Joseph Stork

1943 - 2024

1943 – 2024
Joe Stork, a renowned human rights advocate, activist and tireless worker for social justice, died unexpectedly at home in Washington, DC, on October 23, 2024. He was 81. Joe was a person of character, integrity, humor and courage; a lover of literature, a talented musician, and a "girl-dad" extraordinaire to his three daughters. He was a wholehearted partner with his late wife Priscilla Norris, and the stalwart point man to seven far-flung but tight-knit younger siblings.
Joe was a major figure in Middle East reporting and analysis. Over a span of thirty years at Human Rights Watch (HRW), he served as advocacy director and later deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division, documenting abuses throughout the region and contributing extensively to groundbreaking reports on Israel/Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and the Gulf states. He was a lifelong advocate for the rights of Palestinians, a tenacious investigator with a deep understanding of the region and its issues, and a mentor and friend to colleagues and activists throughout the region.
Joe joined the first contingent of Peace Corps Volunteers in 1964 spending two years in Tokat, Turkey teaching English. After earning a Master's in International Relations/Middle Eastern Studies at Columbia University, he cofounded the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP). From 1971 to 1995, he was chief editor of its magazine, Middle East Report, which remains the longest-running progressive publication on the region.
His knowledge, background and expertise in the Middle East and North Africa were widely recognized. He testified numerous times before congressional committees, including on human rights conditions in Bahrain during the government's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, but he preferred to be in the field working with local activists. He was exhilarated to be in Cairo when the Arab Spring, the pro-democracy and anti-corruption protests that spread across the region, broke loose.
Joe and Priscilla's home was legendary for its hospitality, a way station for colleagues, relatives and friends who, on any given night, could find a salon of diverse fellow travelers, fabulous food, conversation and music. Joe was an accomplished musician whose knowledge and love of music spanned genres and instruments. He had a special love of Irish music. In the 1970s, he sang and played acoustic bass with the Fast Flying Vestibule (FFV), an eclectic old-time string band. Bandmate Terence Winch recalled his "keen intelligence, big heart, sense of humor and musical talent … He was one of a kind." The band played at local clubs and folk and fiddle festivals for years. Following its disbanding, Joe and Frank Haltiwanger formed the duo Crooked Jack, playing American roots and Irish music happily through the next two decades. In addition to playing music, Joe compiled legendary playlists enjoyed by friends and family over the years.
Joe was the eldest of eight children of Gerard and Mary (nee Killelea) Stork. He is survived by his daughters Zafra Stork, Leila Wright and Nora Sivo, and grandchildren Neila, Sekai and Adira Wright, and Jason Sivo.
Surviving siblings are Gerard of Burke, VT, Mary Ann O'Connor of Hanover, NH, Thomas of Asheville, NC, Peter of Denver, CO, Richard of Winston-Salem, NC, Robert of Shelburne, NS Canada, and Gretchen of Atlanta, GA. With heavy hearts the crew carries on, bereft and rudderless, in the wake of such loss.
A memorial service will take place Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 1 p.m.
St Mark's Episcopal Church - 301 A St. SE, Washington, DC 20003.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to MERIP at https://merip.org/donate/