Hope, Resilience, and Civil Society in Syria

For more than 54 years, Syrians have endured immense hardships brought about by successive dictators: Hafez Al-Assad, followed by his son Bashar. We Syrians have navigated conflict, displacement, and economic uncertainty. Yet amid these challenges, the unwavering spirit of our people has remained unshaken. Syrians have maintained the hope for a normal life - one defined by peace, stability, and civic engagement - and this hope continues to grow.

Embracing Stability and Normalcy

Syrians are engaging in super-human efforts to rebuild communities, infrastructure, and social trust. While there remain significant challenges, families are working to reclaim daily routines, open businesses, and revive local traditions. Small victories - like the reopening of schools, open markets, and artists returning to their craft - are signs of resilience and determination.

A normal life for Syrians means fostering economic recovery, rebuilding infrastructure, ensuring access to education and healthcare, and creating spaces for open dialogue and civil peace. The international community has played a critical role in supporting these initiatives. In many cases, grants from the international community have helped to ensure that Syrians have the tools to rebuild and thrive.

The Impact of Lifting Sanctions

A significant shift in Syria’s path to recovery came yesterday, when U.S. President Donald Trump announced the removal of all U.S. sanctions on Syria. The sanctions, originally imposed due to Syria’s designation as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” in 1979, had long contributed to economic hardship for ordinary Syrians. The additional imposition of economic sanctions on Bashar Al-Assad’s regime virtually crippled Syria. With the Assad regime’s ouster in December 2024, Syria’s new leadership, under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reintegrate the country into the global economy.

President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was framed as an opportunity for Syria to rebuild and “achieve greatness.” In Syria, celebrations erupted following the announcement. As usual, Syrian humor came to the forefront, with social media posts congratulating fellow Syrians “because now we can use Google Maps and don’t need to ask Damascenes for directions.” We now have a chance to restore financial stability, attract foreign investment, and revitalize industries that have been crippled by years of restrictions, not to mention regime corruption.

Syria’s Designation as a Sponsor of Terrorism

Despite the lifting of sanctions, Syria remains on the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. This designation has historically led to restrictions on foreign aid, arms sales, and economic transactions. The ousted Assad regime’s long-standing ties to militant groups, including Hezbollah and various regional factions, contributed to Syria’s continued presence on the list. The new Syrian government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa has made efforts to distance itself from past affiliations, seeking international legitimacy and cooperation.

The Power of Nonviolence

Nonviolent resistance and civic engagement have long been powerful forces in shaping Syria’s future. From the beginning of the revolution in 2011, activists advocated for nonviolence as a means of effecting change. Local activists, journalists, and educators remain committed to fostering dialogue, advocating for human rights, and strengthening civil society. Across Syrian communities, grassroots movements emphasize reconciliation, justice, and unity over division.

Our dedication to nonviolence is evident in our efforts to rebuild trust among communities, support vulnerable populations, and create new opportunities for collaboration. As expatriates and residents in Syria, we are creating peacebuilding initiatives, cultural exchanges, and youth programs to drive constructive engagement and enable our fellow Syrians to forge a path forward while avoiding armed conflict.

The Role of Civil Society

Civil society organizations in Syria continue to play a critical role in addressing social and economic challenges. From humanitarian aid groups to local development initiatives, these organizations offer essential services while fostering a sense of community. Syrians engaging in civil society activities are shaping governance, promoting inclusivity, and amplifying the voices of their constituencies. International partnerships that support Syrian civil society empower communities to take charge of their own futures. Advocacy for democratic institutions, transparency, and social justice remains a pillar in Syria’s journey toward stability. As more Syrians participate in civic life, the country moves closer to a future built on cooperation and mutual respect.

Looking Ahead

Despite the challenges, Syrians have demonstrated incredible resilience, refusing to allow past difficulties to dictate their future. Hope is not merely an abstract concept - it is reflected in the everyday actions of those rebuilding their lives, seeking education, supporting their neighbors, and advocating for justice.

With the lifting of sanctions, Syria has a renewed opportunity to stabilize its economy, strengthen civil society, and regain international legitimacy. Syrians now feel that they can look forward to a future where security, opportunity, and peace define their daily lives. With unwavering determination, they continue to shape a better tomorrow - one step at a time.

