Voices of Conscience: International Conscientious Objectors Day!

Tomorrow is International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, first declared in 1982 by European objectors to compulsory military service.

The day’s meaning has has since broadened to cover each service member’s right to follow their conscience. And CCW,  Veterans For Peace, Center on Conscience and War and Refuser Solidarity Network are hosting “Voices of Conscience” for the day. Join us as we hear from U.S. Air Force CO’s Juan Bettancourt and Joy Metzler, whose objection was based in U.S. support for Israel’s Gaza war, and from Israeli CO Max Kersch, who was among 130 reservists confronting the costs of that war. 

Register to join virtually, and join us at 2 pm ET (1 pm CT | 12 pm MT | 11 am PT). Each of the speakers has their own journey of conscience:

Juan Bettancourt  began resisting as the Gaza war began. giving gave notice to his command that if he was told to work in support of Israel, he would refuse. “I said I would consider it an illegal order,” he told me last fall as he joined Appeal For Redress v.2, a campaign to mobilize active-duty and reserve troops to tell their members of Congress that they oppose U.S. support of Israel’s current war in Gaza. At the Appeal’s Zoom launch, Bettancourt also announced that he was applying for discharge as a CO, and he’s been active with our CO Support Group ever since. 

Joy Metzler‘s journey began after the famous/notorious self-immolation of fellow airman Aaron Bushnell in February 2024.She told The Guardian that after that, she started reading more about the conflict, and”A lot of the things I had been told about the US’s role in the world were wrong.” She’s since been active with Veterans For Peace, for whom she wrote last year on International CO Day: “Stand with conscientious objectors who have found a way to individually stand against the endless cycle of war.”

Max Kersch, co-founder of Soldiers For the Hostages, was one of more than 130 Israeli reservists who signed an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in October 2024, stating that they refused to serve unless a deal was signed to end the war and bring back the hostages still in Gaza. A native of Detroit, he writes for RSN that “I moved to Israel after high school at the age of 18, and I enlisted in the Israeli army almost 10 years ago as a combat medic, and since my (honorary) discharge, I have been doing military reserves duty regularly about once per year.” That changed last year, and more than 200 fellow IDF members are now part of his organization. Their group T-shirt says: “ONE HAS A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY TO DISOBEY UNJUST WARS”.

CCW director Richard Morgan says that he regards all three as essential partners in the Center’s work. “Having a single organization supporting individuals through the Conscientious Objector process is meaningful. But when we bring together not just organizations across the United States, but also those around the globe—especially at a time like this—it becomes something truly powerful. It’s not only about offering help and hope to those navigating the process; it’s also about educating the public on what it truly means to be a Conscientious Objector. That collective effort has the power to shift understanding, foster solidarity, and create real change.”