Human Shields or Human Spirit?

We are now hearing that this is the second-largest General Assembly ever. Rumor has it that registrations are approaching the 7000 level, which is quite exciting.

Many exciting things happened on Thursday, but, for me the most moving moment was a workshop entitled, "The Story of Rachel Corrie: A Death in Rafah," organized by Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East.

If you don't know Rachel's story, she was a young activist who went to Palestine in 2003 to work with The International Solidarity Movement (ISM), a group promoting direct action against the Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The workshop involved a dramatic reading of a script put together by Madeline Izzo from the writings of Rachel, her parents, and other sources. Rachel's parents, who live in Olympia, WA, were in attendance.

Rev. David Herndon, minister of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Rachel Krishnasawami and Aushra Abouzeid performed the reading beautifully. Tears flowed freely down the cheeks of many of the 200 people jammed into the small room given over for this purpose.

Relying heavily on correspondence between Rachel in her parents during the last days of Rachel's life, the play provides a rare view into the mind of someone developing a powerful commitment to act against injustice. Ultimately, it was the strength of this commitment and an absolute faith in the power of life to overcome death that put Rachel in the path of the bulldozer that day. The reading offers less insight about what led the two Israeli soldiers driving the bulldozer to drive over Rachel with the giant machine and then shift into reverse and back over her, again.

It will come as no surprise that not all UUs are of a single mind on this issue. When Rachel's parents offered themselves for a Q & A session after the reading, one woman stepped to the microphone and suggested that, while she truly wanted peace for the region, Rachel had been manipulated by a group that was consciously recruiting foreigners to act as "human shields." If patience is a virtue, Rachel's parents showed themselves to be uncommonly virtuous.

Rev. Herndon suggests that any congregation or community group wishing to receive the script to hold their own event can contact him at the First Church of Pittsburgh.