In the early hours of May 2nd, at approximately 12:30 AM, the Freedom Flotilla boat named Conscience was attacked by drones while sailing 14 nautical miles off the coast of Malta—over 1,000 miles from Gaza. The vessel was on a confidential humanitarian mission, carrying vital aid to Gaza, where civilians have now endured 58 days without access to food or clean water.

On board were over 30 individuals committed to a nonviolent mission, fully aware of the risks they were taking. Among them were healthcare professionals, grassroots organizers, and members of parliament representing more than 15 countries. The boat was scheduled to depart the following day directly for Gaza to deliver life-saving assistance to Palestinians as quickly as possible when it was targeted. 

This mission was one of many organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition since the blockade on Gaza began in 2007. Of those, three have been attacked. In 2010, a convoy of six ships carrying humanitarian aid and over 700 activists from around the world, was intercepted by Israeli commandos while attempting to break the naval blockade of Gaza. These missions have always been peaceful, civilian-led efforts to challenge the ongoing siege and bring urgently needed aid to those suffering under it.

What Can You Do?

• Raise awareness. Share the stories and speak out. Let the world know what happened.
• Amplify voices. Support those on the front lines of nonviolent resistance.
• Refuse normalization. These attacks on humanitarian workers and peaceful activists must not become acceptable.

Donate. Support the Freedom Flotilla Coalition so future missions can continue in defiance of injustice.

Donate to our various Palestinian Humanitarian Effort groups, including: HIRN, and Dignity for Palestinians.

Donate to our Unarmed Civilian Protection groups, including: Holy Land Trust, Palestinian Unarmed Civilian Protection, Villages Project, and Center for Jewish Nonviolence.

                         The Nonviolent Pope! 

                                      Pope Francis at Israel's Separation Wall in Bethlehem                               
 

When Francis became Pope — the first from Latin America, the first Jesuit, the first to take the name Francis — it felt like a dove had landed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. From his first appearance on the balcony in St. Peter's Square, asking for the people's blessing before giving his own, something had changed.

Throughout his papacy, Francis stood firm in his advocacy for Palestinian rights and dignity. In moments when the world turned away, he spoke boldly about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank. He made historic visits to Palestinian territories, praying at the separation wall and calling for a two-state solution built on justice and mutual respect. "Peace comes through dialogue, not walls," he declared, challenging both political powers and his own flock to see beyond geopolitical interests to the human faces of suffering.

He never let his title eclipse his purpose. He spoke truth to power — but also to his own Church, challenging its rigidity, calling it to remember the Gospel's radical tenderness. He reminded the institution to open its doors not just to the familiar, but to the forgotten.

Revolutionary Stance on Nuclear Weapons

Perhaps one of his most prophetic positions was his unequivocal declaration that the mere possession of nuclear weapons is morally unacceptable. In a historic 2017 address, Francis departed from decades of Catholic teaching that had tolerated nuclear deterrence, stating: "Weapons that result in the destruction of the human race are not only immoral but must also be considered an affront to humanity." This wasn't mere rhetoric; he instructed Vatican diplomats to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, making the Holy See one of the first states to join the agreement.

His stance challenged not only the world's nuclear powers but also the Catholic faithful in those nations, asking them to consider whether security built on mutual threat truly reflected Gospel values.

He did not lead with dominance, but with discernment. He was humble, but never weak. Courageous, but never cruel. Intelligent, but never arrogant. And through that rare blend of virtues and a dramatic shift in the church’s outlook, he rekindled something the world was close to forgetting: the moral imagination.

Nonviolence at the Heart of Catholic Teaching

One of Francis's most transformative contributions was his effort to mainstream nonviolence into Catholic doctrine. Building on the 2017 World Day of Peace message, "Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace," he worked tirelessly to move the Church away from its historical just war tradition toward embracing nonviolence as a core principle.

"To be true followers of Jesus today includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence," he wrote, establishing a commission to reexamine Church teaching on violence. Under his guidance, the Vatican hosted unprecedented conferences on nonviolence, bringing together theologians, peace activists, and victims of conflict to articulate a new Catholic understanding of conflict resolution through peaceful means.

