Category: Social Action

reposted from https://www.ucc.org/ucc-and-disciples-join-ecumenical-community-in-letter-to-congress-on-crisis-in-israel-palestine/

by Staff Reports | published on Oct 12, 2023

The United Church of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) were among 27 Christian churches and agencies to address a letter to members of Congress today. The letter, in the context of the ongoing war in Israel/Palestine, urged Congress to:

• Publicly call for ceasefire, de-escalation and restraint by all sides
• Prioritize steps to secure immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians
• Call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva conventions and customary international law

The full text of the letter is below:

Dear Members of Congress,

We have watched in sadness the devastating loss of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories over the last several days. As Church-based denominations and organizations with deep ties to the Holy Land, we mourn with our Israeli and Palestinian siblings as they grieve the loss of loved ones and remain fearful of continued violence. Our commitment remains to a future in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace, with security and human rights protected for all.

We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks and violent treatment of civilians and call for the immediate release of all hostages in captivity. We also condemn the indiscriminate and violent Israeli response that has already claimed hundreds of civilian lives. The Israeli government’s decision to shut off power, water, and fuel will have a disastrous impact on millions of civilians in Gaza, including over a million children, especially those who need immediate medical attention.

At this critical time it is incumbent upon Congress to act in ways that will help de-escalate the violence and stop further loss of life. Specifically, we call on Congress to:

1. Publicly call for ceasefire, de-escalation and restraint by all sides
2. Call on all parties to abide by the laws of war, including the Geneva conventions and customary international law
3. Prioritize steps to secure immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians

During this time of heightened tension, we implore Congress to refrain from steps that only exacerbate the violence and increase the risk of expanding war into the broader region. Any Congressional effort that is one-sided, and rushes to send new weapons to Israel, will only intensify the conflict leading to further deaths and destruction. Congress must work to prevent the spread of more violence, including against Palestinian civilians in Israel and the West Bank.

Year after year, we have seen that increasing violence begets more violence. Our past responses have failed to end the bloodshed. As these horrific events unfold, we are reminded once again that only by addressing core systemic issues, including decades of institutionalized oppression and collective punishment of Palestinians through brutal military occupation and a 16-year Gaza blockade, will Israelis and Palestinians live in peace.

We are grateful for your service to this country. We pray for wisdom and discernment on your behalf in the days ahead.

Find the full list of denominations and organizations who signed onto the letter here.

Take action

Opportunities are available for staying engaged and getting involved.

The UCC Washington, D.C. office has created an action alert inviting people to urge their legislators toward de-escalation and restraint from policy decisions that would intensify violence in the area.

Updates are being posted on the Global Ministries website, including reports, letters and statements from partners, position statements and advocacy opportunities.

---

Content on ucc.org is copyrighted by the National Setting of the United Church of Christ and may be only shared according to the guidelines outlined here.

CIW Co-Founder Lucas Benitez to receive Wallenberg Medal for achievements in human rights on October 10, joining the company of previous medal recipients Rep. John Lewis, Elie Wiesel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama among others

Posted on

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CIW Co-Founder Lucas Benitez to receive Wallenberg Medal for Achievements in Human Rights on October 10, joining the company of previous medal recipients Rep. John Lewis, Elie Wiesel, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama among others

Lucas Benitez: “I am immeasurably honored and humbled to receive the Wallenberg Medal in recognition of our efforts to forge a new paradigm for the protection of fundamental human rights from the fields to factories around the globe.”

IMMOKALEE – Lucas Benitez, co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, is set to be awarded the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan for his extraordinary achievements in the field of human rights. Previous recipients include Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, and the Dalai Lama of Tibet as well as Rep. John Lewis, Miep Gies, Paul Rusesabagina, Masha Gessen, and Denis Mukwege.

Born into a family of rural farmers in the highlands of southern Mexico, Benitez was one of six children living in a simple, rural house with dirt floors. At the age of 17, he joined his older brother in traveling to the US to work in the fields to help support his family. Upon arrival, the conditions he found in the fields of Florida and Alabama — from wage theft to violence to endemic sexual harassment — moved him, even at that young age, to stand up against the abuse. 

The moment presented itself to join a small group of likeminded workers in Immokalee gathering at the local Catholic Church to ask why conditions were so brutal for people who left their families behind at home to feed the world.  Mr. Benitez not only joined the meetings, he immediately took the lead and hasn’t looked back since. Those early gatherings led to the development, decades later, of the new ‘gold standard’ program for protecting workers’ fundamental human rights: the Fair Food Program, which was institutionalized first in the tomato fields of Florida in which Benitez used to work and is now covering over a dozen crops in 10 states and three countries including Chile and South Africa.

In addition to being one of the earliest farmworker leaders in the Fair Food movement, Mr. Benitez played a critical role in the investigation of several slavery cases, helping to free over 700 workers in one case alone. He also works with consumer allies to organize national actions — renowned for their creativity and effectiveness — designed to bring pressure on the large retail purchasers of Florida produce to join the Fair Food Program. Currently, Mr. Benitez is one of the primary ambassadors in U.S. and international expansion of the Fair Food Program. Benitez has received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award as well as the “Ohtli” Award, the highest distinction conferred by the Mexican Government on citizens living outside of the country.

“I am immeasurably honored and humbled to receive the Wallenberg Medal in recognition of our efforts to forge a new paradigm for the protection of fundamental human rights from the fields to factories around the globe,” said Mr. Benitez. “I also want to recognize the efforts of my entire community, the decades of labor of countless women and men in Immokalee in the fields that have brought us to where we are today. We stand on the shoulders of past Wallenberg recipients like the late Representative John Lewis and Desmond Tutu, who embodied courage and commitment. And our work is still far from over. We recognize the urgent need to continue expanding the protections we won first for farmworkers in the U.S. to new fields and new industries across the country and the world.” 

“Lucas Benitez’s work with the CIW reflects the ongoing need for frontline advocates for vulnerable people in our society. This movement harnesses the economic influence of consumers to improve working conditions, labor practices, and pay for farmworkers through its worker-led, market-enforced approach to the protection of human rights underlying corporate supply chains,” said Sioban Harlow, Professor Emerita of Epidemiology and Global Public Health and chair of the Wallenberg Medal Selection Committee.

The Wallenberg Medal honors the achievements of Raoul Wallenberg who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. Wallenberg issued thousands of protective passports and placed tens of thousands of Jews in safehouses while confronting Hungarian and German forces to secure the release of Jews, whom he claimed were under Swedish protection. He ultimately saved more than 80,000 lives.

Mr. Benitez will receive the 2023 Wallenberg Medal and deliver a lecture on CIW’s 30 years of achievements and the future of human rights for farmworkers on October 10th at 7:30pm in Rackham Auditorium at the University of Michigan. It is free and open to the public. 

#####

About the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW):  The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a worker-based human rights organization based in Immokalee, FL committed to improving working conditions through enforceable human rights protections within supply chains. Internationally recognized for its achievements in human rights, the CIW forged and currently oversees the Fair Food Program, which leverages legally binding agreements with corporate buyers of produce to protect tens of thousands of farmworkers. The CIW has also helped free thousands of farmworkers trapped in forced labor through its anti-slavery program, which investigates and assists in the prosecution of forced labor rings. The FFP and the CIW have been awarded the Presidential Medal for Extraordinary Efforts in Combating Modern-Day Slavery and received a MacArthur “Genius” Award as well as The American Bar Association’s 2022 Frances Perkins Public Service Award.

Post navigation

Action Alert: Demand Kroger join the Fair Food Program today!

A member of the Lakewood UCC congregation is associated with this initiative.