Public Mourner's Kaddish | Montpelier, Vermont

I filmed this action on October 20, 2023, in Montpelier, Vermont. It centered on a Jewish ritual, the Mourner's Kaddish to grieve Israeli and Palestinian lives lost. Anyone who is in support of peace and a ceasefire was invited to join.

The ritual was organized by Vermont volunteers working with IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace. Speakers at the event included Joanna Colwell, Sophie Cassell, Grace Oedel, Wafic Faour of Vermonters for Justice in Palestine, Jamie Spector of Central Vermont Chavurah, and more. Speakers mourned the loss of both Palestinian and Israeli lives and talked about finding a pathway to peace through de-escalation and not military retaliation.

In fear that the coming days and weeks will lead to more loss of life and suffering for Palestinians and Israelis, speakers called for a ceasefire, including the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Here is a poem written by Aurora Levins Morales:

Summons

Last night I dreamed
ten thousand grandmothers
from the twelve hundred corners of the earth
walked out into the gap
one breath deep
between the bullet and the flesh
between the bomb and the family.
They told me we cannot wait for governments.
There are no peacekeepers boarding planes.
There are no leaders who dare to say
every life is precious, so it will have to be us.
They said we will cup our hands around each heart.
We will sing the earth’s song, the song of water,
a song so beautiful that vengeance will turn to weeping,
the mourners will embrace, and grief replace
every impulse toward harm.
Ten thousand is not enough, they said,
so, we have sent this dream, like a flock of doves
into the sleep of the world. Wake up. Put on your shoes.
You who are reading this, I am bringing bandages
and a bag of scented guavas from my trees. I think I remember the tune. Meet me at the corner.
Let’s go.