Going to Gaza.....
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Andrea Leonard
Dec 20, 2009, 10:42:58 PM12/20/09
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Hello friend!
As you may or may not know, John and I (plus Judy Lee of Bexley Ohio and Carolyn Klaasen of Stony Point NY) are leaving on Christmas night to attend the "Gaza Freedom March," as a small delegation representing the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. I apologize if you have received a similar email from him or me already. : ) I have included you on this email list so that you can keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and so that you will know what is happening on this journey.
We will be gone for about two weeks, and will be updating our blog every chance we get. You can find it at http://ppfgaza.tumblr.com. I recommend checking the blog to see our latest happenings, and I may send out a few emails to this list as well. Find out more about the march at http://gazafreedommarch.org. I also pasted one of our press releases below that has some basic info about the march and what we will be doing.
Please let me know if you don't want these updates and I will remove you from the list.
Our itinerary is below. Keep us in your prayers!
Dec. 25, 10 pm: Depart from Atlanta.
Dec. 26, 8pm: Arrive in Cairo.
Dec. 27, 7 pm: Convene in Cairo for a group orientation to the march.
Dec. 28, 7 am: Group leaves for Al-Arish, about five to six hours from Cairo, and spends the night in hotels there.
Dec. 29: Buses travel to the Rafah crossing; we enter (God-willing) and travel to our accommodations in Gaza City.
Dec. 30: Tour devastated areas in the north of Gaza.
Dec. 31: March 3 miles from Abu Drabo (a community in which nearly every building was destroyed during the invasion) to the Erez crossing into Israel. A rally with a concert and other forms of resistance art will follow.
Dec. 28, 7 am: Group leaves for Al-Arish, about five to six hours from Cairo, and spends the night in hotels there.
Dec. 29: Buses travel to the Rafah crossing; we enter (God-willing) and travel to our accommodations in Gaza City.
Dec. 30: Tour devastated areas in the north of Gaza.
Dec. 31: March 3 miles from Abu Drabo (a community in which nearly every building was destroyed during the invasion) to the Erez crossing into Israel. A rally with a concert and other forms of resistance art will follow.
Jan. 1: Representatives from various civic organizations, agencies, etc. will present overviews of the situation in Gaza, how they are trying to cope, how foreigners can help, etc.
Jan. 2: Delegates leave for Cairo, arriving late at night.
Jan. 2: Delegates leave for Cairo, arriving late at night.
Jan. 3-9: Debriefing and traveling in Egypt. Returning to the US on Jan 9.
Thank you so much for your support... keep your eyes out for our updates!
Salaam, shalom, peace,
Andrea
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESBYTERIANS TO JOIN 1000 INTERNATIONALS IN GAZA FREEDOM MARCH
Delegation calls on Israel to lift restrictions on Gaza.
Atlanta, GA -- Four members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will join politicians, musicians, and activists from around the world in the Gaza Freedom March, a protest against the blockade of supplies to Palestine. Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the Gaza War, which left over 1100 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead, the Gaza Freedom March will begin in Cairo on December 27th, cross into Gaza, and culminate in a New Year's Eve march north along the Gaza strip to the Israeli border at Erez. An estimated 50,000 Palestinians will join the march along the Gaza strip, and will be mirrored by a solidarity march on the Israeli side of the border. The protest focuses on the blockade on travel, medical supplies and construction equipment that cripples the ability of the Palestinian people to rebuild.
Over a thousand international protesters from 41 countries are expected to attend the Gaza Freedom March, including author Alice Walker, Roger Waters of the rock group Pink Floyd, former Japanese Ambassador Naoto Amaki, Holocaust survivor and civil rights activist Hedy Epstein, and French senator Alima Boumediene-Thiery.
The delegation of Presbyterians was organized by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, a national organization pursuing justice and peace through nonviolence. Carolyn Klaasen is a full-time volunteer at the Stony Point Center, a Presbyterian conference center in New York. She is a recent graduate from Davidson College, where she majored in Religion. Judith Lee is a member of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship's national committee. She has been involved in peacemaking efforts for over 40 years, and was a member of the first Fellowship of Reconciliation peacemaking delegation to Iran in 2005. She was on the PPF delegation to Israel and Palestine in 2007. Andrea Leonard is currently working on her Master's and Education Specialist degrees in School Psychology at Georgia State University and is a national committee member of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. She formerly worked on the US-Mexico border providing humanitarian aid to migrants and has traveled extensively to learn about worldwide peace efforts. The Reverend John Morgan is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who traveled to the West Bank in 2008 and became increasingly committed to justice issues in the region at that time.
Delegation calls on Israel to lift restrictions on Gaza.
Atlanta, GA -- Four members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will join politicians, musicians, and activists from around the world in the Gaza Freedom March, a protest against the blockade of supplies to Palestine. Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the Gaza War, which left over 1100 Palestinians and 13 Israelis dead, the Gaza Freedom March will begin in Cairo on December 27th, cross into Gaza, and culminate in a New Year's Eve march north along the Gaza strip to the Israeli border at Erez. An estimated 50,000 Palestinians will join the march along the Gaza strip, and will be mirrored by a solidarity march on the Israeli side of the border. The protest focuses on the blockade on travel, medical supplies and construction equipment that cripples the ability of the Palestinian people to rebuild.
Over a thousand international protesters from 41 countries are expected to attend the Gaza Freedom March, including author Alice Walker, Roger Waters of the rock group Pink Floyd, former Japanese Ambassador Naoto Amaki, Holocaust survivor and civil rights activist Hedy Epstein, and French senator Alima Boumediene-Thiery.
The delegation of Presbyterians was organized by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, a national organization pursuing justice and peace through nonviolence. Carolyn Klaasen is a full-time volunteer at the Stony Point Center, a Presbyterian conference center in New York. She is a recent graduate from Davidson College, where she majored in Religion. Judith Lee is a member of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship's national committee. She has been involved in peacemaking efforts for over 40 years, and was a member of the first Fellowship of Reconciliation peacemaking delegation to Iran in 2005. She was on the PPF delegation to Israel and Palestine in 2007. Andrea Leonard is currently working on her Master's and Education Specialist degrees in School Psychology at Georgia State University and is a national committee member of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. She formerly worked on the US-Mexico border providing humanitarian aid to migrants and has traveled extensively to learn about worldwide peace efforts. The Reverend John Morgan is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who traveled to the West Bank in 2008 and became increasingly committed to justice issues in the region at that time.
This group will join the delegation from the United States through the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization dedicated to peace and freedom through nonviolence. More information can be found at www.GazaFreedomMarch.org.
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Andrea Leonard
School Psychology MEd/EdS Student
Georgia State University
Cell: (903)744-6337
Ann Weems
Dec 21, 2009, 4:48:53 PM12/21/09
to pentecos...@googlegroups.com
Andrea, blessings and love and peace that passes understanding go with you and John and Judy and Carolyn!
My heart goes with you!
Ann
From: Andrea Leonard <andrea.c...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sun, December 20, 2009 9:42:58 PM
Subject: Going to Gaza.....
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