To the editor:

I commend Mr. Leo Pickens and the Saranac Lake Friends Meeting (Quakers) for their moral clarity and courage in discerning and speaking out against Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza (“A Quaker discernment of genocide in Gaza,” Oct. 4 edition of the Enterprise). I also applaud them for considering our complicity as a nation in providing offensive weapons to Israel for their genocidal aggressions.

I give thanks that people of faith and goodwill are increasingly learning of, and speaking out against, the atrocities perpetrated by Israel, not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank through settler violence. Remarkably, the world is coming to terms with the failed settler colonial project of Israel and its resulting violence, which began not on Oct. 7, 2023, but in 1948 with the forced displacement of, and violence against, over 800,000 Palestinians. For this growing awareness and reckoning of the heart, I give thanks.

Many today, like the Saranac Lake Friends Meeting, seek avenues of direct action to find solidarity and help foster peace. One such direct action group, PS Letters for a Ceasefire, has been meeting regularly in Saranac Lake since January 2024. Each time we gather, we write our elected officials, calling for a permanent ceasefire, an arms embargo, divestment, sanctions, etc. We also share our sadness at the great loss of holy innocents, and find fun ways to foster hope amidst the rumble of our hearts.

We invite you to join us on the first Saturday of each month from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and the third Thursday of each month from 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the Cantwell Room at the Saranac Lake Free Library. Come when you can and stay for as long as you like. Letter-writing materials are provided.

The Rev. Ken Hitch

Lake Placid