Anti-War Peace Efforts

Our 142nd Annual Membership Assembly (AMA), which is happening as two conferences this fall, is approaching quickly! We invite you to gather in community at our virtual reception on October 20, featuring a dynamic speaking series with CRS Board Member Rev. Avalon Betts-Gaston. Register by September 1 to sojourn with us and the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center for a CRS spiritual and cultural immersion in Jerusalem from November 17-24.  Please contact us to learn more. Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages for updates.

• Articles

  • The attacks on Israel, and the response 10/10/23

  • Bernie Sanders says Israel is violating international law with blockade on ‘open-air prison’ in Gaza 10/11/23

  • Gaza, Colonial Violence and the Pursuit of a Just Peace

  • Landlord charged with hate crimes after Muslim boy killed in Illinois 10/16/23

  • Slain Palestinian American boy remembered: ‘We are Plainfield strong; we are here for Wadea’ 10/18/23

  • DFW faith leaders call for empathy, peace in Middle East 10/20/23

  • Palestinian Americans on the Israel-Hamas war: ‘We’re not even allowed to grieve’ 10/23/24

  • Letters to the Editor 10/24/23

  • Some religious leaders say they're struggling to navigate Israel-Hamas crisis 10/24/23

  • Muslim Nonprofit Calls For Solidarity In City’s Black, Brown Communities As Israel-Hamas War Continues 10/26/23

  • UN Security Council meets on Israel-Palestine crisis; nowhere safe in Gaza 10/30/23

  • Top UN official in New York steps down citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian civilians 10/31/23

  • Q&A: Former UN official Craig Mokhiber on Gaza, Israel and genocide 11/02/23

  • Warplanes strike Gaza refugee camps as Israel rebuffs U.S. push for humanitarian pause 11/05/23

  • Pro-Palestinian protesters march down Michigan Avenue as Northbrook demonstrators support Israel 11/12/23

  • Disease runs rampant in Gaza as clean water runs out 11/15/23

  • Israel searches for traces of Hamas in raid of key Gaza hospital packed with patients 11/15/23

  • Looking at public perceptions of peace and conflict 11/17/23

  • Chicago area reacts to Israel-Hamas four-day truce, hostage release 11/22/23

  • Pro-Palestinian protesters rally on Mag Mile to draw attention to Israel-Hamas war 11/24/23

  • Pro-Palestinian protest takes to Magnificent Mile amid Black Friday shopping 11/24/23

  • The Israel-Hamas truce is over. Here’s what could happen next 12/1/23

  • Israeli airstrikes on Gaza resume after weeklong truce with Hamas ends 12/1/23

  • In Gaza, disease could be even deadlier than airstrikes, WHO says 12/4/23

  • Churches for Middle East Peace: Ceasefire only way to prevent further death and destruction 12/5/23

  • Strikes on Gaza’s southern edge sow fear in one of the last areas Palestinians are fleeing 12/7/23

  • Chicago-area businesses close, dozens rally to call for cease-fire in Gaza 12/12/23

  • Meet the Companies Profiting From Israel’s War on Gaza 12/20/23

  • Palestinian truckers gather in southwest suburbs for 4-hour Christmas caravan 12/25/23

  • The Companies Profiting from Israel’s 2023 Attack on Gaza

  • January 5, 2023 Israel-Hamas war 1/5/24

  • For many displaced families in Gaza, survival follows a strict routine 1/8/24

  • Providing life-saving aid to Gaza 1/17/24

  • Chicago City Council will delay a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza after a request from 28 aldermen 1/22/24

  • U.S. citizens with Chicago-area roots stuck in Gaza: ‘Our lives are at stake’ 1/23/24

  • Gaza & Israel

  • Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson calls for a cease-fire in Gaza 1/24/24

  • International Court of Justice says Israel’s actions are plausibly genocidal. What are we going to do about it? 1/26/24

  • What Valentine's Day means in Gaza, Palestine 2/7/24

  • Happy Valentine’s Day: From Gaza with Love (PHOTOS)

  • Palestinian American brothers from Lombard taken in Israeli raid of their Gaza shelter, family says 2/8/24

  • Farah’s story: ‘Being a woman and mother in Rafah is the hardest thing in the world right now’ 2/12/24

  • Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Patients flee Nasser Hospital under fire 2/15/24

  • A tribute to Enass Muzamel 2/15/24

  • They’re Supposed to Be Socially Conscious Investors. Why Are They Funding the War on Gaza? 2/16/24

  • The Truth Shall Set You Free

  • An update from AFSC staff in Rafah 3/5/24

  • American Muslims say they feel urgent need to send aid to Gaza this Ramadan as threat of mass starvation looms 3/11/24

  • Gaza: Airdrops and sea routes are no alternative to aid delivery by land 3/13/24

  • Palestinian community leaders refuse to meet with White House officials in Chicago in protest of Gaza war 3/14/24

  • Delivering assistance to patients in Gaza 3/22/24

  • More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter 3/26/24

  • Working for climate justice in the Middle East and North Africa 3/30/24

  • Bringing moments of joy to children in Gaza 4/5/24

  • Pilgrimage for Ceasefire 4/11/24

  • A different future is possible: Quaker organizations share a vision for peace in Palestine and Israel 4/12/24

  • UN chief calls for `urgent de-escalation’ in the Middle East 4/16/24

  • Marking 25 Action Hours for a Ceasefire 4/19/24

  • Gaza after 200 days of genocide: A message to the world 4/24/24

  • After Pro-Palestinian Window Bashed In, Women & Children First Bookstore Plans Mural 4/25/24

  • USC cancels graduation ceremony and dozens are arrested on other campuses as anti-war protests grow 4/25/24

  • UChicago Students Rally As Pro-Palestine Protests Sweep College Campuses 4/26/24

  • DePaul students pitch tents on campus, join pro-Palestinian protests 4/30/24

  • CPS students protest Gaza war, march to University of Chicago, DePaul encampments 5/1/24

  • The People’s University Is Apartheid-Free 5/2/24

  • A senior UN official says northern Gaza is now in ‘full-blown famine’ 5/3/24

  • Chicago: May Day march for Palestine prepares for protest at DNC 5/5/24

  • University of Chicago pro-Palestinian encampment cleared by police 5/7/24

  • COPA opens investigation into CPD use of force at pro-Palestinian protest near Art Institute 5/7/24

  • What to know about the pro-Palestinian protests in Chicago and beyond 5/7/24

  • Silenced voices: Amani’s death in Gaza 5/9/24

  • Death toll in bombings at displacement camps in eastern Congo rises to at least 35 5/10/24

  • The Church of England’s Complicity in the Gaza Genocide 5/15/24

  • Chicago Police Dismantle Pro-Palestinian Encampment at DePaul University 5/16/24

  • ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Slogan Spreads On Social Media: What To Know About Its Origins 5/28/24

  • White House says Israel’s Rafah strike and ground assault don’t cross Biden’s ‘red line’ 5/29/24

  • US-made munitions used in deadly strike on Rafah tent camp, CNN analysis shows 5/29/24

  • Israel says it controls Gaza’s entire border with Egypt, as Rafah assault expands 5/29/24

  • ‘All Eyes On Congo’ Surges on Social Media: Here’s What To Know 5/29/24

  • UChicago decision to withhold protesters’ degrees leaves students stuck in limbo 6/12/24

  • Number of children killed in global conflicts tripled in 2023, U.N. human rights chief says 6/18/24

  • Sudan’s warring factions using starvation as weapon, experts say 6/26/24

  • UN seeks aid for Sudan refugees fleeing to Libya, Uganda 7/2/24

  • Israel promised ‘limited’ operation. Two months on, Rafah turned to rubble 7/8/24

  • ‘We have nothing’: Palestinians return to utter destruction in Gaza City after Israeli withdrawal 7/11/24

  • AP PHOTOS: In documenting violence in Haiti, you find bodies, but also ways people keep on living 7/14/24

  • Opinion: In Gaza, fear of ‘the war after the war’ 7/15/24

  • 5 things you need to know about what’s happening in Israel and Gaza 7/18/24

  • World Court Reviews 57-Year Israeli Occupation 7/19/24

  • Top UN court says Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and should end 7/19/24

  • Top UN court says Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories is ‘illegal’ and should end as ‘rapidly as possible’ 7/19/24

