December 29, 2025

It’s been more than three months since my last blog post. Yikes! I’ve been single-minded about political activism, to the detriment of my writing.

However, I’ve been itching to get back. This usually entails letting several ideas ferment in my mind, until one rises to the surface and yells, “You gotta write about me NOW!”

And so, in the midst of many cold days protesting on the Philly streets, I was pleasantly surprised to come up with a theme that relates to activism.

An unexpected benefit of political volunteering is that I’ve met — and continue to meet — other people who are fed up with the status quo. To paraphrase a line from the old film, “Network,” they’re ‘mad as hell and won’t take it anymore.’

Some are longtime activists, while others have never attended a demonstration or contacted a Congressperson before.

There is no shortage of causes: fighting fascism; getting ICE out of the US; getting Trump out of office; demanding that the Epstein files be released in their entirety; prohibiting death camps in El Salvador and elsewhere; fighting back against the dismantling of our government; stopping a war in Venezuela before it happens; and standing up for peace and against Project 2025.

And that’s without mentioning the moral issue of our time: Gaza. Palestine. Anti-Zionism. That’s the cause that separates me from many of my relatives and friends. Or, as we like to refer to it, PEP (Progressive Except Palestine.)

The good news is that more and more people are recognizing Israel’s relentless cruelty and genocide. There’s also a growing realization that this did not originate on October 7, 2023.

It’s been going on since before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Planned apartheid. Planned displacement of Palestinians. Jewish supremacy. Bankrolling individuals and organizations and governments, to buy their fealty to Israel. And referring to everyone else as anti-Semites.

The Israeli propaganda machine infiltrates every part of Jewish life — and the lives of non-Jews, as well — especially in Congress and the White House. Young Jews are lured into the fold with the Birthright program. AIPAC greases the palms of decision-makers, to ensure that they don’t support anyone or anything that is not in Israel’s best interest.

If you’re going to fight this mentality and behavior, you need a team — or better yet — many teams — to work with and support you and each other. We have many organizations, such as CodePink; Jewish Voice for Peace; If Not Now; Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW; and a variety of Palestinian groups, such as Eyewitness Palestine and Adalah Justice Project.

All of these groups hold excellent webinars and programs that educate you about critical issues. They frequently include well-respected speakers.

Sharing information about the webinars is another way of forming bonds with your compatriots — spanning all the causes and groups.

In addition to organizations, the individuals who make up these groups become your comrades, your compatriots. You’re fighting for a cause, and the terminology reflects that. It’s supportive, comforting, and uplifting to have people on your side. Together, you become energized and experience exhilaration, frustration, overwhelm, and a realization that what you can’t achieve alone, you can achieve together.

I was curious about whether the words, “comrade,” and “camaraderie” come from the same root. They do: the Latin “camera” (room or chamber), via the French “camarade” (roommate/companion).

They evolved into separate but related English terms for companionship and fellowship, with “camaraderie” being the more common spelling for the shared feeling.

Taking it a step further, “comrade” has also been used to emphasize equality, shared purpose, and solidarity among members of a movement, in contrast with hierarchical titles such as “Sir” or “Madam.”

Beginning with the French Revolution, it became a common form of address among workers and socialists as an egalitarian alternative to aristocratic or bourgeois titles.

Russians and Germans both used the word, especially after the 1917 Russian Revolution.

During the Cold War, addressing someone as “comrade” developed a strong, often mocking or suspicious connotation of being a communist sympathizer.

Today, within socialist and communist parties worldwide, the term is still used as a formal and respectful way to address fellow members, emphasizing their shared commitment to a common cause. But I have also heard it used repeatedly among union workers, to connote their solidarity with each other and their cause.

Another word, with the same root, is “compatriot.” To me, it has less of a socialist association. It actually refers to someone from your land or country. Comrade also means a close companion, often military or political, but also a workmate or friend.

