The Progressive Action Roundtable mission is to inform the greater New Haven community about the activities of many progressive groups, so that people may learn about them and become involved in discussions and actions on issues for the common good, such as peace, health, racial equity, justice, clean energy and the environment.
There may soon be a reboot of the free local newspaper New Haven Advocate (in existence from 1975 to 2013). Be on the lookout at libraries, coffee shops, bookstores, and various places around New Haven for the stacks of the New Haven Advocate.
by LouAnn Villani, Middle East Crisis Committee
American Doctor is a non-fiction film following three American physicians – Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidhwa. They recount horrors and barbarities they witnessed while volunteering in Gaza during Israel’s ongoing genocide. It’s professionally made by director Poh Si Teng but won’t be coming to a screen near you (unless you campaign for it). Search for it and travel to see it.
Clips were featured on Democracy Now! on Aug. 14 (see democracynow.org for the video and full transcript).
DR. THAER AHMAD: “I want to just take you through what it looks like when a hospital gets targeted and attacked, because this has become a pattern when it comes to the Israeli military. This has become a behavior that they started in October of 2023 when they struck Al-Mamadani Ahli Baptist Hospital. And when that happened and that there was no accountability, we saw that this became a series of events that attacked every hospital.”
DR. MARK PERLMUTTER: “As a Jewish physician, I knew nothing about Gaza. Like most Americans, I thought everybody out here were nothing but terrorists, because that’s what I was told.”
DR. FEROZE SIDHWA: “I’m not Israeli. I’m not Palestinian. I’m not Christian. I’m not Muslim. I’m not Jewish. And I don’t really have any connection to it. But as an American, I just don’t want my government involved in crimes.”
At the end of their segment the doctors talk briefly in tribute to Dr. Abu Safiya [pictured below], who has been imprisoned and tortured by Israel since Dec. 2024. As this was written, August 18, Dr. Abu Safiya was still alive. That’s quite an achievement. In the last visit he had from his lawyer the doctor said, “They brought me here to kill me. I don’t see myself surviving.” His attorney Nasser Odeh said he was in critical condition. The doctor had been beaten by guards with hammers. He’s in an underground cell in a prison in Israel – no charge, no trial. There’s a Congressional letter calling for the doctor’s release and all five members of the CT delegation have signed it. See more at FreeDrAbuSafiya.org.
by Merryl Eaton, Director of Advocacy and Education Project, CCA
Mothers & Others for Justice (MOFJ) is a New Haven-based grassroots advocacy group sponsored by Christian Community Action. MOFJ believes that the voices of people most affected by an issue should be heard and that their recommendations should help shape public policy.
For more than 30 years, MOFJ has worked across interconnected issues including economic justice, health equity, affordable housing, and child welfare reform.
One of MOFJ’s newest areas of work is child welfare reform. Through its Family & Child Welfare Collaborative (FCWC), MOFJ brings together people with lived experience with the Department of Children and Families (DCF) system, advocates, community lawyers, and community partners. The goal is to advance accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform while ensuring that families directly affected have MOFJ believes families need a child welfare system that protects children while respecting parents, recognizing family strengths, and providing support before crises escalate. Effective reform must be shaped by those who have experienced the system firsthand.
MOFJ’s health equity work follows the same principle. Its HEALTH subcommittee—Helping Everyone Achieve Lifelong Trusted Healthcare—centers the voices of residents who face barriers to care. The group asks practical questions: Can families afford care? Do they have access to providers they trust? Are their concerns taken seriously? How do poverty, transportation, and housing instability affect their health?
HEALTH also focuses on Black maternal health, providing training to equip members to become maternal health champions.
MOFJ also works with community organizations on housing issues and builds leadership and advocacy skills among residents. The goal is not simply participation, but meaningful power—the knowledge, relationships, and confidence needed to influence policies that shape daily life.
MOFJ’s greatest strength is its relationships. Members consistently show up at community events, legislative meetings, rallies, workshops, and town halls. They speak with neighbors, connect residents to resources, and collaborate with partners.
MOFJ believes change happens with communities, not to them. New Haven’s communities hold knowledge, resilience, and leadership. When residents organize around shared concerns, their voices can become a powerful force for change.
We welcome you to join our efforts. Contact Merryl Eaton at merryleaton@ccahelping.org.
Please submit copy to PAR at parnewhaven@hotmail.com. 375 word limit. Questions? Call Paula at 203-562-2798.
The next issue is our September issue.
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by Thomas Breen, May 12, 2026, New Haven Independent
A Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) nursing student from Ecuador has returned home to Connecticut after spending more than a month in federal immigration detention, including, most recently, in southern Louisiana.
The statewide immigrant-advocacy group CT Students for a Dream announced that news in a Tuesday afternoon press release.
That press release states that Keyla Vasquez-Zuniga was granted a $15,000 bond and released from the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile, La., on Saturday, May 9.
Her release came less than a week after an immigration judge granted Vasquez-Zuniga a $15,000 bond, and two days after CT Students for a Dream stepped up its fundraising to help secure her release, cover her legal costs, and help her travel back from Louisiana to Connecticut.
“I’m really thankful for all of the help and support I received from everyone. Your kindness, encouragement, and patience truly meant the world to me. I honestly couldn’t have gotten through everything without the people who stood by my side and believed in me even during this difficult period,” Vasquez-Zuniga is quoted as saying in Tuesday’s press release.
“Every message, and every little act of support made a bigger difference than you probably realize. I’ve learned so much from this experience, and I’ll always be grateful for the love and positivity I was surrounded by. Thank you for always being there for me, for lifting me up when I needed it most, and for reminding me that I’m never alone. I appreciate each and every one of you more than words can explain.”
[To read this article in its entirety, please go to bit.ly/3PBwhjG]
The Progressive Action Roundtable newsletter does not publish in July or August. Please check our website par-newhaven.org for any updates about July or August events. Our next issue will be the September issue.
The Progressive Action Roundtable newsletter does not publish in July or August. If your organization has events planned for the summer, send the information by May 18 to parnewhaven@hotmail.com so that we may include the events in our summer calendar listings. Thank you!
by Stanley Heller, Middle East Crisis Committee
On Sunday, March 1, groups will honor Gaza doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, who has been in Israeli custody since Dec. 2024, and who has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The event will take place at the Palestine Museum US, 1764 Litchfield Turnpike in Woodbridge, starting at 3 p.m.
The main speaker at the event will be Dr. Karameh Kuemmerle, one of the co-founders of Doctors Against Genocide. Also speaking will be Rabbi Abby Chava Stein. Stein is an active member of the rabbinical group T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the abducted director of the now forcibly-closed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, has been imprisoned by Israel for near 14 months. He has not been formally charged with anything, no evidence of wrongdoing has been advanced, but it is claimed he is an “unlawful combatant.”
Dr. Abu Safiya was nominated by Dr. Carol Gray, Assistant Professor of Public Law, Department of Political Science at the University of Fairbanks in Alaska. Dr. Gray noted that “Choosing Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya would spotlight the horrific genocide in Gaza as well as the incredible courage of the Palestinian people who have endured so much. It might also save his life.”
For more information and for tickets: https://pmu.betterworld.org/events/abu-safiya. Other contact info: see FreeDrAbuSafiya.org, phone 203-444-3578, or email mail@thestruggle.org.
Get your taxes done for free at the New Haven Free Public Library. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) volunteers are available at all five library locations this year. Make an appointment for help at one of our four neighborhood branches or drop in for help at Ives Library, 133 Elm Street, during their walk-in hours. For more information, visit https://nhfpl.org/vita-2026.