  • ICJ says Israel’s presence in Palestinian territory is unlawful 7/19/24

  • ICJ says Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal 7/19/24

  • ICJ opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories unlawful is historic vindication of Palestinians’ rights 7/19/24

  • Israeli settlements violate international law, U.N.'s top court says in a landmark opinion 7/19/24

  • UN court orders Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories 7/19/24

  • UN top court says Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal 7/19/24

  • Top UN court says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal 7/19/24

  • Top UN court says Israeli occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal 7/19/24

  • Civil Services in Gaza 7/19/24

  • ‘Impunity must end’: World reacts to ICJ ruling against Israeli occupation 7/20/24

  • ‘Torn up bodies’: Israel intensifies bombing campaign in Gaza 7/20/24

  • Can Palestinians expect changes after ICJ ruling on Israel’s occupation? 7/22/24

  • Israeli settlers attack foreign activists and Palestinian farmers in West Bank 7/22/24

  • Israeli strikes kill dozens in Gaza moments after evacuation order 7/22/24

  • Israel orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone as war’s toll passes 39,000 Palestinians 7/22/24

  • US invites warring parties in Sudan to cease-fire talks 7/23/24

  • Lebanon’s rescuers struggle to respond to Israeli offensive while under fire and using old equipment 10/2/24

  • Chicago-Based Doctors Returning From Gaza Call for Cease-Fire Amid Civilian Deaths 10/2/24

• Live Updates

  • Associated Press

  • Aljazeera

  • CNN

  • The Guardian

  • NBC News

• Statements & Press Releases

  • Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) on Ongoing Violence in Israel and Palestine 10/08/23

  • Representative Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) on Violence in Israel and Palestine 10/09/23

  • CRS & Coalition Partner CRLMC Condemn the Murder of Wadea Al-Fayoume 10/17/23

  • Calls for ceasefire are growing rapidly, and the mainstream media has noticed.

  • Statements from faith leaders, organizations and community members 10/18/23 to 10/19/23

  • Gaza: UN experts decry bombing of hospitals and schools as crimes against humanity, call for prevention of genocide 10/19/23

  • A Call for Repentance: An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians 10/20/23

  • ISRAEL - PALESTINE CONFLICT 10/21/23

  • CRS’ Statement in Support of Love, Justice & Humanity 10/23/23

  • Barack Obama’s Thoughts on Israel and Gaza 10/23/23

  • Representative Delia Ramirez (IL-3) Backs Gaza Ceasefire Resolution in Congress: We Need Diplomacy, Not More Bombings 10/30/23

  • A Statement From Woods Fund Chicago President Michelle Morales 10/30/23

  • End the war now: Churches for Middle East Peace fears catastrophic deaths of civilians in Gaza 10/31/23

  • Christian leaders call for a full ceasefire in Israel and Gaza 10/31/23

  • Disciples and UCC General Ministers and Presidents join ecumenical leaders in a letter to President Biden on the Middle East 11/13/23

  • Israel-Hamas war rages as outcry grows over Gaza crisis 11/16/23

  • Israeli Forces Comb Gaza Hospital for 2nd Day 11/16/23

  • A Sojourn in East Jerusalem

  • Power to the People!

  • More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter 3/26/24

  • AFSC’s Gaza Emergency Relief 3/28/24

  • Quaker group in Gaza: “Humanitarian workers should never be a target” 4/2/24

  • A different future is possible: Quaker organizations share a vision for peace in Palestine and Israel 4/12/24

  • NAARPR Condemns Repression on U.S. Campuses 4/26/24

  • Fellowship of Reconciliation Stands in Solidarity with the Students 5/1/24

  • The invasion of Rafah would spell catastrophe for pregnant women, new mothers and newborns – Statement from UNFPA Executive Director 5/5/24

  • Intensified military operations will bring increased death and despair for Rafah’s 700,000 women and girls 5/6/24

  • NCBL CONDEMNS GENOCIDE IN GAZA 5/20/24

  • A Message From Zoughbi Zoughbi, IFOR President In Bethlehem, Palestine

  • Hispanic Federation Rejects Biden’s Executive Order As Wrong And Misguided 6/4/24

