Josh Ruebner in Woodstock

-Wed, October 22 in Woodstock: Josh Ruebner, Author and Political Analyst. From: 8:00 pm To  9:30 pm at the Woodstock Public Library, 5 Library Ln. 

Josh Ruebner is the National Advocacy Director of the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and a former analyst in Middle East Affairs at Congressional Research Service. His recent book, “Shattered Hopes: Obama's Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace” reveals the current administration's policy toward Israel and the Palestinians.

 The book will be available for sale at the event. Sponsored by: Middle East Crisis Response www.mideastcrisis.org and Hudson Valley Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions www.hudsonvalleybds.org.

Josh had dinner with our group prior to his talk. He had just come from a crowd of over 100 people at Union College, so he didn't mind the relatively small group that turned out to hear his presentation in Woodstock. We only had about 20 people due to a driving rainstorm that night.

Friday, October 10 in Kingston

-Friday, October 10 in Kingston: Films of Palestine Series presents "The Veiled Hope,” from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Road. This documentary explores the personal and political challenges facing Palestinian women through a series of exceptional portraits of women living in Gaza and the West Bank. The women explain how in their daily lives as doctors, school teachers and activists they are working to rebuild Palestinian cultural identity. 

SPECIAL GUEST: Palestinian director Norma Marcos will discuss her film! Sponsored by: Middle East Crisis Response http://www.mideastcrisis.org and Hudson Valley Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions http://www.hudsonvalleybds.org. Contact: Jane.toby7@gmail.com or 518 291-6808.

We had over 40 people at this film showing, and Norma Marcos gave a very interesting talk about women in the Palestinian resistance.

Outside the offices of U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer

By Clifford Michel  3:34 p.m. | Oct. 6, 2014 1follow this reporter

Approximately 50 demonstrators gathered outside the offices of U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer Monday morning to condemn the officials' support for Israel.

The protesters called on Congress to end military aid to the Israel Defense Forces through enforcement of the Leahy Law, a human rights law that prevents the United States from aiding foreign militaries that commit war crimes.

“Senator Schumer has repeatedly supported Israeli government aggression against the Palestinian people, including the latest assault on the Palestinians of Gaza,” said Candace Graff from Jewish Voices for Peace-NY. “And both Senators have failed to seek enforcement of laws requiring U.S. funding to be cut off to units of a country’s armed forces that have committed a ‘gross violation of human rights.’”

More than 20 organizations signed on to endorse the event and the attending protesters said that they represented more than a dozen of those organizations, including, CodePink NYC, Direct Action Front for Palestine, Jews Say No, Veterans for Peace and several Students for Justice in Palestine chapters.

“Senator Schumer has been egregious in standing up for Israel—not in just standing up for Israel as virtually all members of Congress do, but in actually pursuing very right-wing, hawkish policy in Israel,” said Brandon Davis, a member of Jewish Voices for Peace. “He calls himself the ‘guardian’ of Israel and I think that is a ridiculous foreign policy for a senator of the United States. He’s the ‘guardian’ of New York State and the United States, not Israel.”

The protesters, who plan to stay outside until 7 p.m., took questions, simulated an Israeli military checkpoint, and read the names of Palestinian children that were killed in Gaza this summer.