Messages from the NY Workers Circle (WC Headquarters)

[#1]

October 9, 2023
Dear Noah,

Today, I released the following statement in light of the attacks on Israel by Hamas on Simchat Torah. For those of you who, like me and many of our staff, have friends and loved ones in the region, please know our Workers Circle activist community is holding you and them in our hearts.

In solidarity,

[Ann Toback]

We condemn the horrific, brutal attacks by Hamas that have left hundreds dead and thousands injured in Israel, as well as the kidnapping of civilians. We urge the immediate and safe release of the more than 100 hostages; families, elderly and children who have been taken to Gaza. 

Our hearts break for all those who have lost loved ones and remain in terror even now. We are gravely concerned that violence will claim the lives of many more civilians in Israel and in Gaza in the coming days.

We urge all parties to uphold international law and create a pathway forward for human rights and peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

[#2]

October 18, 2023
Dear Noah,

In light of the escalating humanitarian catastrophe and violence in the Middle East, the Workers Circle has released the following statement.

In solidarity,

Ann Toback, CEO

The Workers Circle Calls for Upholding Humanitarian Law and for the Cessation of Violence to Stop Humanitarian Catastrophe

The Workers Circle again condemns the heinous attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands injured. Nearly 200 people, most civilians, many children and elderly, including Holocaust survivors, are still being held as hostages. We urge the international community to work for their immediate and safe release. 

It is precisely during the worst times of violence and fear that the Geneva Conventions are intended to serve as a moral compass for all parties — groups, nation states, and individuals. That is the very idea of international humanitarian law — that no actor is above it and there is no justification for laying it aside. 

The Workers Circle again denounces the Hamas attacks as a gross violation of international law and calls for the immediate and safe release of all hostages.

The Workers Circle condemns the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza that has claimed the lives of thousands and is jeopardizing the lives of two million people. Democratic nations have a particular responsibility to center human rights and assure the protection of civilians. 

The Workers Circle calls on the leaders of Israel to immediately restore food, power, and water to Gaza, to stop bombings of Gaza that are claiming the lives of thousands of civilians, to allow refugees to leave, to stop the escalation of violence and to help address the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.

We further call on the United States to use our power to de-escalate this conflict, uphold human rights and provide humanitarian assistance. 

We reiterate our call to all parties in the region to uphold international law and create a pathway for human rights, and peace.