I am currently writing a book about Jewish immigrants from Hungary who fled to America in the Second World War, so with my mind I am in the midst of the Holocaust and Anti-Semitism. As a Dutch girl, and along with everybody who grows up in The Netherlands, the home country of Anne Frank, knows how sensitive this topic is. And as a Turkish girl I was always happy that Turkey and Israel had good bonds with each other. Now I fear it’s going to escalate. But let me say this: I am against every violence, whether it’s coming from terrorists or governments. That’s why I signed as a SAVE member.
It couldn’t be more of a coincidence that today it’s announced that there is another aid ship on the way to Gaza. The ship’s name is the Rachel Corrie, named after the daughter of one of our SAVE Sisters, Cindy Corrie. Rachel was an American member of the International Solidarity Movement and was killed in the Gaza Strip by an IDF bulldozer while attempting to prevent IDF forces from demolishing the home of local Palestinian Samir Nasrallah. A student at the Evergreen State College, she had taken a year off and traveled to the Gaza trip.
Rachel died seven years ago and it’s devastating to hear her mother Cindy speak. But Rachel’s story tells us also that this has nothing to do anymore with religion or terrorism or whatsoever.
Senay Özdemir, Netherlands
Author, De Harclub and Fellow, Osgood Center for International Affairs, DC
SAVE breaks through the barriers of nationalism, religion, and ethnicity to create a global network of women dedicated to creating a united front against violent extremism
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