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Freedom Sailors: The Maiden Voyage of the Free Gaza movement and how we succeeded in spite of ourselves
FREEDOM SAILORS is a much-needed account of how a small group of ordinary people conceived and executed what seemed like a grandiose and audacious plan to break Israel’s illegal military blockade of the Gaza Strip. In a little over two years, we raised the money to purchase two dilapidated fishing boats stored in secret ports in Greece, collected 44 passengers, crew and journalists, aged 22 to 81 and chose Cyprus as our embarkation point.
That first voyage in 2008 achieved exactly what we hoped it would. We opened the door just a bit, proving it could be done. None of the later actions, by land or by sea, would have been possible or even attempted if we hadn't climbed into two ramshackle boats with nothing but our determination and our naiveté holding us together.
Our story of how we came together, raised the necessary money, and pulled off the successful voyage, despite the prying eyes of Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, is often riveting.
More to the point, it helps us understand the importance of taking a stand when you see an injustice rather than becoming complicit through silence.
That first voyage in 2008 achieved exactly what we hoped it would. We opened the door just a bit, proving it could be done. None of the later actions, by land or by sea, would have been possible or even attempted if we hadn't climbed into two ramshackle boats with nothing but our determination and our naiveté holding us together.
Our story of how we came together, raised the necessary money, and pulled off the successful voyage, despite the prying eyes of Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, is often riveting.
More to the point, it helps us understand the importance of taking a stand when you see an injustice rather than becoming complicit through silence.
252 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2012
5 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Greta Berlin
2 books12 followersGreta Berlin is a long-time activist for justice in Palestine. She married a Nakba survivor, Ribhi M. Kalla, in 1963 and they had two Palestinian/American children. Her second husband, Al Berlin, was an anti-Zionist Jew from Brooklyn who believed Israelis should learn to share the sandbox with Palestinians.
She was the co-founder of the Free Gaza movement and was on one of the first two boats that successfully sailed into Gaza in August 2008. Her book, Freedom Sailors, is the story of how 44 raggedy activists made it to Gaza in spite of themselves.
She was one of the spokespersons for Freedom Flotilla I when all six boats were attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters and ten passengers on board the Mavi Marmara were murdered by Israeli commandoes.
She has written another book called "The Big But" under her maiden name, a self-help guide for people who have never traveled outside the US.
She was the co-founder of the Free Gaza movement and was on one of the first two boats that successfully sailed into Gaza in August 2008. Her book, Freedom Sailors, is the story of how 44 raggedy activists made it to Gaza in spite of themselves.
She was one of the spokespersons for Freedom Flotilla I when all six boats were attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters and ten passengers on board the Mavi Marmara were murdered by Israeli commandoes.
She has written another book called "The Big But" under her maiden name, a self-help guide for people who have never traveled outside the US.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 29, 2017
This is not about approving or disapproving of the Israeli sea blockade of Gaza. It is not about being pro or anti Palestianian or Israeli. All of this is political and contentious. It is about the motives for writing this book which I think are important as one needs to be able to tell what is subjective (almost everything about the situation from both sides) and objective and that which goes further and is sheer propaganda and even further into anti-semitism, or racism if you prefer
The author, Greta Berlin, seems to be famous for two things more than anything else. She said, addressing a large audience in Paris, that Mossad was guilty of the Charlie Hebdo murders, and had previously tweeted,
“Zionists operated the concentration camps and helped murder millions of innocent Jews.”
This was to do with an anti-semitic video she was discussing, one which the film-makers said wasn't for public viewing(!). She clearly isn't a holocaust denier as it is said of her, more a Nazi-involvement denier. 'Nazi' is apparently shorthand for National Socialism Zionist Party, the two together.
The DailyBeast has an article on the controversy. (Great name isn't it, DailyBeast?)
A profile of Greta Berlin who is married to a Palestinian man, is available here
Some have said that it hurts the Palestinian cause when it is associated with anti-Semitism, but what else is the Palestinian cause if not that? After all I don't see the Palestinians demanding Jordan give up the 70% of its land that it got when the British Mandate in Palestine was divided. Would the 30% that became the state of Israel be so problematic if it was Muslim, like Jordan?
Fatima wrote in more detail on her review
For what it's worth, my own view.
