4 Peaceful Organizations Worth Supporting

I used to work for Seeds Of Peace.  It is an amazing organization. Good find, wifey.  Looking forward to read more about the other ones.  

 : International anarchists are taking over the Shdema camp on the Gush Etzion-Har Homah route

We, the undersigned, join the voices in the IDF that oppose handing over the deserted Shdema camp to the Palestinian Authority in order to establish an additional Arab neighborhood in the region.

About a month ago, we, some 150 activists, came to protest the intent to hand over the Shdema camp to the PLO Authority. Army and police forces immediately arrived and forcibly evacuated us from there.

Since then, we come every week, in small groups, to examine what is happening. To our amazement, we see groups of activists from the extreme left, international anarchists, and Arabs coming to the Shdema camp, settling in there, taking control of it, and conducting activities there, and no Israeli body removes them, despite this absolutely being Israeli Area C.

It appears to us that you are not aware of the identity of those international activists who masquerade as innocent volunteers and youth counselors. These are most likely the same type of dangerous anarchists who struggle with our soldiers at Bil'in, and whose sole aim is the elimination of the State of Israel.

Our examination revealed that this is the Paidia organization that is building a park in the area. They call the area "Oush Grab," or in English, "The Jack Forrest Adventure Gardens."

Paidia is an organization that sends volunteer activists to the areas of the PLO Authority to live with the Arabs and to aid them to struggle with IDF soldiers and Jews, masquerading under the innocent guise of "cultural games and nature tours."

We appeal to you with the urgent request:

1) to immediately change the forgiving attitude of the security forces to those international activists. It is inconceivable that in a place such as the Shdema camp, that is under Israeli control, Jews are forcibly evacuated - while anarchists are permitted to take control of the location, in the guise of "cultural" activity. They must be located, arrested, and deported from Israel for incitement to violence and harming the country's security.

2) to return the IDF to the Shdema camp. or to allow Jewish settlement there. Abandoning the Shdema camp to the Arabs constitutes a security risk to the inhabitants of Har Homah and those traveling on the Gush Etzion-Jerusalem road, and severs eastern Gush Etzion from Jerusalem.

(signed)
* Rabbi and Mrs. Dov Lior, City Rabbi, Kiriat Arba-Hebron
* Rabbi Gideon Perl, Rabbi of Alon Shvut and regional rabbi, Gush Etzion
* Rabbi Shimon Golan, member of the Efrat rabbinate
* Rabbi Yaron Dorani, Rabbi of Nokdim
* Rabbi Shalom Klein, Har Homah
* Rabbi Dr. Avraham Wallfish, Tekoa
* Herzl Yehezkel, Chairperson, Har Homah Committee
* Eli Berkovitz, Chairperson, Homat Shmuel (Har Homah) Community Administration
* Avraham Azulai, Journalist, Har Homah
* Dr. Ruth Wallfish, Chairperson, Administrative Committee, Tekoa
* Hayyim Finkelstein, Building engineer, Tekoa
* Ina Vinyarski, former Amanah member, Tekoa
* Datia Yitzhaki, Secretary of Maaleh Rehavam

For details, contact Rabbi Yaron Dorani, Rabbi of Nokdim, tel. 0508-761886

copies:
* Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, Chief of the General Staff
* Major-Gen. Gadi Shamni, GOC Central Command
* Brig-Gen. Noam Tivon, Commander, Judea/Samaria Region Division
* Col. Nir Salomon, Commander, Etzion Brigade
* Commander Moshe Avshalom Peled, Commander, Hebron Police Region
* Minister Eli Shai
* MK Benjamin Netanyahu
* MK Avigdor Liberman
* MK Rabbi Porush
* MK Yuval Shteinitz
* MK Reuven Rivlin
* MK Gilad Erdan
* MK Gideon Sa'ar
* MK Aryeh Eldad
* MK David Rotem
* MK Yuli Edelstein
* MK Estherina Tartman
* MK Uri Uriel
* MK Binyamin Elon
* MK Tzvi Hendel
* MK Effie Eitam
* MK Yitzhak Aharonovitz
* MK Limor Livnat
* MK Otniel Schneller
* the former Head of the General Staff, Moshe (Bugi) Yaalon
* Mr. Uri Lupolianski, Mayor of Jerusalem

Doesn't this concept smack us with an allegory to The White Man's Burden?

Hopefully the organizations you describe have a more realistic understanding of the tasks they are faced with than did the cultural imperialists of yore.

On what basis do you accuse any of these organization of cultural imperialism? You couldn't be more off base.

"that grows organic, kosher, fair trade coffee."

How do you grow non-kosher coffee???

Oh, Jonathan, don't get your panties in a twist.  While all coffee is kosher in theory, not all coffee has been certified kosher.  Delicious Peace coffee has a kosher certification.  In theory, coffee could be traif if there were bugs found among the coffee beans (not impossible) or if the beans were dried in an oven used to cook other non-kosher things.

Ecotropolis is an apolitical
organisation that adheres to ethics of environmentalism and permaculture as
powerful tools for rebuilding communities affected by social hardship, whether
that be as the result of war, civil unrest, or economic depression. It is our
belief that only when individuals play an active role in society and are able
to see directly the fruits of their labour, will they feel included, empowered
and further able to contribute positively to the community in which they live.

To these ends, Ecotropolis is
involved in projects that rekindle a direct relationship between the individual
and his/her immediate environment, both in terms of aesthetics and in nurturing
the bonds that sustain “community”- through all aspects of  personal responsibility related to reducing a
so-called “ecological footprint”.

It is our long term goal to
create a global network of environmental education centres that operate as
localised community centres, as well as to facilitate international
environmental exchange programs. By creating a two-way exchange of information
between the international community and localised cultural wisdom, as well as
academic knowledge, we can again begin to build society upon a model of
sustainability in tune with a progressive technological future.   

 Our first project is the 'Bustan Qaraaqa' permaculture farm in Beit Sahour.

 www.greenintifada.blogspot.com

If I can plug my own organization for a minute...
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The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies educates students from across the Middle East on regional environmental issues to promote partnership.
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