The Best of Humanity

I'm back to share some words from last week's WCK Interfaith Memorial

Friends. I’ve been away from these pages for the last few weeks, and I deeply appreciate you all for your messages and words of support and empathy for the people of World Central Kitchen. I can’t begin to tell you how hard it’s been. I don’t want to get right back into our usual rhythm of food stories and posts without a moment to reflect, so I thought I might share the speech that I gave at the WCK Interfaith Memorial last Thursday the 25th at the Washington National Cathedral.

If you’re interested in watching the whole beautiful service, take a look here:

And below is the speech I gave. I hope we can all get inspiration from the lives of the seven extraordinary humanitarians who were taken from us.

Thank you again for your love and support—I’m so happy we have this community here, and all around the world.

You can also hear my remarks at the memorial on my podcast:

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Over the years at World Central Kitchen, we have been inspired by what John Steinbeck wrote in The Grapes of Wrath.

“Wherever there’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there.”

The seven souls we mourn today were there so that hungry people could eat.

Saif Abutaha, John Chapman, Jacob Flickinger, Zomi Frankcom, Jim Henderson, James Kirby and Damian Soból.

They risked everything to feed people they did not know – and would never meet.

In the worst moments, the best of humanity shows up.

Saif, John, Jacob, Zomi, Jim, James, and Damian.

They were the best of humanity.

Their example should inspire us to do better – to be better.

Saif Abutaha was an integral member of the team, as a driver and translator in his native Gaza.

He went to university in the UAE and stayed there to work. He returned to Gaza to help run his family business, a flour mill.

When we visited the family warehouse, we were so impressed we chose it as our Gaza headquarters, living inside the factory, sharing meals with Saif’s family.

He was very close to his family, texting them constantly, especially his beloved mother. He was driving home to see her, texting to see if she was asleep, when our convoy was attacked.

John Chapman was a beloved husband, father of three, son and brother.

He was brave, selfless and strong – as you might expect of a former Royal Marine Commando.

He never missed a chance to tell his family how much he loved them and missed them. Especially in Gaza.

He had a great sense of humor and a great love of adventure. He was an inspiration for all around him. He made those next to him feel loved and protected.

Jacob Flickinger was a leader. A problem-solver. A moral beacon.

Exactly what you need in the chaos of a disaster zone or a war zone.

He was tough, fit, disciplined, and smart. But his kindness shone through.

When a huge hurricane hit Acapulco in Mexico last year, he joined World Central Kitchen and made an immediate impact.

He took special care to feed the children and made them feel loved and safe. The kids called him Tío Jacob.

His smile won people over because he loved to help the world – and the world loved him back.

Zomi Frankcom, our beloved Zomi, was at the very heart of World Central Kitchen.

She was the living, breathing, smiling heart of everything we did in the field.

She simply cannot be replaced.

She joined us as a volunteer after the huge volcano erupted in Guatemala six years ago. It always felt, from the start, that she embodied our spirit and purpose.

She gave joy to others, even more than she gave food -- dancing, singing, playing with children – as well as her team mates. Her compassion and curiosity were infectious.

She traveled the world, savoring its flavors, treasuring its people, nourishing the souls of everyone she helped.

And she helped so many people.

Jim Henderson was kind, honest, and compassionate. A family man and a fiancé.

A proud former Royal Marine, and an avid rugby player, his work around the world centered on helping people.

He taught first aid to civilians in Ukraine. He trained people how to respond to trauma.

And he supported humanitarian missions like ours.

His family knew they could not stop him from showing up in dangerous places to help people in desperate need, thousands of miles away from home.

James Kirby, known to his friends as Kirbs, was a gentleman and a hero.

He was kind, funny, and loved by anyone he met.

A veteran of British military tours in Bosnia and Afghanistan, he was driven to help those in need because of the compassion he felt at his core.

In the middle of violence and disaster, where few people would choose to go, he was always ready to lend a helping hand.

His friends said his heart was the biggest part of his body.

Damian Soból joined us on day one of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, helping refugees as they arrived at the train station in his hometown in Poland.

Damian made you feel like family, even if it was the first time you met him.

So many people would stop to hug him at our relief kitchen that he looked like the town’s unofficial mayor.

He traveled to many more disasters with us because he had an unstoppable desire to help.

This past week, the town of Elbistan, in Türkiye, named a street after Damian – in honor the impact he had after the earthquake there.

