Solidarity Fast - Action Toolkit

Thank you for fasting in solidarity with the people of Gaza!

You are joining dozens of others across the state who are going without food to bring attention to the Israeli government’s starvation of people in Gaza. Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana and other faith and community leaders have organized the Indiana Fast for Gaza to fundraise for direct aid and target two of our elected officials, demanding that they divest from genocide, invest in Indiana, and stop starving Gaza. 

From how-to guides to social media graphics, templates to talking points, this toolkit will help you share about your fast and mobilize your community to take action with you!

Thank you for taking action for Gaza in every way you can!

Fasting not your preferred tactic? You can use the resources below to join the campaign in other ways so that you and your people can take action to stop starving Gaza!

image of a female and male sunbird with large text: "Let Gaza Live." The female sunbird is perched on an olive tree and has a piece of barbed wire in her beak. The male sunbird is flying near a strawberry plant. Broken barbed wire runs btwn plants

ACTION ITEMS

Contact Daniel Elliott to demand he divest from genocide and invest in Indiana

Contact Todd Young to demand he let food into Gaza

Donate to MECA

Throughout the fast, we are also raising funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, which provides urgent aid to children & families in Gaza. Despite the Israeli military’s blockade, MECA's staff and local partners in Gaza continue to find ways to meet the needs of as many children and families as possible. Donations go towards medical aid, clean water, food, psychological support, and more.

Key Messaging

We are building a broad coalition united around our shared humanity and values that compel us to act to reduce human suffering. Our unifying messages are:

Tools & Resources

  • Your testimonial can help people understand the Indiana Fast for Gaza and encourage them to join us in taking action. You might follow this outline:

    1. Who are you? (name is optional)

    2. What is a value you hold that the Israeli military and government, aided by the US government, are violating?

    3. How are they violating this value and how are you responding?

    4. What would resolve this violation of your values?

    5. What can people do to be part of this solution?

    Example:

    I am an American Jew living in Indianapolis on Kaskaskia, Myaamia, and Kiikaapoi land. I hold sacred the Jewish value of pikuach nefesh—saving a life.

    Right now, over two million lives are at risk in Gaza as the Israeli military blocks aid from entering, shoots starving families trying to get food, and bombs civilians across Gaza.

    Our elected officials could stop this. Instead, Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott has invested $100 million of our tax dollars in Israel bonds—loans to the Israeli government. Members of Congress including Senator Todd Young have failed to take action to allow aid into Gaza.

    That is why I am joining the Indiana Fast for Gaza. I am fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with the people of Gaza, raising funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, and calling on our elected officials to divest from genocide and stop starving Gaza.

    Will you join me? Take action today at indianafastforgaza.com


    See below for instructions on making and sharing a video of your testimonial. If you prefer to share a written version with JVP Indiana to share on our social media, please type it in a Google Doc and upload here (uploaded files will be deleted by 12/29/25).

    • Shoot your video with your phone, holding it vertically 🤳

    • Keep your video under 35 seconds

    • Write out a script (e.g. your testimonial) and practice it. You might start by explaining you are picking up the relay fast from the previous faster, and will pass it along to the next faster the following evening.

    • Shoot your video in a quiet, well-lit room or outdoor space where there is light in front of your face

    • Use headphones/earphones if possible to improve sound quality


    Share your video to your personal social media and tag @jvpindiana. If you have a public Instagram account, add @jvpindiana as a collaborator on your post.

    You may also upload your video here (all uploaded files will be deleted by 12/29/25).

  • Take a photo of yourself holding a handmade sign with any/all of these messages:

    • I am fasting for 24 hours in solidarity with Gaza. 

    • The Israeli government is starving over 2 million people and we must act. Support children and families in Gaza by donating at bit.ly/in4meca

    • Tell elected officials to divest from genocide, invest in Indiana, and stop starving Gaza. 

    • Visit indianafastforgaza.com.

    • Let Gaza Live

    • Stop Starving Gaza

    • Divest from Genocide

    • Stop Arming Israel

    Share your photo to your personal social media and tag @jvpindiana. If you have a public Instagram account, add @jvpindiana as a collaborator on your post.

    You may also upload your video here (all uploaded files will be deleted by 12/29/25).

  • Sending direct asks to people in your networks is a powerful way to mobilize our communities in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Avoid sending mass emails/texts—a personal ask is more effective! Use your testimonial, or see the example email below for ideas.

    Example:

    Dear [Name],

    Tomorrow I am joining the Indiana Fast for Gaza, a relay fast to bring attention to the Israeli government’s starvation of over 2 million people in Gaza. I’m joining dozens of people across the state of Indiana who are fasting for 24 hours at a time, one after the other, to fundraise for direct aid and pressure our elected officials to stop starving Gaza. 

    Why am I fasting? Since March, the Israeli military has blocked nearly all food and supplies from entering Gaza, with UN aid trucks lined up for miles at the Rafah crossing. Over 2 million people, including 1 million children, face imminent famine with one in every three people going days without any food at all. In late May, the Israeli government allowed US contractors to implement four militarized sites, purportedly for distributing aid. Instead, Israeli soldiers have killed over 1,000 starving people trying to get food. My respect for the dignity of human life compels me to take action, and fasting is a powerful way to show solidarity, mobilize others, and pressure elected officials.

    Will you join me in contacting Senator Todd Young and Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott, asking them to let food into Gaza and divest from Israel bonds? Every voice matters.

