Open Letter to the Women and Mothers of Gaza – April 2024 | Katie Rose

As I stand in my morning shower listening to my children play happily in the next room, an image of a child’s burnt face won’t leave my mind. This child is sucking a lollypop but his whole face is a mass of red scabs and appears to be so painful that for a moment I have to look away. 

To the mother of this child. I am sorry. I am sorry that on our watch, and this time in history (when surely we should know better when surely we should have learned from the mistakes of the past) this has happened to your dear sweet boy. I’m so very sorry.

This is what I want to say to the mothers in Gaza.

Although it is unimaginable to us your pain is our pain. So many nights I have restlessly lain awake worrying about my children for different reasons. But I’ve never had to worry if I could feed them. I’ve never had to worry if they would sustain missile attack. I cannot fathom the suffering you are in right now but my heart is with you. I see your suffering and I feel it as our collective pain.

This is what I want to say to Anthony Albanese who represents the Australian people as we continue to support war in unfathomable ways.

As Prime Minister you have the opportunity to create legacy. Right now you are on the wrong side of history.

This can change and your story doesn’t need to end here. Although time is slipping through our fingers like sand, and children are dying, people are displaced and starving, you could still get on the right side of history. You could still take a stand against genocide. I pray that you have the insight and fortitude to do so. I know this situation feels complex and you feel pressured. But many great men before you have stood firm against atrocity and I know you can do the same if that is the path you choose.

This is what I want to say to the Jewish friend who no longer talks to me.

You took offence at my outspoken position for the women and children of Palestine. You asked why I wasn’t also asking for the hostages to be released. You called me arrogant and ignorant. You are correct I do not understand the politics or the nuance of this war. But 25 years of yogic practice has taught me this. Where there is suffering it should be reduced. Of course, the hostages must be released, I have and do call for that. But they are few. The people of Palestine are millions. In the suffering ‘equation’ the overwhelming ‘losers’ are the minority – the oppressed – those innocent civilians in their millions who have no homes, no food, and mourn the loss of thousands of loved ones.

If I do not speak up I am complicit. Spiritual is political. At the time of writing, at least 32,552 Palestinians have been killed and 74,980 injured in Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip since Oct 7, 2023. Hamas (different than the people of Palestine who should not be punished for the actions of an organisation many do not support) holds around 253 hostages. Simple maths tells me the suffering is greater on one side and lesser on the other.

It is the work of ahimsa (non-violence) to speak for those who are voiceless and to advocate for the vulnerable. That is my position here and regardless of your politics as a yogi, in my opinion, it should also be yours.

There is no place for loyalty to your birth nationality here. Just as I have spoken out again and again against colonialism and what the British did to Australian First Nations people (as a British person myself). The most powerful voices against Israeli attack on Palestine come from Jewish people and Israelis. You have a choice with whom you align. Blind nationalism is a very human response but it’s also ignorant and lazy. You can do better. 

This is what I want to say to the yogis and spiritual people who think politics is not their place.

We can’t help but to be political. Everything each of us does as individuals affects the whole. To be politically active is to be conscious of how your actions affect your community and to strive to improve and contribute to the enhancement of that community. 

Beyond our own personal communities, those of us born into privilege have, in my opinion, an obligation to serve the greater communities of the world-politics within their means and capacity. This could be through speaking out, through fund-raising, through volunteering, or direct action. Choosing not to leverage your God-given privilege to help others who are suffering is a contradiction to the teachings of yoga. We must step out of our privilege bubbles – our Ivory Towers – and do what we can. The impact we can have, starts in our own minds and words, through deliberately educating ourselves and desiring to understand, and extends to direct and impactful action.

Ask yourself, ‘What can I do to make a difference today?’

Back in the shower, I let the warm water wash my skin clean. I give thanks for the blessing of home, of health, of food, of another day with my children in safety and calm.

I do feel powerless, and I am so sorry, but I will continue to speak up and advocate. Women and mothers of Gaza we are with you and we will not look away.

Resources for understanding more about the political situation in Palestine and taking action within your means can be found in the following places:

@jewishvoiceforpeace

@wizard_bisan1

@pinkkitchen (you can make a direct grassroots donation here to support a Palestinian family escaping Gaza)

@familiesforpalestine