In These Dark Times: A Season of Lament
It has been 27 years since I visited the West Bank on a delegation with the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT – now Community Peacemaker Teams). It was just four years after Baruch Goldstein, an American-Israeli settler, had walked into the Ibrahimi Mosque during prayer and shot 29 people, wounding 125, and one year after the first Oslo Accords were signed. The mosque is also the location of the Cave of the Patriarchs, and the graves of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.
There have always been setbacks in seeking peace in Israel and Palestine. Each time we look for new reasons for hope, trusting that God’s justice and peace will prevail. And yet, over the years the encroachment of Israeli settlements, by-pass roads and destruction of Palestinian homes has only continued.
These days northern Gaza has been sealed off, largely destroyed and depopulated by Israeli forces. United Nations satellite data estimates that 69% of the structures including over 245,000 homes are gone. The World Bank current estimates from the first four months of the war are $18.5 billion in damage — nearly the combined economic output of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022. Estimates suggest over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, one-third under 18 years of age and 1,200 Israelis including IDF.
Where do we look for hope in these dark times?
I find hope in the young and vibrant leadership of Mennonite Action that has provided tools for thousands of Mennonites to engage in their local communities demanding peace and justice from the powers that be. I work regularly with over 20 different Palestine-Israel networks representing main-line faith communities throughout the United States, each doing remarkable work on behalf of Palestine. The Friends of Sabeel of North American (FOSNA) is a powerhouse for Palestine, providing tools to address misinformation, misguided anger, and the prevalence of destructive ideologies like Christian Zionism. Christians for a Free Palestine counters Christianity’s historic and contemporary role in the perpetuation of countless forms of violence and oppression, including settler colonial projects and genocides. And there are many other organizations doing amazing work to end the genocide in Gaza and to establish a long-lasting, just, and sustainable peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
If you have not yet connected with these amazing non-profits, check out their websites by clicking the links above or email us at info@mennopin.org
In these dark times, we look to God for our source of strength, perseverance, and yes, hope.
Bob Atchison, MennoPIN Steering Committee Chair
Helpful Resources
Sabeel, the Palestinian Ecumenical Theological Center, is offering a free devotional study for use during the week leading up to Easter.
This study aims to vividly present Christ’s teachings within the historical and present-day adversities faced by our Palestinian community, particularly in Gaza. Holy Week not only symbolizes suffering and anguish but also Jesus’ approach of kindness, nonviolence, and, ultimately, resurrection—offering solace and motivation.
Gaza Unlocked, a project of the American Friends Service Committee (Quakers), offers analysis, stories, and background information about Gaza.
The project seeks to raise awareness and provide resources for those wishing to organize in solidarity, take part in events and protests, engage elected officials, and work for an end to Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
Be sure to check out their Weekly Gaza Updates compiled by Yousef Aljamal, a Palestinian refugee from Gaza. It contains information rarely reported on in our Western media.
Upcoming Events/Actions
Thursday, April 10, 8 pm EST
Join Mennonite Action this Thursday for a conversation on War Tax Resistance as Public Action.
We’ll explore Christian and Mennonite legacies of resistance and redirection to war taxes. We’ll learn about examples of movements that have used tax resistance to change the forces of power in the world around them. And we’ll discuss how Mennonites might use tax resistance as a form of collective public action to apply pressure to powerful institutions.
Thursday, April 24, 8-9:30 pm EST
The sound of our voices lifted together in collective song — ringing through US government buildings and swelling on busy public sidewalks — is one of the experiences that defines our movement. It’s the sound of our worship. It’s the sound of our power.
Join Mennonite Action’s upcoming mass monthly call—the “Music of the Movement”— where we will celebrate the ways that music propels our movement.
Thursday, April 10, 8 pm EST
Join Christians for a Free Palestine this Thursday, April 10 for a critical conversation about antisemitism, Christian supremacy, Project Esther, and more.
As Christians who recognize the troubling legacy of Christian supremacy and are committed to the safety and liberation of all people, we have a responsibility to take antisemitism seriously. We do this with unrelenting commitment to Palestinian liberation, rejecting attempts to use false accusations to demonize Palestinian liberation and recognizing that the liberation of all peoples is intertwined.
Mennonite Palestine Israel Network
MennoPIN keeps you informed about Palestine/Israel 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 at www.mennopin.org
Feedback, responses, and suggestions for future updates can be submitted to info@mennopin.org
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 