The author, Greta Berlin, seems to be famous for two things more than anything else. She said, addressing a large audience in Paris, that Mossad was guilty of the Charlie Hebdo murders, and had previously tweeted,
“Zionists operated the concentration camps and helped murder millions of innocent Jews.”
This was to do with an anti-semitic video she was discussing, one which the film-makers said wasn't for public viewing(!). She clearly isn't a holocaust denier as it is said of her, more a Nazi-involvement denier. 'Nazi' is apparently shorthand for National Socialism Zionist Party, the two together.
The DailyBeast has an article on the controversy. (Great name isn't it, DailyBeast?)
A profile of Greta Berlin who is married to a Palestinian man, is available here
Some have said that it hurts the Palestinian cause when it is associated with anti-Semitism, but what else is the Palestinian cause if not that? After all I don't see the Palestinians demanding Jordan give up the 70% of its land that it got when the British Mandate in Palestine was divided. Would the 30% that became the state of Israel be so problematic if it was Muslim, like Jordan?
Fatima wrote in more detail on her review
For what it's worth, my own view.
October 5, 2012
One of the editors of this book, Greta Berlin just used the official Free Gaza Movement twitter account to tweet “Zionists operated the concentration camps and helped murder millions of innocent Jews, ” She then linked to a youtube featuring a notorious holocaust denier. By doing this, Greta has associated herself and her movement with the among the basest of anti-Semites, and has discredited herself and the free gaza movement in the process. When a book like this emerges from the poisoned soil of anti-Semitism and bigotry, my advice would be to stay away. Shame on you, greta, for promoting anti-Semitism and holocaust denial. And shame on the endorsers of the Gaza Freedom movement- the flotilla organizers written about in this book- for refusing to codemn this egregious bigotry
March 7, 2021
A very encapsulating book of courage and bravery- recommended reading for a real life true account of the first successful breaking of the illegal blockade of Gaza
May 29, 2014
Lies, Poop, and why can I not give this book MINUS 10 stars?
Wow. Talk about a diaper load. This book is SO absolutely full of C***.
This is a grandiose misinformation and propaganda fest.
I had to suck it up to read the whole thing. I did not throw it accross the room only because I did not own the book. UGH.
There were so many BLATANT falsehoods I could not believe it. The more I learn about some of the contributors though, I am not terribly surprised.
I went and got a copy from my local library after seeing Greta's name come up a lot on FB recently. Then I saw a book I was not sure about and went to the author's goodreads page only to see that she wanted to read this book. I see Gretas name and I think... hey, I need to know more about her....
Now I know what is going to happen next; after going to amazon & goodreads to post my reviews, I noticed the reviews were for the most part either all the way positive or negative; so I read through them. I fully expect the author to claim I have not read this book, hence the details on where I got it. I also note the personal attacks.
Oh, and that library? They got a BIG earful about the book.
Wow. Talk about a diaper load. This book is SO absolutely full of C***.
This is a grandiose misinformation and propaganda fest.
I had to suck it up to read the whole thing. I did not throw it accross the room only because I did not own the book. UGH.
There were so many BLATANT falsehoods I could not believe it. The more I learn about some of the contributors though, I am not terribly surprised.
I went and got a copy from my local library after seeing Greta's name come up a lot on FB recently. Then I saw a book I was not sure about and went to the author's goodreads page only to see that she wanted to read this book. I see Gretas name and I think... hey, I need to know more about her....
Now I know what is going to happen next; after going to amazon & goodreads to post my reviews, I noticed the reviews were for the most part either all the way positive or negative; so I read through them. I fully expect the author to claim I have not read this book, hence the details on where I got it. I also note the personal attacks.
Oh, and that library? They got a BIG earful about the book.
September 7, 2012
Hard for me to be objective, since I'm one of the editors, but the book is really fun to read. It has mutiny on board one of the boats, equipment installed backwards, Mossad stalking us, suicide, seasickness and.... ultimately, great joy when we finally landed in Gaza.
The book reads like a fast paced movie, something that most activists books don't have. So enjoy yourselves. It will be a great ride. Greta
The book reads like a fast paced movie, something that most activists books don't have. So enjoy yourselves. It will be a great ride. Greta
June 12, 2016
it's an honor to know so many of the brave activists who took part in this historic voyage in defiance of world powers to show human solidarity with a horribly violated people imprisoned in Gaza.
