What kind of world are we building for our children? | Opinion

Midcoast activist plans Portland fundraiser for Palestinian families, citing local ICE actions

A nonprofit worker, union steward and community organizer from Midcoast Maine, Ella D. Tabasky has announced a fundraising event in Portland that will channel all proceeds to Palestinian community groups. The event, titled From Maine to Palestine: Children Will Be Free, is scheduled for October 18 and will feature music, storytelling and community art-making. According to Tabasky, 100 % of the money raised will be distributed to the Maine Solidarity Fund and to Rawa, a grassroots Palestinian community fund.

Tabasky, who is also a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Maine, said the event is part of a broader effort to keep attention on the humanitarian situation in Palestine and to link that struggle to local actions in Maine. “I keep coming back to the same question: What kind of world are we building for future generations?” she wrote. “Joining me on Oct. 18 is one way to start.”

The announcement follows a series of local and national events that have brought the issue of immigration enforcement into the public eye. In January, the federal government launched “Operation Catch of the Day,” a nationwide raid that led to the detention of roughly 200 people in Maine, according to the ACLU of Maine. Maine responded by enacting three “ICE‑Out” laws designed to limit cooperation between state and local law‑enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities.

In July, a 26‑year‑old man named Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was shot and killed by an ICE agent who had a documented history of violence. Guerrero left behind a wife and a three‑year‑old child. The incident drew criticism from civil‑rights groups and sparked calls for a review of the agency’s practices.

Tabasky has also referenced recent international reports on the conflict in Palestine. In June, the United Nations released a paper outlining the deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian children across occupied Palestine. A report by Israeli human‑rights organization B’Tselem, titled “The Elimination Project,” documents more than 2,000 testimonies that describe Israel’s efforts to dismantle conditions necessary for Palestinian collective existence in the West Bank. She also cited a new documentary, Naza, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which examines Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza and the systems used to select targets.

In her own words, Tabasky says, “There is no staying silent.” She is a Jewish activist and the daughter of a Holocaust educator, and she sees Jewish values such as pikuach nefesh—the obligation to save a life—as a call to speak out against suffering wherever it occurs. “Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom are not opposing values,” she wrote. “Our safety and liberation are intertwined.”

The Portland event is one of several initiatives by Jewish Voice for Peace Maine aimed at fostering dialogue and support between Maine residents and Palestinian communities. While the conflict in Palestine and the situation in Maine are distinct, Tabasky argues that questions of power, safety, and dignity transcend geographic boundaries.

The From Maine to Palestine: Children Will Be Free event will take place at a local venue in Portland on October 18. Participants can expect a program that mixes cultural expression with fundraising activities, all directed toward supporting Palestinian families in need.