Political work has introduced me to many comrades, for all of the causes I support. It’s also a safety issue: protesting alone is not recommended. There are inherent dangers, from being heckled or even assaulted by people on the opposite side, or by the police.

I’ve discovered that there are many ways to connect with other activists on a regular basis: Signal chats, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp. Originally, Signal was seen as the most private and secure channel.

But now, thanks to Pete Hegseth, it’s lost some of its reputation for safety. Other channels, such as Wire, Session, Telegram, and Briar are suggested. However, most of the groups I work with still rely on Signal.

Regardless which means of communication activists use, our goal is to effectively convey messages and motivate members of our groups and sometimes, the public, to join us in specific actions. When you regularly read the posts and respond, you start to form a bond with the other members. And connection is what it’s all about.

That bond is further enhanced by going out on protests, marches, and other activities. They can be very emotional and you share that feeling with the other members of your group. Then you may have a debriefing and follow-up session that enables you to discuss wins, losses, and more feelings and ideas. This further connects you.

I find that this is less true with large political organizations, such as Indivisible, because it’s harder to establish closeness with members of a national group. That’s one of the reasons why Indivisible emphasizes local offshoots. Even within the local groups, smaller subgroups form, to handle specific tasks and events, such as postcard writing, door knocking, phone banking, etc.

I feel most comfortable working with smaller groups. I am not a fan of hierarchy, which I have encountered with various political organizations. These days, I work most closely with CodePink and appreciate their commitment to numerous causes in the world: Palestine, Sudan, China, Congo, Climate, and how to build a peace economy. They regularly host free online classes, lectures, and conferences on these subjects and provide opportunities to take a deep dive into a subject.

A member of our local Code Pink group rented a Palestinian film and made arrangements for us to show it at a local bookstore, which also benefitted the owner, who was able to make some productive contacts. We came together as a small group and had a discussion after the film.

We also attend numerous events and actions. Helping one another during these events builds trust, especially since you need to know that you can depend on members to do what they promise.

For example, we coordinated our participation in a large event held in NYC in the fall, to coincide with a visit from Netanyahu to the United Nations. Spending the day with some of my CodePink comrades gave us the opportunity to learn from one another, and to get to know each other better.

This was an example of our group piggybacking on a large event, planned by several national groups.

Every Monday, I attend Mondays at McCormick’s, where a group of activists who support a variety of causes come together to hold signs, express their concerns, write postcards to U.S. Senator David McCormick, and feel like part of an ongoing effort to save our democracy and help Palestine.

This event is led by the local branch of Peace, Justice, Sustainability NOW. Chatting with the two people who head it has taught me so much about grassroots organizing, and I feel as if we are all in it together.

In an earlier blog post, I talked about a Palestine Conference in Detroit that my son and I attended over Labor Day weekend. I was the Philly representative from both Code Pink and Jewish Voice for Peace, and had the opportunity to meet with members of both organizations from across the country.

I was also thrilled to share this experience with my son and his friend. (As a result, this friend became my friend, as well.) And browsing the vendor area and chatting with Palestinian supporters was a truly heady experience!

When I visited my son in Austin in November, he brought me to several banner drops on a prominently located overpass. There, I met the group who regularly holds these events, and I learned more about how to do this in Philly. They welcomed me as one of them. I felt such kinship with them. Some of the activists were people I had met in Detroit at the Palestine Conference.

Another way to build a sense of community is to plan creative events with political groups. Boycotts are an effective means to getting the ear and action of an opponent,

As enacted by Indivisible, we focused on Home Depot, Target, and Tesla. In the Palestine movement, we take this to a formal level with BDS: Boycott/Divest/Sanction. The groups I belong to — especially the smaller ones — are open to brainstorming and organically developing ideas into positive actions.

There is always a certain amount of frustration, rage, impatience, and despair that can take over your spirit when you are an activist. Having comrades to discuss this with is a lifesaver. I encourage all of you to consider becoming active in political causes that are meaningful to you. You’ll make a difference and make some friends in the process!

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