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To the editor:
On July 13, 1944, Anne Frank wrote in her diary, “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” The next month, Nazis arrested everyone in her Secret Annex.
Less than a year later, Anne died in a concentration camp. The fate of this one girl and her diary symbolized what happens when a nation dehumanizes a group. Six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, including 1.5 million who were children.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” has been nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Academy Awards.
On January 29, 2024 Hind, a five-year-old Palestinian girl, was in a car with six family members. They were fleeing from bombing near their home in northern Gaza. The IDF attacked the car.
Everyone in it was killed, except for Hind. Trapped, she spoke by phone to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. “The tanks are here. They’re shooting at me…I’m scared…Come get me please…save me. Please don’t leave me. I’m afraid of the dark.”
After three hours, the Red Crescent Society finally got permission from Israel to send an ambulance to rescue Hind. When the ambulance arrived, the IDF fired at it, killing the two paramedics on board.
Nearly two weeks later, Hind was found dead in the car. As in the case of Anne Frank, the death of this single child also symbolizes a larger catastrophe.
After the genocidal attack by Hamas, Israel has carried out a brutal assault in Gaza. Many human rights organizations and UN experts, each with compelling evidence, have called Israel’s actions both a genocide and ethnic cleansing.
UNICEF reported that at least 21,289 children have been killed in Gaza and 44,500 injured. In addition, there have been thousands of life-altering injuries that include numerous amputations. Save the Children and UNICEF also reported that as of mid-May 2024 there are at least 17,000 orphans.
The number of Palestinians killed is at least over 71,000.
Howard Elterman
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Valete
This is a serious topic of discussion; it is not a comedic sketch about who’s on first base, and I don’t know who's on second-third base!
To summarize your letter, the death of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the IDF in Gaza, represents the broader catastrophe of Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. This assault has resulted in the deaths of over 71,000 Palestinians, including 21,289 children.
Violence in our world has alarmingly increased compared to any other time in recent history. Violent wars, media violence, leadership violence, and domestic violence are all contributing to this troubling trend.
There are pockets of peace in our world today, including indigenous and other communities that embrace peace through unity. Additionally, new groups are emerging with the knowledge and action necessary to ultimately bring peace to our planet, grounded in unitive consciousness and action.
I recently read an intriguing article in the U.N. Peace Messenger Organization’s literature. It delved into a captivating universal concept: the convergence of emerging science, indigenous wisdom, and sacred texts has given rise to a novel narrative about our existence. We are not isolated entities; we are all sentient beings, and the planet is inherently interconnected.
( Science now confirms what spiritual leaders have always taught: unity is not a fantasy; it’s our reality. )
Bottom Line
To achieve world peace, world leaders must prioritize expanding unitive consciousness by guiding our global community towards a unified worldview.
Are humans capable of performing such a task?
Wednesday, March 18 Report this