Quick Take
Octogenarian Sheila Carrillo remembers the joy, the promise of Israel, a new Jewish homeland, elicited in her Jewish family when she was a child. In 2016, her views on Israel shifted greatly after she started learning about the lives of Palestinians. Now she actively campaigns against the current war in Gaza and for Palestinian liberation.
I was born Sheila Goldberg in New York to Yiddish-speaking parents, children of Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. My birth year, 1942, was a desperate, painful time for American Jews. Adolf Hitler was at the height of power, and the American press had begun revealing Nazi Germany’s atrocities.
In 1945, my father towed a trailer with me, my baby sister and my mom (bereft at leaving her roots) across the country to California. When Israel was founded in 1948, we were living in Los Angeles’ “Borscht Belt” area, and though only 6, I sensed my parents’ excitement.
The summer my teen cousins visited from New York, they were abuzz with the miracle of Israel. Animatedly, we talked about an intriguing experiment called “a kibbutz,” where children lived together, apart from their parents.
Raising a family amid lingering post-war antisemitism, my parents instilled in us pride in the impressive intellectual and cultural contributions of American Jews. And as I became politically aware, many of my heroes proved to be Jewish, as did my dearest friends.
Growing up, however, I never heard about or considered the ramifications of what Palestinians call the “Nakba” (catastrophe in Arabic) – the displacement of 700,000 Palestinians, destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages, appropriation of 78% of Palestinian territory.
It wasn’t until 2016 that I took a deep dive into the quagmire of Israel/Palestine. Two respected community institutions had been harshly criticized by local Jewish leaders for holding a conference about the boycott, divest, and sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. I knew little about the boycott, but had been impressed by the efficacy of the BDS movement in the liberation of South Africa.
On the conference weekend, a commentary penned by local rabbis and supporters appeared in the Santa Cruz Sentinel denouncing the BDS movement. They began, “The concept of shalom, or peace, is revered in Judaism. Many Jewish prayers emphasize the importance of peace.” And concluded: “For peace to take hold on the ground, Israelis and Palestinians must both recognize each other’s right to self-determination …”
My inner “question authority” alarm sounded wildly.
How could Jewish leaders speak of peace being revered and affirm the right to self-determination, given Israel’s ongoing occupation and settlement of Palestinian territories?
I soon found myself on a fact-finding delegation to Palestine. Returning home broken-hearted from witnessing what recalled the dehumanization of African Americans in our racist history, my advocacy for Palestine took hold. I felt impelled to voice opposition to the oppression and discrimination I’d witnessed and joined the struggle for justice for Palestine.
I talked with friends with opposing views, published letters to the editor, and wrote and met with my local congressman, Jimmy Panetta – to no avail.
In June 2018, outraged at the Israeli government’s violent response to peaceful protest marches in Gaza, I published a letter questioning why our respected Jewish leaders were not speaking out. I noted that Gazans were protesting what the United Nations had labeled “deplorable living conditions.”
Given the barbaric living conditions in Gaza, Israel’s iron-fist control and repeated violent suppression of peaceful protest, I believe some sort of violence was inevitable. On Oct. 7, Hamas perpetrated a tragic, horrific massacre. I am sad for those who lost loved ones and are still being held hostage. Echoing The Nation magazine, I think Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s oppressive policies shoulder much responsibility.
The Israeli government responded to Oct. 7 with indiscriminate military attacks and by using starvation as a weapon of war, which Human Rights Watch considers war crimes. For six months, the world has borne witness to the murder of more than 32,000 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and children. Homes, hospitals, schools, infrastructure destroyed. Nearly 2 million Gazans displaced, starved, sick, traumatized.
Rather than demanding immediate ceasefire and cutting off military aid, the U.S.— with our tax dollars — has done much to support the war.
Initially, our State Department issued a memo not to mention the word deescalate. President Joe Biden repeatedly vetoed U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. We recently discontinued $300-$400 million a year in critical United Nations Relief and Works Agency humanitarian funding. With 11 million U.S. children living in poverty and 600,000 unhoused, we’re choosing to add to our annual $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel.
Why?
For Netanyahu — is prolonging war “until Hamas is destroyed” a tactic to avoid his looming corruption trial/sentencing?
For Biden — could his silence and inaction relate to pro-Israel donors contributing $5 million during his political career — twice more than the next-highest elected official?
Amid what I see as diluted mainstream war coverage, social media revelations ignited worldwide protest movements.
Locally, a passionate force for Palestinian rights — Palestine Solidarity Central Coast — coalesced rapidly. Through PSCC, I’ve met members of our Palestinian community and connected with other Jews committed to ending the violence and uplifting Palestinians. In the process, I discovered Jews’ close genetic ties with our Palestinian cousins.
Two weeks ago, I joined Central Coast activists lining miles of beach with children’s clothing memorializing 14,000 dead Gazan children. And recently I participated in a week of actions illuminating the nonviolent power of BDS to change policy.
Attending a scholarly teach-in, I learned about the powerful influence of the University of California’s divestment of $3.1 billion in the BDS win against South African apartheid. And I gained awareness of a project of the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) that works to expose how much of our tax money flows to Israel.
I delivered letters to local stores requesting they remove Israeli brands from shelves and urged buyers to become “apartheid-free.” Harkening back to my years as an art major, I delightedly painted a kite to be flown Saturday on Main Beach honoring the children of Gaza.
I’ve joined a worldwide struggle for Palestinian rights to and ensure safety and freedom for both Israelis and Palestinians. And I’m in it for the long haul.
Sheila Carrillo, a retired educator, has lived in Santa Cruz County since 1972. A community activist, writer, mother of three creatives and grandma to two 6-footers, she engages vigorously in progressive politics and gardening, focusing on edible landscapes and healthful cooking. Her biographical piece, “Red Diaper Envy,” was included in the recently published anthology, “When a Woman Tells the Truth: writings and creative work by women over 80.”