He was a brilliant soccer player, a beloved partner, a devoted son, brother, uncle and nephew.

He was pure joy for everyone who knew him.

Our losses may seem small in number compared to the almost 200 humanitarian aid workers killed in Gaza, the 34,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, and the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas.

But each of these people leave behind loved ones, who will always have them in their hearts.

When disaster strikes, it’s easy to see the dark and never the light.

But the reality is this: more people want the light than the dark.

We cannot ignore the suffering after a natural disaster, or in a war zone.

Today we grieve and suffer alongside the families of our seven heroes, and the whole World Central Kitchen family.

But we also see the light in these places of suffering.

People overcoming immense challenges. People who want to help people.

People like Saif, John, Jacob, Zomi, Jim, James and Damian.

People who are sitting here today – the current and former team members and volunteers of World Central Kitchen.

Please stand up and please know that you are our light in the darkness.

I know we all have many unanswered questions about what happened and why.

There is no excuse for these killings. None.

Even one innocent life taken is one too many.

I know there are also many questions about what we did and why.

We ask ourselves the same questions, day and night.

We are all consumed with anger, regret and sorrow.

We faced the same impossible questions in Ukraine, where we also lost members of our extended World Central Kitchen family.

When I would tell Ukrainians they were cooking too close to the frontlines, they said they would be there anyway – with or without World Central Kitchen.

There were children and elderly to feed. These were their communities, after all.

Ukrainians were feeding the people of Ukraine.

Just like in Gaza.

Palestinians feeding Palestinians.

People feeding people.

That’s what we do at World Central Kitchen. We stand next to communities as they feed themselves, nourish themselves, heal themselves.

People don’t want our pity they want our respect…..Our only way to show respect is facing the mayhem alongside them.

We remind them that they are not alone in the darkness.

Early in the war in Ukraine, I traveled with my daughter Inés to Poland and was going to cross the border to Lviv.

I told her I didn’t want her to come because of the risks.

Her reply cut right to my heart.

She said, “How do you think young people will change the world if we aren’t willing to take risks?”

She was right.

We take risks because we want to change the world with something we all believe, deep down.

All nationalities. All religions. All people.

Food is a universal human right.

Feeding each other, cooking and eating together, is what makes us human.

The dishes we cook and deliver are not just ingredients, or calories.

A plate of food is a plate of hope. A message that someone, somewhere, cares for you.

We expect our leaders to live by the same standards set by these seven heroes.

We expect their words and their actions to build longer tables, not higher walls.

Because the fate of the many cannot be decided by the hateful and divisive actions of the few.

We expect them to remember the book of Matthew: “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

We expect them to remember the hadith of Imam Ahmad: “The best of you are those who feed others.”

We expect them to remember the Jewish tradition of inviting strangers to this week’s Passover seder.

As the Haggadah says, “Let all those who are hungry come and eat with us. Let all those who are in need come and share our meal.”

Food can never be a weapon of war.

Humanitarians are never targets.

They are best of us – running towards the danger as others run away.

Every single civilian life is sacred, and must never be treated as collateral damage.

The great Elie Wiesel once said: “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

It’s time to end the indifference.

I am thinking of the family of Saif, who could not choose to be indifferent.

His family cannot be here with us today, but his brother asked me to read a message.

He said:

“I want peace and sympathy for the families of the victims who fell alongside by brother.

These heroes – may their memory remain forever.

And I hope that World Central Kitchen continues its humanitarian work around the world, not just in Gaza – carrying on the spirit of the fallen, and the resilience of the Palestinian people.”

And I do believe that each of us has within, a deep reserve of empathy, something that we can all tap into if we just look.

Everywhere I've been, I've seen neighbors helping neighbors and communities supporting themselves through crisis.

When things look the darkest, the best of humanity really shines through.

To the people of World Central Kitchen: Things might look dark right now. We are all in mourning, all of us alone, all of us together.

We need each other now more than ever.

To the families of Saif, John, Jacob, Zomi, Jim, James and Damian: you lost someone in your life who can’t be replaced, who was a light in your life as they were a light in ours.

But I promise you: we will not forget what they did for the hungry and for the world…

We will honor their names. We will remember the lives they lived. We will act with the empathy that they brought to the world.

May their memory be a blessing for their families.

And may they be an inspiration for us all.