Marilyn Garson was a delegate from New Zealand recently among 20 Jewish organizations in 16 countries, in London UK, at the International Jewish Collective for Justice in Palestine.

While there, Marilyn did an interview with BBC Radio Five which is available for listening above.

Marilyn Garson grew up in Halifax, and departed 36 hours after graduating from Queen Elizabeth High in 1979. She went to U of T, discovered the backpack and absconded for good. Marilyn immigrated to New Zealand and later spent most of 18 years creating jobs in excluded communities affected by war: Cambodian former child soldiers, Afghan women in their homes, Gazan IT graduates. She lived in Gaza 2011 through 2015 and was a member of UNRWA's emergency response team through the 2014 bombardment. Returning to New Zealand, she wrote Still Lives about her years in Gaza and was struck full force by the response of her Progressive congregation.

Marilyn co-founded Alternative Jewish Voices (New Zealand) in 2020. Originally a collective of five, it is currently registering as a membership organisation of around 70. Its founding issue is Jewish pluralism, and along with political advocacy and solidarity activities, it hosts an independent minyan so that no one else needs to be taken apart in a synagogue in order to explore their religion.