In This Issue
Mennonite Action Holds Week of Action for Gaza – March 25 – 29
Join a Tree Planting Adventure in Palestine and Israel
Donate to Replant Olive Trees in Palestine!
Funding Support for Tareq Abuhalima’s Family
Prayers from Sabeel
Stay Informed on Palestine
Mennonite Action Holds Week of Action for Gaza –
March 25 – 29
Harrisonburg-area Mennonites call for a ceasefire in Gaza in February
Mennonite congregations and communities are now organizing to take action the week of March 25-29 to address the humanitarian suffering in Gaza. Actions directed to our political leadership include requests for increased humanitarian aid, calls for a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and political prisoners, and an end to funding of weapons of war to Israel. “Send Aid, Not Bombs!” is Mennonite Action’s theme! Congregations will be holding actions throughout the week to show the breadth and size of our movement—and the momentum will continue to grow with each passing day.
Congregations are also creating physical symbols of the aid that our countries should be providing to Gaza – not weapons of war. These physical symbols could include quilts, bread, or other Anabaptist forms of expression that will be delivered to political leadership throughout North America.
Connect with a Mennonite congregation and community to join an event or use the Mennonite Action toolkit to create your own.
Join a Tree Planting Adventure in Palestine and Israel
Jerusalem residents plant trees as part of an Earth Day event in 2021. Credit: Fadi Amira
Join Mennonite Men and MennoPIN February 12-27, 2025, as we travel to Palestine and Israel to plant olive trees, meet Palestinian peacemakers, and connect the land to Jesus’ way of peace. This is for anyone age 18 and older.
Our two-week sojourn in Palestine and Israel will bring us into multifold contact with this land. Tree planting days in the West Bank will give us intimate, hand-to-soil contact with the land itself as we work with Palestinian farmers. We will learn about the occupation of Palestine through relationship building and experiential learning. We will discover the critical place of trees in the culture, economy, and ecology of the region. And we will see that the olive branch is not simply a symbol but that olive trees are essential for God’s peace in this land. Since this is the homeland of Jesus of Nazareth, we will visit ancient biblical sites—in Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Bethlehem—and make connections between the ancient land of Abraham, David, and Jesus and of modern-day Palestinians. We will also meet with Palestinian peacemakers practicing creative non-violence to bring hope and courage into their local communities. We will make time for worship and reflection together, recognizing that there will be much to process, and much about this trip that will transform us.
We hope you will support this fund-raising campaign or join us for this trip to Palestine and Israel. Learn more about the trip, including a link to sign up on MennoPIN’s website at this link. We will have an information and Q&A meeting via Zoom on March 18th at 7:30pm (EST) at https://bit.ly/palestinequestions. Questions may also be referred to the trip organizers below:
- Steve Thomas, US Director of Mennonite Men and ISA certified arborist, SteveT@MennoniteMen.org
- Bob Atchison, Chair of MennoPIN and professional forester, robertleeatchison@gmail.com
- Amy Yoder McGloughlin, delegation leader for CPT (Community Peacemaker Teams) in Palestine, amy.yoder.mcgloughlin@gmail.com
Donate to Replant Olive Trees in Palestine!
Israelis have destroyed over one million olive trees belonging to Palestinians. Why? To strike at their livelihoods, create economic hardships, and displace them from their land. Once trees are removed and farmers are forced to leave their land, Israelis may claim and add this land to their settlements in occupied Palestine. This is one of many aggravating factors leading to Palestinian resistance and the current war. Help MennoPIN and the Mennonite Men JoinTrees campaign raise $50,000 to replace 2,500-3,000 olive trees and enable Palestinian families to remain on their land. Click here to learn how to donate.
Funding Support for Tareq Abuhalima’s Family
Since December 2019 MennoPIN has been in relationship with Tareq Abuhalima and Youth Vision Society in Gaza as part of our Twinning Initiative to advocate for the people of Gaza. Last year Tareq began working on a Business Administration masters at Bluffton University. This story was recently featured in the March edition of Anabaptist World (Read the AW story here). Since the October 7th war began Tareq has lost three of his sisters and his remaining family now live in tents in southern Gaza. His remaining family lacks the basic necessities of life such as clean water, food, adequate clothing, and shelter. The cold weather has exacerbated their situation pushing Tareq’s family to the brink of survival.
The photo below is of Tareq’s niece, Farah, washing dishes from the one meal they share each day. Tareq’s brother reports “Farah is always doing something. She collects mud around the tent to protect it from falling apart due to the wind. She stands in a line to collect drinking water and collects firewood for cooking. She is always doing something, and somehow she finds something to smile about.”
As part of his Ramadan observance, Tareq is reaching out to ask for support for his family to provide a glimmer of hope amidst despair. Tareq is using Western Union to wire money to his family.
If you are willing to help, Please mail support to his address, or send money to his PayPal by opening the PayPayl app and scanning the QR below.
Prayers from Sabeel
On the 10th of March, the Muslim world marked the first day of Ramadan. Ramadan is the most important month in Islam which is observed with fasting, daily communal prayers, and recitation of the Quran, amongst other practices. Nearly every year in Palestine the month of Ramadan is marked with violence, provocation, and the obstruction of the freedom of worship by the State of Isarel against the Palestinian Muslim population.
Holy God, we pray that all Palestinian Muslims will be able to practice their spirituality this Ramadan without restrictions and violence. We remember that our oppressors enforce rules not to protect, but to restrict. Lord, as millions fast this Ramadan let them remember the people in Gaza who are starving, and as they come together in community to break their fasts, may they be reminded of the collective strength communities possess to challenge injustices.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
People in Gaza are waiting for the outcome of ceasefire talks while Israeli attacks, starvation, diseases, and hellish circumstances continue, affecting 2.2 million people. Children are dying of starvation in northern Gaza, and many are experiencing severe malnutrition. Aid is systematically denied from entering Gaza, especially the northern part and the aid that does make it through is at times under fire from Israel’s military.
God of the oppressed, the full extent of the suffering in Gaza is unknown. Lord, we come to you like the Psalmist asking “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). Lord, we hold on to our faith that the depths of agony and pain are only truly known by you and the people of Gaza. Lord, deliver the people of Gaza and stop the starvation they are experiencing. Keep us from growing numb to the suffering that is occurring.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
Stay Informed on Palestine
MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine through our monthly update, special alerts, calls to action, important resources and tour possibilities, all from an Anabaptist perspective. But there are additional excellent organizations and web publications that can keep you informed, some on a daily basis. We invite you to explore these groups and visit the web publications as another way to keep current and active for the people of Palestine. Here are some MennoPIN recommends:
Organizations
- Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
- Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Sabeel)
- Mennonite Central Committee Palestine and Israel
- Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT)
- U.S. Campaign for Palestine Rights (USCPR)
- Kairos Palestine
- Kairos USA
- Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
- Christian Zionism
- Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace
- Palestine Portal
Web Publications
Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network
mennopin@gmail.com | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | twitter.com/mennopin
Steering Committee:
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS)
Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA)
Dave Janzen (Fellowship of Hope, Elkhart, IN)
Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA)
Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Rod Stafford (Portland Mennonite Church, Portland, OR)
Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC)
Lydia Miller (Kalamazoo Mennonite Fellowship, Kalamazoo MI)
MennoPIN 