Dear Aviva Arts Community,

October 30, 2025

We deeply mourn all those that have been killed and continue to be starved and displaced by the war in Palestine and Israel. We call for a permanent, lasting ceasefire and an end to the genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government in Gaza that has led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. 

We reject the colonialist mindset that war secures safety. 

We denounce all those who wield authority—be it in governmental, military, or non-state capacities — for engaging in acts of violence and fostering systemic discrimination. We condemn our own government’s complicity in the Israeli government’s war. 

We support the Palestinian people’s right to sovereignty, safety, and freedom. 

We demand a just, diplomatic resolution be achieved that would allow for the safety and peace of all people in the region. We stand against anti-Jewish hatred. We call upon Israelis to renounce their government’s actions and call upon Jews everywhere to use their positional privilege to speak up for Palestinians.

We believe peace and safety transcend political and geographic borders. 

Aviva Arts is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our organization is made up of artists and cultural workers who identify as immigrants, MENASA, Asian, Latinx, disabled, queer, non-binary and cis-gendered women. Our lived experiences demand we hold complex narratives, center least-heard voices and lead from our humanity.  

Our commitments to inclusion are meaningless if we exclude the humanity of any people or group.

We recognize that the United States is a settler colonial nation built on systemic oppression of indigenous, Black, Latinx and immigrants and that many in our communities have participated in and benefit from those systems of oppression. We acknowledge that we live with ongoing trauma and grief of colonized people in our own country, and we seek to uplift those voices.

At Aviva Arts we believe arts practice is liberation practice. Our job is to co-imagine humanity’s new way forward. 

We will continue to tell stories that center complex narratives and embrace new possibilities of how to thrive together. 

We will continue to advocate for compassion, empathy, and understanding to bridge perceived divides. 

We will continue to build trust across our communities by using our relative privilege to lift up others who are most acutely suffering at this moment. 

Theater has historically been a space where artists and organizations have definitively stood up against injustice. We hope this statement serves to embolden other arts organizations to publicly advocate for peace and justice. 

We call upon you, the community we serve, to join us in keeping an ongoing vigil for compassion. If you are struggling and in need of connection, or just a moment of creative joy, please join us at an upcoming workshop, action or performance. 

In Solidarity, 

Aviva Arts Staff and Board of Directors