March 7, 2021
The courage, determination, dedication and bravery of the Freedom Sailors is inspiring. This book is a must read for everyone interested in understanding the reality of the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Greta Berlin, Mary Hughes Thompson and the others involved in the successful attempt to break the blockade are shining examples of what committed activists can do to bring light and truth to the forefront, while making a difference to those who are suffering. I highly recommend this important and informative documental publication written by those who conceived the idea and participated in this nonviolent action.
January 25, 2014
When my copy of the wonderful new book Freedom Sailors (Eds. Greta Berlin and Bill Dienst, 2012, Free Gaza Movement) arrived in the mail, I read it all in a sitting.
Freedom Sailors is the story of the birth of a movement of nonviolent resistance. From its inception, the effort was international, involving people around the world in a long and exhausting collaboration to force a change in government policies - to end the blockade of Gaza.
Col. Ann Wright describes in the foreword how she, "As a twenty-nine-year U.S. Army veteran... was stunned by the amount of destruction" evident in the aftermath of the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli assault upon the Gaza Strip. "The Israeli attack with American F-16 jets, drones, American Apache attack helicopters, American white phosphorus bombs, and American dense inert metal explosive bombs killed 1,440 Palestinians including 380 children." Some 50,000 people were all at once homeless, their homes in rubble.
Those of us in the U.S. and allied nations should take note - many humanitarian causes (e.g. Tibet, Burma, and Syria) are worthy of support - but few can be so simply halted by our own governments, requiring little more than the withdrawal of backing to the aggressor.
The years of Israeli imposed blockade upon the tiny territory of Gaza turned it into something worse than the world's largest prison. A prison operating in accord with international standards would not feature such malnutrition among children, such frequent electricity blackouts, or such inadequate medical care resulting from cruel import restrictions.
Freedom Sailors is a true movement book. It is the story of a project that spanned "two years, 250+ people, thousands of donors," and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This short volume is also a fine read. It conveys much of the flavor of this wild ride, as experienced by those involved, ranging from desperate sea-sickness - "She genteelly threw up in biodegradable rubber gloves, carefully tying each one off before handing them to me to throw overboard" - to "much-needed shots of raki." Practical difficulties abounded - to take a minor example, on the Liberty the three toilets on board all quickly ceased functioning. A British Baroness in the House of Lords opines that it "ranks with many of the great adventure stories of history". It has more than a few similarities with a thriller movie - a noble cause, danger, espionage, attempts to thwart the government surveillance, and the inevitable paranoia.
The book is a testament to the power, indeed the necessity, of organizing work done by people who lead otherwise ordinary, mundane lives.
It is a mark of the book's potential that a disinformation campaign aligned with U.S.-Israeli state interests is already focused on the volume. At the time of writing on Aug 28, there are 45 reviews on Amazon.com, 17 of which are 5 star, and 27 one star (and a lone 3 star avoiding a perfect polarity at the extremes). Of those 27 one star reviews, it would be surprising if a single one was posted by someone who actually read the book.
Free Gaza movement is, as Wright notes, "one of the great historical nonviolent actions by citizen activists". One participant commented, "this was never going to be `text book' activism; this was more special." I could not agree more.
Sales proceeds will go to support exactly the sort of work detailed so engagingly in the book (the authors are accepting no royalties).
Freedom Sailors is the story of the birth of a movement of nonviolent resistance. From its inception, the effort was international, involving people around the world in a long and exhausting collaboration to force a change in government policies - to end the blockade of Gaza.
Col. Ann Wright describes in the foreword how she, "As a twenty-nine-year U.S. Army veteran... was stunned by the amount of destruction" evident in the aftermath of the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli assault upon the Gaza Strip. "The Israeli attack with American F-16 jets, drones, American Apache attack helicopters, American white phosphorus bombs, and American dense inert metal explosive bombs killed 1,440 Palestinians including 380 children." Some 50,000 people were all at once homeless, their homes in rubble.
Those of us in the U.S. and allied nations should take note - many humanitarian causes (e.g. Tibet, Burma, and Syria) are worthy of support - but few can be so simply halted by our own governments, requiring little more than the withdrawal of backing to the aggressor.
