SECTION 1: WOMEN PAVING PEACE

CONTENTS: Leave Lebanon in Peace Women and the Internet: A New Frontier Poem: Mothers You Know Poem: Peace is a Women and a Mother

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THE LLP LOBBY: LEAVE LEBANON IN PEACE

This picture was sent to us by Yona Rochlin, who found it in a Lebanese newspaper, that reported on the work of the "Four Mothers" in Israel, who work toward the retreat of Israeli troops from Lebanon. The words in Arabic say "Lebanese, Syrian mothers, join our call for peace."

Dear Yehoshua Zamir, and author of the "Beaufort Family," Friends, and Colleagues, All through the excellent TV program shown recently on the Israeli TV Channel 1: LETTERS FROM LEBANON, by our late soldiers, who wrote about their sufferings and sorrow, as well as those of the Lebanese population in Southern Lebanon, I was with you and your family, and with the families of all those who have lost the dearest of all - their sons and daughters.. And the question that painfully pinched my heart and brain all the while was: "How do we stop the killing of our children and the Lebanese children in Lebanon - a land that is not ours?" I consulted with several friends, colleagues, and members of organizations for peace, and we came to the conclusion, that the answer is - a wide, powerful and influential umbrella lobby of all peace organizations: the LLP: LEAVE LEBANON IN PEACE, and not to leave it only to the government to get the Israeli troops out of Lebanon. Many people in Israel today THINK and FEEL that we should step back from Lebanon. But thinking and feeling is not enough, we should also ACT militantly and immediately, before more and more soldiers, children and women are killed and wounded in the mud of Lebanon. We have therefore organized ourselves in a large and powerful lobby around the following Petition, and thousands have already signed it. On its basis, we can make the LLP - The LEAVE LEBANON IN PEACE campaign still more widespread, powerful and influential, and we hope to see its results as soon as possible, and to welcome our soldier sons safely back home, defending our Israeli borders, from our own side, as every normal army. This should be achieved as quickly as possible, so that no more sons and daughters, women and children, are killed in Lebanon. Please sign and spread the Petition below, and send it to the Government, and all the MP's at the Knesset. We should also copy the PETITION, and ask all our friends and acquaintances who agree with it, to sign it and sponsor it, and to send it to their own friends and neighbors, as well as to the Media. Please send it off straight away, and POST IT in as many copies as you can. AN URGENT CALL LLP: LEAVE LEBANON IN PEACE The LLP Lobby The Bridge Mothers for Peace The Four Mothers Organization PEACE NOW NGO's for Peace LEAVE LEBANON IN PEACE To Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel To the Members of the Knesset To the Media in Israel and Abroad Honorable Prime Minister Netanyahou, Members of the Knesset, and the Media, We, who represent mothers and a large part of the citizens of Israel, call upon you to have our Israeli troops leave Lebanon as soon as possible and with no preliminary conditions, for the following main reasons: After 15 painful years in Southern Lebanon, we have nothing to gain from having Israeli soldiers remain there. We hear about terrible and heart-rending tragic casualties almost daily, when our young sons are killed, in a land that is not ours. This has also entailed much suffering to the poor Lebanese people. Our troops should retreat as soon as possible to the International Borders in the North of Israel, and guard our country from our own side of the frontier. The regime in Iran seems to be less rigid than the former, and the Ayatullah Hatami has declared that if Israeli troops retreat, they will not provide arms to the Hizbollah (the Army of God), and they will not be able to attack the Israel anymore. As in John Lennon's Song: We have to give peace a chance. The Israeli army is strong enough to defend Israel from our own borders. Please hear our URGENT Plea, return our soldiers sons home, before we have more sons killed and Leave Lebanon and Us in Peace. Signed by: Thousands of worried Israeli Mothers, Citizens and NGO's The LLP Lobby.

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Sign and print, cut and send as quickly as you can !!

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PEACE IS A WOMAN AND A MOTHER By Ada Aharoni

How do you know peace is a woman? I know, for I met her yesterday on my winding way to the world's fare. She had such a sorrowful face just like a golden flower faded before her prime. I asked her why she was so sad? She told me her baby was killed in Auschwitz, her daughter in Hiroshima and her sons in Vietnam, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo and Chechnya. All the rest of her children, she said, are on the nuclear black-list of the dead, all the rest, unless the whole world understands -- that peace is a woman. A thousand candles then lit in her starry eyes, and I saw angels bearing a moonlit message: Peace is indeed a pregnant woman Peace is a mother.