This wasn't merely academic; Francis implemented these principles in Vatican diplomacy, offering mediation in global conflicts and using the Church's moral authority to advocate for peaceful solutions when military intervention seemed inevitable.

Has there ever been a more humble leader?

Francis reminded us that humility without courage is cowardice, and courage without wisdom is recklessness. That real leadership begins where ego ends.

He reminded the Church that its mission is not to control, but to liberate. Not to wound, but to heal. Not to sit in judgment, but to walk in mercy.

He made the world believe in miracles again. Not lightning-bolt miracles, but quiet, persistent ones: a word of forgiveness. A public embrace. A softened heart. A table with room for everyone.

His death leaves a hollow space — not just in Rome, but in the lives of those who saw in him a reflection of what the Church could be. Not perfect, but present. Not powerful, but prophetic. Not above the people, but among them.

Francis was not chosen in the traditional sense. He was blessed to choose.

To choose love over fear. To choose encounter over ideology. To choose wholeness in a world addicted to fracture.

And so I ask you — as Pope Francis so often did:

Let us not be overcome by anger, suspicion, or division. In times of confusion, we are not called to inflame one another, but to encounter one another. With truth. With mercy. And with a desire for the common good. Pope Francis taught us to build peace, not with slogans or scapegoats, but with real acts of humility, care for the poor, and love for creation.

May we find the courage to embrace nonviolence not as passive acceptance of injustice, but as active resistance through love. May we work toward a world where nuclear weapons are remembered as a dangerous chapter in human history, not a present threat. And may we stand in solidarity with all who suffer under occupation and injustice, remembering Francis's constant refrain that peace is built on justice.

May we all find the courage to listen more than accuse, to serve more than condemn, and to heal more than wound. May God bless you — and guide us all.

April 2025

NVI Co-Director Michael Beer, vigiling to remind Holocaust Museum visitors to learn the Museum's lesson: Never Again for Anyone and therefore to stop US support for the genocide in Gaza.

See our Youtube video of April 2025 vigil here.

https://youtube.com/shorts/cyXPR7qXDP8?si=Bq_V_qcYRwkpxzVG

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January 2024 US Holocaust Memorial Museum Supporters Project “Stop the Genocide In Gaza” on Exterior

Check out this two minute video!

(Jonathan Kuttab in front of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum) 

(Michael Beer calling for a ceasefire now)

(Marianne Ehrlich Ross, Holocaust survivor and Museum Supporter)

Michael Beer talked about this event on this podcast. 

Timestamp 13:10

Nonviolence International Media Release

Date: January 4, 2024
Spokesperson: Michael Beer, 202 244 0951, [email protected]

US Holocaust Museum Supporters Show “Stop the Genocide In Gaza” on Exterior

Washington DC: Wednesday evening, supporters of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum projected photographs and slides on the exterior walls calling on the world to “Never Again” tolerate genocide for anyone. The photographs showed scenes of atrocities in Gaza with words saying “Stop the Genocide in Gaza” “Ceasefire Now” and “Silence=Death.”

“We are here to help fulfill the mission of the Holocaust Museum which is to ensure that ethnic cleansing and genocide never happens again for all people not just Jews” said organizer, Michael Beer, Director of Nonviolence International, himself a descendent of Holocaust victims. “As a an institution created by Congress”, he said, “the Museum has a special responsibility to speak up against genocide in Gaza, in part, because US weapons and support are involved.”

The projection on two western walls of the Museum follows a tradition of anti-genocide images on the Museum with regards to Darfur and internal exhibits regarding the Rohingya.

Helping with the projection was Marianne Ehrlich Ross, a Holocaust survivor, and long time supporter of the Museum, who spoke about her experience being expelled from Vienna, then Prague, and then being stranded in England during the war. She is shocked that Israel, with US support, is engaging in ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, and asked the Museum to not be silent on the present war on the Palestinian people - or anyone else.

