Hedy Epstein, an American political activist and Holocaust survivor known for her support of the Palestinian cause knows firsthand just how moving children’s drawings can be. After all it was children’s drawings that stood out to her the most among thousands of American written letters that never reached Gaza. 

Epstein

Epstein was on the 2011 Audacity of Hope flotilla. The sole mission of its passengers was to get thousands of letters delivered to people in Gaza, reminding them that their struggles were not forgotten. There were ships from different countries filled with people daring to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, despite the international outcry that occurred in 2010 when nine activists on the humanitarian boat, Mavi Marmara were killed by Israeli forces. 

The Audacity of Hope was expected to sail to Gaza from a port in Greece. That plan was shutdown after the Greece government prevented any ships from sailing to Gaza. According to Epstein, Israel made arrangements with Greece officials to not permit any ships from leaving.  The ship sailed anyway, but only for about 30 minutes until a Greek coast guard asked the captain to turn back. “He understood us, and even said he supported our cause, but he had to follow orders and begged us to turn back,” Epstein said. 

She recalls 37 passengers, four crew members and 12 media members being present on the  American ship. The letters varied in length, some very long, others a sentence and   simple drawings. On the drawings children wrote messages such as, ‘we love you.’  “I looked at lots of the letters when I was on board. They expressed real sorrow about what the people of Gaza are going through,” she said. The letters were “greetings from people of the United States.”  Epstein has made five attempts to reach Gaza, four by boat, once by land during the Gaza Freedom March where peaceful activists were barred from crossing the Egypt-Gaza border, none were successful. 

Agreeing to board the ship is nothing short of brave considering the deaths of activists that occurred the previous year, but Epstein was “fearless.” “I had a goal. My goal was to stand with the people in Gaza and support them,” she said.  Epstein is still uncertain about what happened with all the letters. She says the captain of the ship was eventually arrested and detained, then released after four days.  Epstein is 87 years old now, but began her activism for the cause decades ago, and has been a bold figure in the movement.  

Epstein is often criticized for being Jewish, yet speaking out against Israel. She’s been called a traitor, and self-hating Jew. “When someone called me a self-hating Jew, I responded back saying ‘thank you.'”  If another ship was expected to sail to Gaza, Epstein says she would be the first one on board.