WOMEN AND THE INTERNET: A NEW FRONTIER
EFFECTIVE ACTION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION
Through Our Petitions and Letters of Support, Together We Are Making a Difference. Friends, This is a "good news" letter. The good news is: OUR PETITIONS, LETTERS OF SUPPORT AND MESSAGES HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE! In recent days, we have spent time compiling information to determine the efficacy of our combined Petitions to: The Rabbinic Institutions, on the Discrimination of Women in the Rabbinic Courts. To Haifa University for not including ANY woman speaker among the list of 10 male lecturers listed in their new series of lectures on "Multiculturalism". And support letters to: Linor Aberjil, the beauty queen who was raped. And to Judge Barak on his defence of the civil laws in Israel, which safeguard women's status. The text of the Letters are included below. While a cause-effect relationship is virtually impossible to prove, we have strong evidence that our internet campaign against the discrimination of women is effective, for the following reasons: Hundreds of emails, faxes and signatures on the 4 motions, were sent to the recipients and to the media. Most were positively acknowledged. "Is There No Multiculturalist Woman?" The Letter protesting the lack of Women in the Series on Multiculturalism organized by Haifa University, was sent to the President of the University, and to the organizers of the Series. It was plainly explained that women would not attend the series, if the discrimination against them was not immediately corrected. The response by the university has been encouraging, though nothing definite was promised. Various organizations, including Naamat, Wizo, and several universities as well as schools, have invited members of Lena, and of Naamat, to speak about this new and effective electronic vehicle and method of protest :" Women and the Internet: Counteracting the Discrimination of Women." Lively discussions followed each one of these sessions, and the demand for presentations on this important subject is growing. The Letter of Support to Linor Abergil (the beauty queen who was raped), complimenting her FOR HER COURAGEOUS REVEALING OF THE TRAUMA SHE WENT THROUGH, AND FOR BEING AN EXAMPLE TO OTHER WOMEN WHO MIGHT HAVE GONE THROUGH THE SAME HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE, drew massive email messages and signatures. They were all sent to her, and to her lawyer, David Libai. Both expressed their appreciation at receiving such massive support. Much is left to do, but concrete progress has been made. This is the result of the cumulative work done by all of us -- the e-mail letters, faxes, articles in newspapers, letters to the editor, personal lobbying, even talking about it with friends. There is no question in our minds: WE -- in Israel, Europe, and North America -- have TOGETHER THROUGH THE INTERNET NETWORKING been EFFECTIVE. This should go down in our Book of Effective Action, in addition to our regular work: demonstrations, law enacting, fund raising, publishing, ads in journals, etc. Our success with the Letters of Support and Petitions, is a positive precedent. This was also the result of a women and men joint citizens' action advocacy -- for many men supported our actions and signed our letters of support and protest petitions. Thank you all for your emails, faxes, and all your letters! So to quote my favorite quote again: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead Keep up the good work, Ada Aharoni & Sarah Shalev LENA Coordinators: Ligat Nashim Negged Haflaya. League of Women Against Discrimination. 24.2.99

LETTERS OF PROTEST PETITION No. 1 SOS - STOP DISCRIMINATION IN THE RABBINIC COURTS TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: MR.BINYAMIN NATANYAHU TO THE MEMBERS OF THE KNESSET TO ALL THE INSTITUTIONS CONCERNED WITH THE RABBINIC COURTS TO ALL CONCERNED ISRAELI CITIZENS AND JEWS AROUND THE WORLD STOP THE DISCRIMINATION OF WOMEN IN THE RABBINIC COURTS ! ---------------------------------------------------------

We the undersigned concerned women and men petition you to stop the discrimination of women in the rabbinic courts. We call for the following: To allow women to be judges and witnesses in the rabbinic courts. (The Prophet Deborah was already a judge in Biblical times!) To stop at once the new procedures initiated by some members of the Knesset, to make the Rabbinical Courts a higher authority than the Civil Courts in Israel. This is contrary to DEMOCRACY, EQUALITY, and the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. Signed by WORRIED WOMEN ORGANIZATIONS and thousands of concerned women and men in Israel and in the global village, who feel that democracy in Israel is IN CRUCIAL DANGER. Let us stop this cancer before it spreads, and becomes a TALIBAN!

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Sign and print, cut and send as quickly as you can !!