Explaining the pictures of destruction and suffering in Gaza, Jonathan Kuttab, Director of Friends of Sabeel North America, spoke about his experience of Palestinians suffering from expulsion, occupation and murder on a vast scale. He spoke to the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe and said that “it is tragic that the Jewish state is perpetrating ethnic cleansing, war crimes and genocide.” Kuttab, a renowned International human rights lawyer, said “the Genocide Convention is clearly being openly violated by Israel and the US. I call on the Museum to live up to its stated mission which is to prevent and oppose genocide across the whole world.”

Scott Weinstein, a health care provider, spoke in French and English as a Canadian Jew, saying that the Israeli government’s genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is causing more anti-Semitism. “The October 7th attacks against Israel came about partially as a response to generations of Israeli abuse and that this should be a wake up call for the need for justice for Palestinians, not revenge.”

In 1993, Beer and Starhawk organized a large alternative opening ceremony for the Museum urging the inclusion of the persecution and extermination of homosexual and bisexual men which the Museum promptly did. Beer and Starhawk sent an open letter in November, 2023 calling on the Museum replicate its 1993 inclusive response and to again fulfill its mission to end genocide against all people. Beer said “we stated on this Museum plaza then and today, “Silence=Death”.

This action was endorsed by Nonviolence International, Jewish Voice for Peace-DC Metro, and Friends of Sabeel North America. A video of the event can be found here.

###

November 10, 2023

Letter to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: Silence = Death

Dear US Holocaust Memorial Council Chair, Stuart E. Eizenstat,

The huge pogrom attack on Jewish communities near Gaza, and revenge attack on 2.2 million Palestinian Gazan residents raises the painful question – What can and should the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) do now? The Holocaust Museum has shown years of leadership as it seeks to inspire “citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.”  The Museum also memorializes the experience of Jews and the cancer of anti-Semitism and humanizes other victim communities of the Holocaust. 

The Museum has come a long way.  We organized an alternative opening ceremony of the Holocaust Museum in 1993 because the official ceremony explicitly excluded Gay/Bi/Lesbian people (homosexuals). Within the year, the Museum embraced the pink triangle Holocaust story and doubled down on its inclusion of other victim groups such as the Roma, people with disabilities, Slavs and others. To ensure that the Museum maintains its contemporary relevance, it created the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide whose purpose is genocide prevention, crisis response, justice and accountability. Recently, the Museum’s exhibition on the genocide of the Rohingya was a strong political statement and superbly presented. 

Last month, the museum (on the Press Room webpage) condemned the horrific attacks on Israel and Jews by Hamas on October 7th and then released a statement in defense of the State of Israel. Yet, when it comes to genocidal threats and the attack on 2.2 million Palestinian people, (not to mention scores of Jewish pogroms on many communities in the West Bank), the Holocaust Museum website appears to be silent. Setting the bombing (and 10,000 deaths) aside, halting water, food, medicine and fuel to an entire population is barbaric and genocidal. The fact that this is being done by a Jewish state is doubly tragic and ironic.

Attacks on Palestinian civilians and the death of thousands of children will not make Israel safe; it will only foster more anger and resentment.  Only a just resolution of the conflict can assure true peace for Israel and Palestine alike. 

At the alternative opening ceremony in 1993, we laid a pink triangle flower arrangement on the Museum Plaza with a black and white sign that read “Silence = Death.” This referenced the silence of the Museum toward Gay & Bisexual men as well as the silence of policy makers and society towards a generation of Gay & Bisexual men who died unnecessarily from AIDS. 

Will the Museum speak up for a Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire and humanitarian assistance for all? Will it help decision-makers, the military, and the public work to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians now and in the longer term? 

The mission of the Holocaust Museum should be universal, not one primarily based in the exceptionalism of Jews.  There is an urgent and dramatic opportunity for the Holocaust Museum to elevate its mission of Never Again. Silence in this case means death for countless Palestinian people.

Shalom,

Michael Beer

Starhawk

Michael Beer serves as the Director of Nonviolence International and author of Civil Resistance Tactics of the 21st Century.

Starhawk is an author, activist, permaculture designer and teacher, and a prominent voice in modern earth-based spirituality and ecofeminism. 

The letter contents are the personal views of the Director of NVI and co-author Starhawk, and not necessarily the views of the Organization.

Downloadable PDF Version