Dear Friend,

It is with sorrow and sadness that I learn that you left us to claim your eternal resting place in the heavens, Jim. It is difficult to conceive of a solidarity movement and activism in Toronto without you. Indeed it is difficult to imagine Canada without Jim. Soon after I came to Canada and found my way through its web of activism and solidarity fury that came about in support of the Palestinian intifada of December 1987, I heard your name. I arrived in Canada few days after the intifada began. In Toronto, an intifada of solidarity was brewing and you were at the core of it.

I saw you speak many times, read your articles and enjoyed a cigarette and a drink with you once or twice. It was not until 1991 at York University where you spoke about Palestine and I had the privilege of introducing you that I realized that you are no ordinary man. Ever since, I have been a great admirer of you. It is difficult to exaggerate the tremendous impact that you had on me personally, but more importantly on the question of Palestine. Your seminal work Palestinian Children and Israeli State Violence was a ground breaking chronicle of the impact on children of Israeli occupation and Israeli soldier's behaviors.

Whether in Toronto, doing your many things, or in New York attending the United Nation North American NGO conference on Palestine, or in Gaza or Ramalah visiting with friends and many projects you created and supported, you have been on of this country's most faithful supporter of Palestine, justice and human rights.

For that we Palestinians are most fortunate. Indeed very luck to have you as one of our supporter.

Jim, we may have been less graceful than you truly deserve. We did not tell you enough how much we admired your undying love for justice and human rights. Often, some of us were disgraceful in their disagreements with you. But today all of us are in morning. As many of us often joked you, Jim, have been Toronto's best Palestinian.

Your gentle passion and eloquent commitment to Palestine remarkably moved many of us in the Palestinian Arab community. We will miss your presence on countless planning committees for conferences, like the upcoming Sabeel conference on divestment. We will miss you brining to Toronto and introducing stellar speakers like Chomsky and your final guest on October 3, David Barsamian. I am delighted that I had the chance to see you that evening and shake your hands. You did say you were not well. I only regret not knowing how ill you were. I probably would have told you, in addition to I love you, thank you.

Thank you for every meeting you attended on behalf of Palestine and for Palestinians, for every lecture you delivered, for each speaker you brought from Palestine and the world over and hosted a reception for at your house. Thank you for every intervention you made at the UN during the meetings of the coordinating committee of the North American NGO on Palestine. Thanks for every page you wrote. For every book you reviewed, every newsletter you edited, thank you. For every dollar you raised for Palestine, simply thank you.

I will miss many things about you for sure Jim. But most of all I will miss your tender walk and your cane; I will miss your trade mark shirts with many pockets. I will miss your spectacles and blonde mustache.

Surely Jim, there is much much more to you than your work on Palestine. Today, however, I want to claim you as ours and only ours.

You family lost a beloved husband and father, our thoughts and prayers are with them especially with Aida.

With your passing Palestine has lost a friend, a champion, a human giant and a passionate lover. I will remember you with a smile each time I am part of a planning committee for an event on Palestine. Jim, our next meeting on Made in Palestine art project is in two weeks, you attended the first two, and I know you will be with us until the end.

Jim, Palestinians should, I hope we will, name a mountain after you in Palestine.

Rest in peace my friend.

Jehad Aliweiwi
Toronto
October 24, 2005