From the pulpit of the Washington National Cathedral, José Andrés — the founder of the international relief organization World Central Kitchen — choked back tears.
The celebrity chef stood nearly 6,000 miles from Gaza, where an Israeli airstrike killed seven of his staff members earlier this month. One by one, Andrés brought the memory of each aid worker to life — demanding answers and action in the wake of their deaths.
“Food can never be a weapon of war. Humanitarians can never be targets,” said Andrés, speaking before hundreds at an interfaith memorial for the aid workers on Thursday. “They are the best of us, answering the call to serve on behalf of all humanity.”
Printing articles to share with others is a breach of our terms and conditions and copyright policy. Please use the sharing options on the left side of the article. Devex Pro members may share up to 10 articles per month using the Pro share tool ( ).
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
