Thank you, Carolyn, for this elegant and passionate piece. I feel another kinship with you!
I almost married a Palestinian man when I was still in college--and he is still my friend. My parent's families both came from Ireland, we, however are Scottish. My Catholic family were aghast at my relationship with Ricardo (his family were relocated when he was a kid, to Columbia where he was brought up. His father had been the mayor of Ramallah and ended up the mayor of a city in Columbia. Ricardo did not practice a Muslim faith but was very political and very smart, and passionately against the Catholic church because of its oppressive practices in South America. And he was dark--phew it was a lot for my family to compute!) but Ricardo overcame my father's prejudice by telling him stories of the oppression of his people and the consequences of their resistance. My soft-spoken, humorous, always-gentle father remembered hiding in the hedgerows and taking shots at the Black and Tans when he was a kid visiting his Irish father's family farm, where he would work every summer. He told Ricardo of our family hero, Dixie McFarlaine, some kind of great uncle, the right hand of O'Connell. My dad was a devout--even you could say "holy"--man but our family had been in the IRA during The Troubles.
I do think there is a kinship between the Irish and the Palestinians. Shared sorrow at the loss of a homeland, oppression, and for so many, dire poverty--my grandfather was the youngest son on an Irish farm. Enough said.
Carolyn, I am so moved by this piece and by your passionate commitment and love for all the diverse cultures of the people in your family. I didn't know about the bond between the Irish and the Palestinians until I read your piece--the similarity of their struggles for independence and freedom from a colonial oppressor. I appreciate your careful, clear laying out the facts as well as the emotional bonds with your family that have brought you deeply into compassion and commitment to the Palestinian people and their cause. I am Jewish by birth and ancestry and have a daughter whose partner is Palestinian, so I resonated deeply. Thank you for your courageous, important, compassionate words.
Thank you Laura! I know how this matters to you and so appreciator your note here from a gifted writer and friend. We both have diverse cultures in our families and I know that you deeply understand.
Carolyn Flynn and I have been writing companions for many many years. I am grateful to her for this essential essay whose understanding of the nature of genocide and starvation suffered at this moment by the Palestinian people as victims of Israel’s imperialist violence comes to her from the Great Hunger suffered by Irish as a result of the imperialist violence of Great Britain in the 19th century.
I write these words to introduce my reposting of this essay. as a Jewish woman who is horrified by Israel’s actions and also recognizes that they are without doubt the cause of the rising anti-semitism. Netanyahu endangers me by his actions but even if there were not the case, I would be anguished ethically and spiritually by such actions which have no basis in Hebrew thought or Torah. In so many ways this dreadful war violates every understanding of goodness and wisdom to which we have aspired as human beings.
My country, this country, the US, participates in it because those in power are in love with armaments and profiting from them. And so I protest the US participation and support of this brutality. At the same time, those who are protesting these criminal actions are being harassed, fired, deported, criminalized. The extraordinary physician Rupa Marya has been fired by UCSF and she has just filed a lawsuit against them as her dismissal is for her recognition that Israel’s government and Zionist passions are enacting genocide. It is untenable that individuals be deported, lose their green cards, are detained and treated without any kindness or care, are tormented, removed from participation in university studies, for recognizing the genocide and starvation of an entire population and one, in particular with a profound understanding of love of land. And so it is necessary to say these words to stand with them.
I would like to add the organization Standing Together allmep.org and the news service + 972, 972mag.com to Carolyn’s list.
Thank you Carolyn for this heart wrenching and necessary piece.
Thank you so much Deena, for your appreciation for this essay, which comes from such a deep place within me. Your note here is deeply vital and important, and I am sharing it with others. And --thank you, always, for our many many years writing together--and for the continued power of your voice.
Dear Carolyn, I haven’t read anything so poignant, so informative, and so deeply compassionately human in a long time. This story weave of your Irish and Palestinian kin is award-winning material and it sure went straight to my heart. Deep bow. Thank you.
Thank you Jen! I'm so grateful to hear this from a fellow writer like you. I've been receiving similar responses privately, urging me to share the essay widely. If you can, I hope you will share this with those who would be interested. Sending love & appreciation, Carolyn
Lovely and important histories of two important Tribes of People I am deeply connected to. My daughter just returned from her second trip to Ireland and was thrilled to see the immense, visible support for Palestine. I am so grateful for Ireland's steadfast support of Gaza. I appreciate your excellent resources you have shared.
Hi Karen and welcome! I'm so glad you liked the essay and how wonderful that your daughter had been visiting Ireland. It's a fabulous and special place. Please share the essay with those who would be interested, thank you! I hope you get to Ireland yourself.
Thank you, Carolyn, for this elegant and passionate piece. I feel another kinship with you!