  • RCUSA Condemns Biden Administration’s Executive Order Banning Asylum 6/5/24

  • World Relief Statement on President Biden’s Executive Order 6/7/24

  • Muslim Civic Coalition Condemns Biden’s Executive Order And Misguided Re-Election Strategy 6/8/24

  • Violence Is Never The Answer

  • Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

• Musical Reflection

  • Senzeni Na (What have we done?) - feat. Monde Mdingi - Cape Town Youth Choir (formerly Pro Cantu) 

• Videos

  • Check out a Facebook video on how to be an ally to the Palestinian community

  • Hundreds of Palestinian children fly kites in Rafah as a symbol of peace in a time of war

  • A Tribute to Refaat Alareer: The Power of Telling the Story of Gaza

  • In memory of Refaat Alareer

• Films

  • The Stones Cry Out

• Books

  • Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism by former CRS Executive Director Rev. Dr. Curtiss Paul DeYoung and Allan Aubrey Boesak

  • Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God by Kelly Brown Douglas

  • If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance by Angela Davis

  • Malcolm & Martin & America: A Dream or a Nightmare by James H. Cone

  • The Power of the Poor in History by Gustavo Gutierrez

  • Ella Baker & the Black Freedom Movement: A Radical Democratic Vision by Barbara Ransby

  • Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy by Chris Crass

  • Black Visions of the Holy Land: African American Christian Engagement with Israel and Palestine by Roger Baumann

  • Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire edited by Jehad Abusalim, Jennifer Bing, and Mike Merryman-Lotze

• Journals

  • Baumann, Roger, and Sara A. Williams. 2024. “Journeys to and among the Margins: Transnational Religio-Racial Identity on American Christian Palestinian Solidarity Tours.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion lfae016. doi: 10.1093/jaarel/lfae016

  • Baumann, Roger. 2023. “Race, Religion, and Global Solidarities: W.E.B. Du Bois and ‘The Black Church’ as a Contested Category.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 62(S1):48–67. doi: 10.1111/jssr.12856

  • Baumann, Roger. 2022. “Race and the Politics of Pilgrimage for African American Christians in Palestine and Israel.” Religions 13(10):880. doi: 10.3390/rel13100880

  • Baumann, Roger. 2019. “A Social Fields Theory of Pilgrimage: African American Christians in Israel and Palestine.” Sociological Forum 34(3):685–704. doi: 10.1111/socf.12520

  • Baumann, Roger. 2016. “Political Engagement Meets the Prosperity Gospel: African American Christian Zionism and Black Church Politics.” Sociology of Religion 77(4):359–85. doi: 10.1093/socrel/srw050

• Prayers

  • God of peace and justice, grant us the capacity to act prophetically in the Holy Spirit of Love. Help us to choose the path of the inconvenient hero and the path of moral courage. Help us to listen with love and with an openness to reexamine the narratives. Help us to be truth-tellers. Help us to forge new pathways that lead us to healing, hope, and clothed in our full humanity. Amen.  

• Poems

  • “If I Must Die” by Refaat Alareer (1979 - 2023)

• Podcasts

  • Peace in Israel and Palestine #1 - Lament and Reconciliation

  • Peace in Israel and Palestine #2 - Christian Zionism, Palestinian Christians and Following A Crucified King

  • Exploring Palestinian identity through poetry

  • Mosaic Podcast

• Petitions

  • Send a message to Congress demanding humanitarian access to Gaza and a ceasefire

  • Tell Congress: Reject the supplemental request for military funding and oppose new draconian migration policies

  • Tell Congress: Restore funding for Palestinian aid! 

  • Tell Congress: Act now to stop the war in Sudan

  • Support the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act!

  • NO WITHHOLDING DEGREES FOR SUPPORTING PALESTINE: UCHICAGO, LET THE SENIORS GRADUATE

  • Let them Graduate: Urge UChicago to Stop Withholding the Degrees of 4 Pro-Palestine Student Activists

• Templates for Calls and Emails & Scripts for Phone Blasts

  • TBA

• Protests, Rallies & Marches

  • Find a Protest to Join: Stop the Gaza Genocide

  • Surround the White House for Palestine!

    • Buy a bus ticket to DC or find and register additional buses

    • Ride the bus to D.C. from Chicago!