THIS PETITION IS INITIATED BY: LENA - COALITION AGAINST THE DISCRIMINATION OF WOMEN. IN HEBREW: LENA - Ligat Nashim Neged Haflaya. Please print and send to all your friends and colleagues to sign, and as soon as you have 5 - 10 signatures send them to all the institutions above, plus to other related ones, as well as to the media. If we all unite together and act quickly, we can stop this dangerous "cancer" from spreading and infesting the whole of Israeli society. ACT NOW ! Dr. Ada Aharoni, and Dr. Sarah Shalev: LENA Coordinators.

EXPLANATION: THE NECESSITY FOR THIS SOS PETITION The Legal and Constitutional Committee of the Knesset (at a meeting apparently attended only by national-religious MKs Hanan Porat and Benny Elon) has decided to amend the Family Courts Law in such a way as to give the rabbinic courts supremacy over the family courts. All that is needed to make this decision into law is confirmation by the Knesset. THIS DECISION SHOULD BE FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL BY ALL FEMINISTS and all citizens who cherish democracy. It is well known that the family courts (often presided over by women), are much fairer to women in matters concerning women, such as divorce inheritance, etc. than the rabbinic courts. Their establishment in the last few years represented a tremendous gain for women. Reduction of their authority will represent a huge backsliding in women's status -- putting power back into the hands of extremist husbands and rabbis. LENA PETITION AND PROTEST LETTER No. 2 To the President of Haifa University To Prof. Adir Cohen and to Prof. Majid El Hadj The Center for Multiculturalism Haifa University HAIFA ARE THERE NO MULTICULTURAL WOMEN SPEAKERS IN ISRAEL ? We, members of women organizations in Israel and abroad, as well as lecturers and students, are dismayed and astounded by the fact that you did not find any competent multicultural woman speaker in Israel, to include in your newly announced series of lectures: "Multiculturalism - Vision and Reality." You have listed ten males, and not one single woman for your series of nine meetings! We suggest that you add at least 5 women speakers as soon as possible, and that you announce the change in all your advertisements. We regret that if you do not correct immediately your non - democratic and unbalanced series of lectures, we will be forced to boycott the series, and will suggest to all women in our organizations and in Israel in general, not to participate in it. Members of: IFF Naamat IWN Hadassah Wizo Lena And Lecturers and Students at Haifa University, The Hebrew University and Bar Ilan.

LETTERS OF SUPPORT LETTER OF SUPPORT TO LINOR ABERJIL Dear Linor, Your exemplary attitude and action in openly revealing what you went through with this cruel and abominable rape, make you indeed a role model for girls and women who sufffer such trauma. You are courageous and brave and you have a noble soul. We warmly thank you, admire you, and congratulate you. Sincerely, Ada Aharoni and Sarah Shalev, Coordinators of LENA.

LETTER OF SUPPORT TO JUDGE AHARON BARAK Dear Judge Aharon Barak, We the undersigned concerned women and men in Israel and in the Diaspora, who feel that democracy in Israel is in danger, support your brave and honest stand and values, and oppose the Haredi attacks on the Judiciary. We realize that the unfair attacks you have lately been subjugated to by extremist Haredi and others, endanger further the status of women. If the new demands and the supremacy bid of these extremists are accepted, it would cause the rabbinic courts - that already discriminate against women - to become a higher authority than the Civil Courts in Israel. This is contrary to equality, democracy, and the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. We thank you warmly for your noble and courageous stand and defence of our crucial democratic and human values and laws. LENA: Ligat Nashim Neged Haflaya League of Women and Women Movements Against Discrimination Coordinators: Ada Aharoni, Fax: +972-4-8243230 Sara Shalev, Fax: +972-04-8374814

MOTHERS YOU KNOW
By Ada Aharoni
"We can best help you to prevent war not by repeating your words and following your methods but by finding new words and creating new methods."
Virginia Woolf Three Guineas
Mothers you know, a long time ago have been wisely decreed by diverse human creeds and needs - goddesses of peace-in-the-home, lavishly giving life, love and healing through their wombs and life-blood And they have been quite successful those cosy peace-in-the-home mothers, closely guarding us with their wisdom their tender words and watchful eyes. Surely safer than in a Nuclear War or in a new World War, or just a tiny war, so what about making mothers the guardians of peace on earth? Surely we wouldn't be so much worse? And they are so available, those mothers - you can even find them in enemy land... Look at the terrible mess they have made of our blue planet, mother, you are the only one who can save us now, the only one who really knows how to protect your fearful children weeping over their drugged, ailing world, the only one who can heal it now, mother cradling it in your warm, loving arms.
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