The years of Israeli imposed blockade upon the tiny territory of Gaza turned it into something worse than the world's largest prison. A prison operating in accord with international standards would not feature such malnutrition among children, such frequent electricity blackouts, or such inadequate medical care resulting from cruel import restrictions.
Freedom Sailors is a true movement book. It is the story of a project that spanned "two years, 250+ people, thousands of donors," and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This short volume is also a fine read. It conveys much of the flavor of this wild ride, as experienced by those involved, ranging from desperate sea-sickness - "She genteelly threw up in biodegradable rubber gloves, carefully tying each one off before handing them to me to throw overboard" - to "much-needed shots of raki." Practical difficulties abounded - to take a minor example, on the Liberty the three toilets on board all quickly ceased functioning. A British Baroness in the House of Lords opines that it "ranks with many of the great adventure stories of history". It has more than a few similarities with a thriller movie - a noble cause, danger, espionage, attempts to thwart the government surveillance, and the inevitable paranoia.
The book is a testament to the power, indeed the necessity, of organizing work done by people who lead otherwise ordinary, mundane lives.
It is a mark of the book's potential that a disinformation campaign aligned with U.S.-Israeli state interests is already focused on the volume. At the time of writing on Aug 28, there are 45 reviews on Amazon.com, 17 of which are 5 star, and 27 one star (and a lone 3 star avoiding a perfect polarity at the extremes). Of those 27 one star reviews, it would be surprising if a single one was posted by someone who actually read the book.
Free Gaza movement is, as Wright notes, "one of the great historical nonviolent actions by citizen activists". One participant commented, "this was never going to be `text book' activism; this was more special." I could not agree more.
Sales proceeds will go to support exactly the sort of work detailed so engagingly in the book (the authors are accepting no royalties).
August 5, 2015
A great success story against the blockade of Gaza. Waiting to be repeated!
March 7, 2021
Reading this book was such a pleasure for me, you realise so many things and so many details that could not imagine, makes you live the experience, but also reflect so much on life and choices, if these people could do that, what can I do?
March 7, 2021
Freedom Sailors is a mesmerising story about a group of visionary activists who managed to non-violently paralyze the Israeli forcers keeping Gaza under a deadly siege for a moment in history. A touching reminder of how impossibly some achievements can seem until they are finally achieved, and a tribute to the beauty of creative activism.
May 29, 2014
Lies, Poop, and why can I not give this book MINUS 10 stars?
Wow. Talk about a diaper load. This book is SO absolutely full of C***.
This is a grandiose misinformation and propaganda fest.
I had to suck it up to read the whole thing. I did not throw it accross the room only because I did not own the book. UGH.
There were so many BLATANT falsehoods I could not believe it. The more I learn about some of the contributors though, I am not terribly surprised.
I went and got a copy from my local library after seeing Greta's name come up a lot on FB recently. Then I saw a book I was not sure about and went to the author's goodreads page only to see that she wanted to read this book. I see Gretas name and I think... hey, I need to know more about her....
Now I know what is going to happen next; after going to amazon & goodreads to post my reviews, I noticed the reviews were for the most part either all the way positive or negative; so I read through them. I fully expect the author to claim I have not read this book, hence the details on where I got it. I also note the personal attacks.
Oh, and that library? They got a BIG earful about the book.
Wow. Talk about a diaper load. This book is SO absolutely full of C***.
This is a grandiose misinformation and propaganda fest.
I had to suck it up to read the whole thing. I did not throw it accross the room only because I did not own the book. UGH.
There were so many BLATANT falsehoods I could not believe it. The more I learn about some of the contributors though, I am not terribly surprised.
I went and got a copy from my local library after seeing Greta's name come up a lot on FB recently. Then I saw a book I was not sure about and went to the author's goodreads page only to see that she wanted to read this book. I see Gretas name and I think... hey, I need to know more about her....
Now I know what is going to happen next; after going to amazon & goodreads to post my reviews, I noticed the reviews were for the most part either all the way positive or negative; so I read through them. I fully expect the author to claim I have not read this book, hence the details on where I got it. I also note the personal attacks.
Oh, and that library? They got a BIG earful about the book.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews