Marilyn,
you have such a great understanding and counsciousness about this world. Hope that more and more men and women will start seeing the reality as it is… which is of our own making, our own creation… we choose army = we will have wars… we refuse enrolment=we create peace. Let those who decalre war to each other fight it among themselves, we want nothing to do with it… no need for more loss of innocent lives on any side.
If the mothers of the world did everything in their power to stop their sons going to war it would be a start. I think you young objectors are wonderful, brave and the only future for peace .You need more publicity, the general public is becoming too anti semmitic again, we need to know many Jewish people feel for the oppressed Palestinians.
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