“War represents the worst and feeding the hungry the best of human nature.”

Below is an excerpt of Matthew Fox’s latest meditation on the killing of the World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza last week. It highlights the words of Jose Andres. For the full articles see and/or watch:

dailymeditationswithmatthewfox.org/2024/04/06/jose-andres-wisdom-hope-for-a-transformed-humanity/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-WKEDxrb9Y

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Jose Andres: 
Wisdom & Hope 
for a Transformed Humanity

04/06/2024

Jose Andres is founder of World Central Kitchen and a well-known chef. He knew and worked alongside the seven people who were trying to relieve starvation in Gaza and were blown up by the Israeli army on Monday. 

In a moving and powerful article in the New York Times, Jose says this about his co-workers: “they risked everything for the most fundamental human activity: to share our food with others.”* 

Jose worked among these people in very difficult circumstances as they tried to provide food for people suffering from war and earthquakes, hurricanes and other disasters in Ukraine, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Mexico, as well as Gaza and Israel.

The hungry are not judged for their ideology or their religion or their being rich or poor or left or right. The work of the murdered food workers “was based on the simple belief that food is a universal human right.” 

Andres tells us that from the beginning of the war in Israel, they fed both Israelis and Palestinians more than 1.75 million hot meals and 43 million meals all told in Gaza. “Food is not a weapon of war,” he declares, and  

“Israel is better than the way this war is being waged,” including the killing of aid workers.   

He offers this advice, “after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up.”

Half the population of Gaza’s 1.1 million people are currently facing an “imminent risk” of famine.

Food and hospitality are integral to the spiritual traditions of both Israelis and Muslims. … Spirituality and eating together go together, these are ancient archetypes that inspire Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs … One sign is simply the courage and generosity of people like Jose Andres and his co-workers. War represents the worst and feeding the hungry the best of human nature. “Feed the hungry and you feed me.”