Dear COE Community,
When we messaged about the horrors and atrocities of the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 9th, we didn’t have any idea what we would know a month later. Today is November 9th and we know that the conflict has continued and we continue to learn on a daily basis of the ongoing impact of the destruction of life and humanity both in the region and closer to home.
There is so much to process when bearing witness to this particular issue because compassionate supporters grapple not only with the clear impact to humanity, but with their own fears of being seen as ignorant of these long-standing issues, saying the wrong thing, or feeling that showing compassion in any way requires taking a side or a stand. Yes. It helps to be informed. Do look for information from reputable sources and do find out the recent and historic struggles that communities experience across the globe, but we can’t use not knowing enough as an excuse not to feel, not to support, or not to bring our compassion to recognizing and mourning the innocent lives lost and lives destroyed.
We learned today that this terrible set of atrocities has now evolved closer-to-home in hateful speech and acts in our local community. These kinds of acts are unacceptable at any distance and are not welcome in our community.
While for many of us our day-to-day activities have had to continue in spite of this ongoing horror, there are large groups within our community who are struggling with each day and still need assurance that we care, we see, we know, and we feel these horrors at a human level. Please continue to support each other, your students, your colleagues, and your friends as we work our way through the original horror as well as the offshoots of the horror.
Please create spaces for compassion, support, and acknowledgement of the range of experience that this ongoing event has generated.
We know this message is going out on the eve of a long weekend, and we hope you make time to connect, learn, listen, and show compassion.
With gratitude and appreciation to our COE Community,
Laura Lee & Dianna