“Every ten minutes, the giggle of a child in my community of Gaza is silenced forever. I stand here, and the world's silence echoes a harrowing message to the Palestinian people—that their lives are deemed less precious than others across our shared globe.” Dr. Azaam Talhami, Palestinian Psychologist and co-founder of Southern California Immigrants and Refugees Center “If we’re going to learn anything from history, it’s that what we stand for is for everybody, no exception, and that includes Palestinians. ‘Never Again’ means ‘Never Again’ for anyone.” Rabbi Wise, Jewish Voice for Peace On the 27th of November, in response to the bombardment and the tragic loss of lives of over 19,000 civilian Palestinians, including 7,000 children and youth, and the massacre of 1,200 Israeli elders, adults, and children, the City of Oakland passed a unanimous resolution. This resolution calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, the protection of Palestinian civilians, and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages. The CERI community recognizes the moral significance and urgency of this resolution. Our refugee and immigrant community holds each life equally precious, irrespective of one’s origin, and joins the call for a permanent ceasefire, the protection of Palestinian civilians, unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, an end to the occupation, and the release of the Israeli hostages.
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