Cindy Corrie : “Love is what we have to focus on. That is a part of how we treat fellow human beings. We have reason to look deeply at how to do that. Being aware is part of that. Love is acting in a way that shows we believe other people matter as much as we do.”
But Craig Corrie said that what is key is respect. “Love is general. Respect is related to love, but it’s not the same thing. When someone or a whole community feels disrespected that can lead to violence. In a lot of personal interactions, if a person feels respected, there is more understanding.”
Craig Corrie said respect is especially important to men in the Middle East.
Cindy Corrie said Rachel did not think of herself as a Christian but she connected to her family’s Christian heritage and she believed in treating others as she would want to be treated.
“We were not regular church-goers. Rachel talked about religion in her journal and in the play. She said ‘my mother taught me to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny…but never taught me about Jesus.’ She said ‘my mom wanted me to define my spirituality for myself.’ ”
Cindy Corrie, “when she was killed, my first thought was we have to get her words out. Her emails were picked up by the Guardian in London and published on March 18 and 19th (2003) as Rachel’s War.
The Iraq War started right after she was killed, and took the spotlight away, except for the alternative media. Even though those first days were hard emotionally, we took as many calls as we could from radio stations and other reporters. We were talking on the phone on the living room floor at six in the morning on a lot of days. We thought we had to before the media moved on to something else…My message is one person makes a difference and I think that was Rachel’s too. We all can take steps even though we don’t know how it will ripple out. Rachel had no idea what would come from what she was doing…Young people volunteer at our foundation who were 10 years old when Rachel was killed
In reference to the play My Name is Rachel Corrie, Cindy and Craig Corrie both agreed when I suggested art can awaken our consciences.
(In addition to the play, there is music, and how about other art dedicated to Rachel Corrie ? )
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Craig Corrie said, “Rachel wrote that what she was doing (in Gaza) was the most meaningful thing she had done all her life.” Craig
Corrie mentioned photojournalist Tom Hurndall who was shot while trying to save two Palestinian children. “What a good way to die.”
Cindy Corried said, “Rachel wanted a global experience for a sense of purpose. She was a fabulous listener and observer. She had a lot of empathy, good wit, and humor.”
Craig Corrie said, “You should read the poem she wrote as a 12-year-old about downtown Olympia.”
Cindy Corrie said, “She forced herself to not look away, such as with her work as a young teen at a call line at a crisis clinic. That lead to her working to help homeless people and the mentally ill. Rachel also worked in the Washington Conservation Corp. She is not really lost to us, because she inspires us. I think our minds work in a way that protects us from going to painful places in our minds. But sometimes I feel the pain and I’m hit with the feeling of ‘where is she now?’ We think about what she might be doing 12 years later. But we’ve been so priviledged and supported by people who care. Fortunately, Craig was far enough along in his profession that we could dedicate ourselves to this type of work. We got to know the Hurndall’s.”
Regarding loss, Cindy Corrie said, “we’ve lost count of how many times we’ve been to Israel and Gaza. We feel our loss very personally, but part of this enormous tragedy that’s happening to Palestinians as well as the Israelis killed by suicide bombing. Those losses are pretty much the same. Ours is just a piece of something bigger that we’re trying to address in the best way we can.”
Craig Corrie said, “After Rachel was killed, I had the strange need to thank the people in Gaza. I’m glad her last days were spent with people who cared for her.” Rachel Corrie describes the kindness her hosts in Gaza showed her.
Cindy Corrie said, “When the phone call came about her death, those first hours were the worst I’ve ever experienced. After I had finally gotten some sleep, I woke up and for a second or two I was hoping it was all just a bad dream. But then I thought, ‘no , this is real’…Over time, it made me feel better to recognize that Rachel had a good life. We were at the Lake [I’m sorry I didn’t catch the name of the Lake and how long after her death you and your family were at that Lake. Could you please repeat why that Lake mattered to your family ? Thanks ]
Cindy Corrie said, “Even though those first days were hard emotionally, we took as many calls as we could from radio stations and the alternative press. We talking on the phone on the living room floor at 6 in the morning a lot of days. We thought we had to, before the media moved on to something else.”
Craig Corrie said, “When we first met Allen Rickman he said he’d like to do a play based on Rachel’s writing. But we went home and didn’t follow thru. It was a hard time. When we saw him two years later, I said, ‘would you still like to do the play?’ He said, ‘yes, but no pressure.’ Our other daughter Sarah was with us. She said, ‘Allan, I’ll take care of it.’ Rachel’s writings were in a tub in our bedroom closet. Sarah sat down with a bottle of wine and read thru the papers. There was about 175 pages. Allan and ( person who was an editor at the Guardian at that time) changed only a couple of small details.
Cindy Corrie said, “people showered us with love in all sorts of ways. They wrote songs about Rachel, sent us letters and emails. There was so much kindness. At events, Palestinians would hug me and weep with me and it made me realize how much it meant to them that Rachel had gone there to be with them.” At an event in Olympia _____name of person looked around him and said that Olympia was paradise and that Rachel had left paradise in 2003 to “be with us.”
Comparing public awareness in 2003 with what it is now, Cindy Corrie said, “I’m heartened by the awareness I see now. I think Rachel helped to build that awareness. Gaza has had three major attacks since 2008. The Methodists and the Presbyterian Church have supported [ check official stances ] divestment from Israel since Rachel was killed. There is now language that people are using that they weren’t using in 2003 such as ‘apartheid’ which Jimmy Carter used in his book.”
Stephen Walt and John Meirsheimer have given their account regarding what they say is the power of the lobbyists regarding Israel’s policies toward Palestinians, and it was met with much criticism and controversy as well as praise.
Cindy Corrie said, “Discourse among Jews has opened up. There is Jewish Voice for Peace. But what’s sad and painful is that while I look at Gaza, I don’t think it’s ever been as bad of a place as now.” Egypt closed the Rafah Crossing in the fall of 2014.
But Cindy Corrie said we shouldn’t under-estimate the power of building relationships with people, and that it helps people in Gaza to at least know people outside haven’t forgotten about them.
“We should do what we can. We can’t just give lip-service. I’ve found that the people I’ve met from Gaza (Have Cindy and Craig been inside Gaza during their visits, or have they instead spoken with people from Gaza in places oustide of Gaza ? ) don’t expect us to do more than we actually can.
Rachel Corrie was working with International Solidarity Movement, that Cindy Corrie said was started (check ) after the US veteoed UN human rights monitoring of Gaza.
[[[This can’t be a matter of ego on my part, of wanting to be ‘great’ in terms of a sort of strange jealousy toward Rachel Corrie and other ISM workers such as Kayla Mueller. If I risk my safety or well-being, I need to do so for the best possible reasons. ]]]
People : Adam Shapiro, Neta Golan Ghassan Andoni
orgs: US Campaign to End Israel’s Occupation, Jewish Voice for Peace, Rabbis For Human Rights
Cindy Corrie said, “There is no symmetry between the two sides. I’m not trying to ‘balance’ these things. I thin it’s love that drives the work of those Israelis that help Palestinians.
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