I almost married a Palestinian man when I was still in college--and he is still my friend. My parent's families both came from Ireland, we, however are Scottish. My Catholic family were aghast at my relationship with Ricardo (his family were relocated when he was a kid, to Columbia where he was brought up. His father had been the mayor of Ramallah and ended up the mayor of a city in Columbia. Ricardo did not practice a Muslim faith but was very political and very smart, and passionately against the Catholic church because of its oppressive practices in South America. And he was dark--phew it was a lot for my family to compute!) but Ricardo overcame my father's prejudice by telling him stories of the oppression of his people and the consequences of their resistance. My soft-spoken, humorous, always-gentle father remembered hiding in the hedgerows and taking shots at the Black and Tans when he was a kid visiting his Irish father's family farm, where he would work every summer. He told Ricardo of our family hero, Dixie McFarlaine, some kind of great uncle, the right hand of O'Connell. My dad was a devout--even you could say "holy"--man but our family had been in the IRA during The Troubles.
I do think there is a kinship between the Irish and the Palestinians. Shared sorrow at the loss of a homeland, oppression, and for so many, dire poverty--my grandfather was the youngest son on an Irish farm. Enough said.
Thank you!
Carolyn, I am so moved by this piece and by your passionate commitment and love for all the diverse cultures of the people in your family. I didn't know about the bond between the Irish and the Palestinians until I read your piece--the similarity of their struggles for independence and freedom from a colonial oppressor. I appreciate your careful, clear laying out the facts as well as the emotional bonds with your family that have brought you deeply into compassion and commitment to the Palestinian people and their cause. I am Jewish by birth and ancestry and have a daughter whose partner is Palestinian, so I resonated deeply. Thank you for your courageous, important, compassionate words.
Thank you Laura! I know how this matters to you and so appreciator your note here from a gifted writer and friend. We both have diverse cultures in our families and I know that you deeply understand.
Carolyn Flynn and I have been writing companions for many many years. I am grateful to her for this essential essay whose understanding of the nature of genocide and starvation suffered at this moment by the Palestinian people as victims of Israel’s imperialist violence comes to her from the Great Hunger suffered by Irish as a result of the imperialist violence of Great Britain in the 19th century.
I write these words to introduce my reposting of this essay. as a Jewish woman who is horrified by Israel’s actions and also recognizes that they are without doubt the cause of the rising anti-semitism. Netanyahu endangers me by his actions but even if there were not the case, I would be anguished ethically and spiritually by such actions which have no basis in Hebrew thought or Torah. In so many ways this dreadful war violates every understanding of goodness and wisdom to which we have aspired as human beings.
My country, this country, the US, participates in it because those in power are in love with armaments and profiting from them. And so I protest the US participation and support of this brutality. At the same time, those who are protesting these criminal actions are being harassed, fired, deported, criminalized. The extraordinary physician Rupa Marya has been fired by UCSF and she has just filed a lawsuit against them as her dismissal is for her recognition that Israel’s government and Zionist passions are enacting genocide. It is untenable that individuals be deported, lose their green cards, are detained and treated without any kindness or care, are tormented, removed from participation in university studies, for recognizing the genocide and starvation of an entire population and one, in particular with a profound understanding of love of land. And so it is necessary to say these words to stand with them.
I would like to add the organization Standing Together allmep.org and the news service + 972, 972mag.com to Carolyn’s list.
Thank you Carolyn for this heart wrenching and necessary piece.
Salaam, Shalom, Peace.
Thank you so much Deena, for your appreciation for this essay, which comes from such a deep place within me. Your note here is deeply vital and important, and I am sharing it with others. And --thank you, always, for our many many years writing together--and for the continued power of your voice.
Dear Carolyn, I haven’t read anything so poignant, so informative, and so deeply compassionately human in a long time. This story weave of your Irish and Palestinian kin is award-winning material and it sure went straight to my heart. Deep bow. Thank you.
Thank you Jen! I'm so grateful to hear this from a fellow writer like you. I've been receiving similar responses privately, urging me to share the essay widely. If you can, I hope you will share this with those who would be interested. Sending love & appreciation, Carolyn
Lovely and important histories of two important Tribes of People I am deeply connected to. My daughter just returned from her second trip to Ireland and was thrilled to see the immense, visible support for Palestine. I am so grateful for Ireland's steadfast support of Gaza. I appreciate your excellent resources you have shared.
Hi Karen and welcome! I'm so glad you liked the essay and how wonderful that your daughter had been visiting Ireland. It's a fabulous and special place. Please share the essay with those who would be interested, thank you! I hope you get to Ireland yourself.
Fabulous account made all the more moving by Carolyn Flynn’s family history.
I'm so glad you liked it Bonnie!