A Message from Letty Cottin Pogrebin - Author, Activist, and APN Board Member:
I am happy to see Shaqued Morag at the helm of Shalom Achschav, Israel’s Peace Now
movement, not only because of her proven management skills (and not only because I am always happy to
see talented women in positions of leadership and power), but because she is the face and spirit of the peace
movement’s new generation.
Shaqued is one of hundreds of thousands young Israelis who are determined to resist their right
wing nationalist government and its erosions of democracy.
Shaqued and her cohort are forcefully demanding that Israel maintain the rule of law, end its
occupation of the West Bank, and allow both peoples — Israelis and Palestinians — to bequeath to their children
two states living side by side in peace and security.
As Peace Now's partners in the U.S., Americans for Peace Now and its leaders are not naive
about the frustrations and challenges of a stalled Israeli- Palestinian peace process. Nevertheless,
however grim its prospects at the moment, we know that as long as people of conscience are willing to continue
the struggle for peace, our cause is far from lost. Moreover, we believe we owe it to our activists here and
in Peace Now in Israel to
redouble our efforts to keep hope alive in these dark times. We owe it to Shaqued and her friends. We owe it
to every reasonable, justice-minded Israeli. We owe it to every American who believes in human dignity and
disavows hatred of The Other. And we owe it to the memory of the eleven Jews slaughtered this fall in
Pittsburgh simply for being Jews, a people that continue to be seen as The Other in the eyes of those who
trade in demonization and hate.
Rather than surrender to the toxicity and hopelessness permeating today's world, we at APN have
recommitted to peace by stepping up our education and advocacy efforts, whether in person, in writing, on our
remarkable website (check out its riches), or in concert with Shalom Achschav, our Israeli counterpart. But we need
your help to do our work: to provide quality materials, settlement maps, and resources so that legislators, the
media, thought leaders, and every American is well informed on all the issues — and fired up enough to effectively
resist Netanyahu, Trump, and the extremists who would lead the region into an abyss of perennial conflict and
shameful subjugation of another people.
I'm counting on you to stay with us, stand with us, and be inspired by Shaqued’s letter (below)
to support us!
Thank you so much.