    Second, can you donate to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, which is still finding ways to meet the needs of children and families on the ground in Gaza?

    Finally, I encourage you to visit indianafastforgaza.com to learn more ways you can mobilize our community, including hosting a letter-writing event, flyering at your farmer’s market, and even signing up for a 24-hour shift yourself if you are able.

    I appreciate your support and would love to chat with you about getting involved. It’s easy to feel hopeless watching the news, but we have power if we act together!

    Thanks,

    [Your name]

  • Write to your local paper to share your testimonial or a brief summary of your fast and the calls to action!

    Tips

    • Search the news for a story directly or indirectly related to starvation in Gaza and reference the story in the opening of your letter

    • Follow the submission guidelines of the publications (many have a word limit)

    • Make it personal—share why the issue matters to you and how your identities inform your perspective on the issue (e.g. healthcare worker, teacher, member of clergy, Jewish, Palestinian, etc.)

    • End with a call to action: contact Todd Young and Daniel Elliott, and visit indianafastforgaza.com

    Submission Links for Indiana Publications

  • What is Happening in Gaza?

    For 22 months, the Israeli military has bombed and attacked the people of Gaza, killing over 56,000, with thousands more missing under the rubble. For the past 5 months, the Israeli military has blocked food and supplies from entering Gaza, and now only allows aid distribution at militarized sites run by US contractors, where they have killed over 1000 people from May 27 to July 23 and wounded thousands more. The Israeli government is starving over 2 million people in Gaza, with the full backing of the US. 

    What is Indiana Fast for Gaza?

    People of faith and conscience across the state refuse to go on with business as usual while watching people starve and die daily in Gaza. We are launching a rolling fast as an act of public resistance, going without food to bring attention to the Israeli government’s starvation of people in Gaza. Individuals sign up for 24-hour periods so that someone somewhere in Indiana is always fasting in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

    What do you hope to accomplish?

    While fasting alone won’t feed Gaza, we believe in our collective power to force an end to the immediate crisis and bring justice closer. Jewish Voice for Peace Indiana and other faith and community leaders organized the Indiana Fast for Gaza to encourage collective action and mount public pressure on our elected officials to stop the genocide in Gaza. Our three action items are: 

    1. Contact Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott to ask that he stop buying and renewing Israel bonds—loans to the Israeli government that enable it to bomb and starve Gaza.

    2. Contact US Senator Todd Young (IN) to ask that he do everything in his power to get nutrient-rich aid and food into Gaza.

    3. Raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance to provide urgent aid to children and families in Gaza. 

    How can Indiana divest from genocide?

    Indiana State Treasurer Daniel Elliott is ultimately responsible for investing state funds, including our tax dollars. Currently Indiana has invested $100 million in Israel bonds—meaning the state has loaned $100 million to the Israeli government in exchange for fixed-rate interest and repayment of the loan when the bond matures. This ranks among the highest investments in Israel bonds among US states, municipalities, and pension funds. (Little Sis Public Accountability Initiative, 2024)

    Not only do these loans to the Israeli government make us complicit in its campaign of bombing and starvation against people in Gaza, they are also a terrible financial investment. Investors cannot sell the bonds before they mature, meaning they cannot make gains by choosing to sell bonds when the market price is higher. This makes Israel bonds lower reward and higher risk compared to similar fixed-rate investments. 

    Moreover, the top three credit rating agencies have rated the Israeli government’s credit outlook for the future as negative, meaning the risk that it will not repay bonds has increased and further downgrades to its rating are expected. (S&P, Fitch, and Moody’s, 2024). For any other country’s bonds, Indiana law requires that they have the highest investment credit rating by at least two national credit rating agencies. But lawmakers made an explicit exception for Israel—the Treasurer can invest in Israel bonds with no restrictions. (Indiana Code 5-13-10.5-10)

    State Treasurer Daniel Elliott can reduce Indiana’s financial risk and our complicity with genocide by not buying or renewing Israel bonds. He has both a moral and fiduciary responsibility to do so. We call on Treasurer Elliott as our elected official to divest from genocide and make sound investments that will increase funding for services that Indiana residents truly need like healthcare, education, affordable housing, and clean energy.

    How can Congress end the siege and get food into Gaza?

    The Israeli government would not be able to continue bombing and starving the people of Gaza without the military, financial, and political support of the US government. Several resolutions have been raised in Congress to limit funding to the Israeli military, stop sending offensive weapons to Israel, or allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. So far, none have passed. 

    As Indiana residents, we are often in a discouraging position when it comes to calling on our Senators to take action. But with regard to food aid, Senator Todd Young has shown a willingness to act in the past. In 2019, he led efforts to ensure safe access to humanitarian aid in Yemen, and demanded that food not be used as a weapon of war.

    We are asking him to fulfill the same moral obligation now in Gaza. There are shipments of therapeutic food packets, which are only used to treat malnourished children, waiting at Rafah to cross into Gaza. Sen. Young has the ability to apply political pressure and urge the Israeli government to allow such nutrition to reach the starving children who so desperately need it, and he must act now.

    • Pass out flyers at your local farmer’s market (see this list of Indianapolis-area markets)

    • Host or invite others to host a letter writing event—handwritten letters and postcards are harder for elected officials to ignore!

    • Organize a vigil with your congregation or other community group

    • Share in a newsletter to your congregation or community group

    • Feeling creative? Make art however you feel called—designing flyers or posters, painting banners, composing music—and display or perform it publicly to get the word out!