In This Issue
These are disorienting times, with each day bombarding us with new, alarming developments and so many new fires needing to be put out. As we struggle to get our footing, may we find grounding in our core Anabaptist convictions such as peacemaking, nonviolence, service, and community—values that have carried our movement 500 years from 1525 until today.
Reflections by Michael George,
MennoPIN Steering Committee Member
As I sit down to write this reflection for MennoPIN, the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is on the precipice of collapsing, the increasingly emboldened far-right Israeli government has its eyes set on annexing the West Bank, and the political leader of my own country is openly and enthusiastically calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza. Despite this proposal being an obvious war crime under international law and a gross human rights violation, there has been very little pushback by elected politicians of both parties, the media, and the general American populace. The concept of dispossessing millions of Palestinians from their homeland is gaining momentum and has become a mainstream political, and theological concept in our country and in the rest of the Christian West.
As a Palestinian-American and son of a Palestinian refugee of 1948, it is heartbreaking to realize that Palestinians are apparently exempt from the protection of international law and continually denied their basic human rights. As a Christian, I hope and pray that this already horrific and apocalyptic situation will not continue to deteriorate and that Palestinians and Israelis can both be liberated to live lives of peace, justice, equality, and security. However, I genuinely fear that there is nothing on the geopolitical horizon to alter the current trajectory of increasing violence, displacement, and death in Gaza and the West Bank.
In my role as coordinator of MennoPIN’s “Twinning with Gaza” Initiative for the past five years, I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful and amazing people both in Gaza and throughout Mennonite Church USA. Joining weekly zoom conferences between friends in Gaza and the United States has been a great joy and has become a part of the rhythm of my life. It has been a humbling, surreal, and maddening experience to have a first-hand seat to the disaster that has unfolded over the past year and a half. I have heard so many stories of unimaginable devastation that it has almost become numbing at times.
Most of Gaza has been destroyed. Its water system, sewage system, and electricity grid have all been destroyed. After the ceasefire, people are returning to what’s left of their homes and communities. Many are finding that nothing is left and have nowhere to live.
All three twinning organizations in Gaza have been destroyed and our MennoPIN congregational partners do not have regular contact with people in Gaza at this time. Most of our main contacts have fled Gaza and are now living in countries such as Egypt, Kuwait, or the United States. While we are incredibly blessed to be able to continue to meet with them, it’s heartbreaking to witness them having to observe what is happening to their friends and families from thousands of miles away. There is a temptation to give in to hopelessness, but it’s imperative that we continue to tell the stories of the people that we have met through the “Twinning with Gaza” Initiative. I would like to live in a world where all of God’s children, be they Palestinian, Israeli, or American, can flourish and live with dignity.
Back in January of 2023, a youth Sunday School class at Landisville Mennonite Church, the congregation that I attend in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, met with a small group of children from Khan Younis. They were participants in an after-school program run by my congregation’s twinning partner, the Pulse of Peace Association for Mental Health. A young man named Mohammed, my friend and main contact at the organization, was in charge of the after-school program. Mohammed and I had the children from Landisville and Khan Younis create pictures of what peace means to them and share them with each other.
The children overcame any language barriers and had a great time showing each other the art that they created. However, when I think back to this meeting, I don’t necessarily think about the wonderful art that they made or the hilarious attempts to teach each other English and Arabic. The memory that stands out to me the most was observing a little boy, perhaps ten years old, who entertained himself throughout the meeting by making silly faces at us the entire time. I’m sure that Mohammed was frustrated with him, but the meeting went well despite this slight inconvenience.
I have often thought of that mischievous little boy over the past year and a half. Is he still living? If he’s living, are his parents alive? Does he have a house to live in? What traumas is he currently experiencing? Does he wonder if those American Mennonites who he made faces at for an hour remember him? Does he wonder if we will speak up on his behalf? Does he wonder if we are willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations in order to insist on his full humanity? Does he wonder if there is reason for him to hope for a better day?
Upcoming Online Opportunities
*Note time zones carefully
THIS FRIDAY! Friends of Sabeel North America invites you for an online gathering with friends from the West Bank. We’ll share a time of listening and encouragement while examining the occupation, settler violence, and struggle for hope and liberation.
Come and listen, learn, and share the love.
Israeli Refuseniks, This Sunday
Green Olive Collective in Jerusalem invites you to join a webinar to learn about a network of military refusers, conscientious objectors, and draft resistors defying forced military conscription in Israel.
Cooking for a Cause, This Sunday
Join celebrated chef Suzanne Husseini for a family-friendly workshop and learn to make Date Bracelet Cookies (Kaak el Asawer) – a beloved Palestinian treat.
Perfect for families, kids, or anyone wanting to participate! This workshop is designed to be fun for bakers of all ages.
100% of the funds will go to Prosthetics for Palestine, a volunteer-led initiative created to provide prosthetic & orthotic care/supplies in Gaza.
Tuesday, February 25
Join American Friends Service Committee for a conversation with anti-apartheid activists and liberation theologians Rev. Wendell Griffin, Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, and Palestinian activist Ms. Shadia Qubti about the contours of apartheid across countries, how anti-apartheid movements can learn from one another, and how we can continue to build international solidarity to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes against the Palestinian people like we do other apartheid regimes.
Did you know?
Mennonite Action has a new podcast
“Grounded in our peace theology, we believe we have a responsibility to use our voices as powerfully as possible for the cause of peace and justice — just as our spiritual ancestors the early Anabaptists did in their day. Front Light podcasts highlight the work of Mennonite Action, as well as interview guests who are part of the broader movement for liberation.”
Every Thursday at 6 PM Jerusalem time, Sabeel gathers friends from around the world for a weekly online service. Led by Rev. Naim Ateek, the service includes the Wave of Prayer, readings of the upcoming week, and a time of group reflections.
Tareq Abuhalima Seeks Employment
We’re hoping our MennoPIN audience remembers Tareq Abuhalima, a Gazan we met through our Twinning Initiative. Tareq has just completed a Master’s in Business Administration, from the University of Bluffton and is looking for work. If you know of job opportunities especially within the non-profit world please contact Bob Atchison at robertleeatchison@gmail.com or at 785-313-2292 or Tareq directly at tareq.h.halima@gmail.com or 419-274-9089. We are especially interested in job opportunities that would sponsor his H1b VISA. Visa applications are due toward the end of March.
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network
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. To find out more, please visit our website.
info@mennopin.org | mennopin.org | facebook.com/mennopin | x.com/mennopin
Steering Committee
Bob Atchison (Manhattan Mennonite Church, Manhattan, KS)
Lydia Brenneman (Lima Mennonite Church, Lima, OH)
Dave Janzen (Fellowship of Hope, Elkhart, IN)
Michael George (Landisville Mennonite Church, PA)
Jonathan Kuttab (Palestinian lawyer and human rights activist, Manheim, PA)
Dorothy Jean Weaver (Community Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, VA)
Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC)
Adam Ramer (Co-coordinator of Mennonite Action, New York, NY)
David Bluford (Rainbow Mennonite Church, Kansas City, KS)
Gretchen Merlot (Philadelphia, PA)
MennoPIN 