  • Poor People’s Army March - Democratic National Convention (DNC) Rally on August 19

  • March on the DNC 2024 - A March for Palestine and the People’s Agenda in Union Park on August 19 at 12 PM

  • March on the DNC at Humboldt Park (Puerto Rican Museum) on August 19 at 4 PM

  • March on the DNC 2024 - A March for Palestine and the People’s Agenda at Roosevelt & Laflin on August 22 at 5 PM

• Events

  • TBA

• Boycotts

  • Template Letter for Venues - Boycott Eurovision 2024

  • Opinion: Anti-boycott bill puts New Hampshire lawmakers on the wrong side of history 4/22/24

• Divestment Resources

  • Divesting for Palestinian Rights

  • Israeli Violations Tracker

  • Companies Profiting from the Gaza Genocide

  • Are There Human Rights Violations Hidden in Your Investments? - Investigate Action/Research on State Violence

• Organizations & Coalitions

  • Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center

  • Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)

  • American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)

  • Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR-USA)

• Immediate Calls to Action

  • Mass-email university presidents to stop suppressing students against genocide in Gaza

  • Take collective action for Rafah and Gaza - Choose a template and email your elected officials

• Upcoming Meetings & Webinars via Zoom (registration required)

  • TBA

• Toolkits from the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights and the American Friends Service Committee

  • STOP GAZA GENOCIDE: Ceasefire Now! Toolkit

  • December 2023 Congress Direct Actions & Targeted Actions Toolkit

  • December 2023 City Council Organizing Resource Toolkit

  • Bystander Intervention Toolkit

• Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center

  • Sunday Service

    • Join Sabeel Online Services via Zoom every Thursday at 10 AM CT

    • Use this time zone converter to check the time

  • Books

  • Statements

  • Wave of Prayers

  • Pre-conference webinars

• Kumi Now

  • Rise and take action for Palestine by participating in weekly Kumi Now online gatherings held on Facebook or via Zoom. Visit kuminow.com/online for instructions on how to join a meeting.

  • Check out past and upcoming Kumi Now online gatherings

  • Check out Kumi Now newsletters

  • Check out Kumi Now entries

• American Friends Service Committee Action Hour

  • Join the AFSC staff every Friday at to hear updates from Gaza

    • Learn more and register

• American Friends Service Committee Events

  • Arts for Social Action: Artistic Responses to Gaza on January 30 at 7 AM CT

  • APARTHEID-FREE CITIES: Mobilize Municipalities to become Apartheid-Free in 2024 on January 30 at 7 PM CT

• Resources for Protesting from the AFSC

  • Free posters for Palestine

  • Guide to protesting

• Additional Resources

  • Contact The White House: Share your throughts with U.S. President Joe Biden

  • Contact The White House: Share your thoughts with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris

  • Read CRS Condemns Recent Violence in Palestine for educational resources

  • Check out our Global Solidarity blog articles and resources

  • Donate to the AFSC’s Gaza Emergency Response

  • Support Kalam Apparel

    • Purchases from this clothing brand directly contribute to Palestinian causes

    • Visit the website

  • Share your Valentine to Gaza

  • Send messages to the White House and your members of Congress to demand a ceasefire now!

  • Share Your Hope

  • Hashtags to use on social media

    • #Palestine

    • #FreePalestine

    • #Gaza

    • #GazaGenocide

    • #GazaUnderAttack

    • #LetGazaLive

    • #Rafah

    • #RafahUnderAttack

    • #RafahMassacre

    • #CeasefireNOW

• U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) National Week of Action in Solidarity with Palestine from 1/1/24 to 1/7/24

  • Open the Social Media Storm Toolkit for full access to promotional materials, a list of endorsers and more

• USPCN, NAARPR and SDS National #WeekOfAction4Palestine from 2/5/24 to 2/11/24

  • Organizations can endorse endorse this call by filling out this form.

• Photos and Videos of Chicago’s Solidarity

“Being a part of the protest and march was extremely uplifting. In solidarity with the Palestinian people, we gathered in mass to voice our passion for justice. I was able to speak with people of diaspora and share a common goal. I really felt the unity from Chicago to Palestine.” — CRS Community Organizer Biliah Mandela Castleberry