Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – July 2025

In this Issue:

In late June, MennoPIN supporters and members of Mennonite Action gathered with 30+ other faith-based organizations as part of the Interfaith Action for Palestine. More than 800 people mobilized online and in-person to disrupt the influence of Christians United for Israel’s (CUFI), the largest pro-Israel lobby in the U.S., during their annual conference in Washington, DC. Actions included a march, multi-faith service, and bannering.

According to the organizers, “nearly 70 IAP participants were arrested for disrupting the lunchtime rush in both the House and Senate cafeterias, shutting down food service with our bodies and our voices. In this act of nonviolent civil disobedience — deeply rooted in our diverse spiritualities — we demanded that our elected officials not listen to CUFI’s calls for further genocide. We proclaimed, “Congress doesn’t eat until Gaza eats,” offered interfaith prayers for food to Gaza, and sang loud with full and heavy hearts.”

In this issue, we hear from one MennoPIN activist’s experience at the recent Interfaith Action for Palestine, and then equip you and your congregations with tools to confront the people and power structures that perpetuate the harmful ideology of Christian Zionism.

It’s Hard to Describe How Much This Picture Means to Me

by Jacob Janzen

The Interfaith Action for Palestine was held here in Washington, DC, June 29-July 1. The Action was timed to coincide with the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) conference. CUFI promotes the Christian Zionism ideology we believe to be a major root cause of the perpetual conflict between the Middle East and the Western world.

It’s hard for me to watch a group of people doing what they think will make the world a better place, when I believe it is making things far worse. This is especially true when I consider them to be much like myself. Their position on the matter now is pretty much where mine was, before I started studying and learning about the issue.

Because the IAP event didn’t start until the afternoon, I decided to spend Sunday morning at the hotel where the CUFI event was being held. I thought maybe there would be more of a difference made by interacting with people I oppose, instead of spending more time with like-minded people.

As I made my way to the hotel, I saw a lot of cop cars. Ha! I thought. They are scared. We are more brave than they are because we don’t hide behind security forces. When I got to the door, a couple of guys asked for my badge.

Me: “I don’t have one.”

Door Guard: “There is a special event here, and you need one to get in.”

Me: “I’m meeting a loved one here.” (This is true, given that I love everyone, including people I haven’t met yet.)

Door Guard: “Are they guests at the hotel?”

Me: “Yes.”

Door Guard: “Okay, go ahead. Just know that you might be asked for a badge.”

Impressed with myself for my clever half-truth, I started to worry how I would defend it if someone were to challenge me on it. I walked through the hotel lobby and saw a man in uniform, with a long gun. And I remembered the Israeli diplomats that had been killed nearby, just five weeks earlier. I realized just how scared I was, and my opposition’s fear (which I had mocked minutes earlier) seemed entirely justified. 

I bought an overpriced drink from the café, and sat in a lobby chair listening to my heart pound. I thought about what a powerful emotion fear is, and how scared both Israelis and Palestinians must be, far beyond anything I had ever known. I snapped this picture, and sent it to family to let them know I was okay.

As time passed my nerves calmed, and I went about looking for someone to talk to. I

found a guy with an Israeli flag on his shirt, sitting at a high-top table by himself.

Me: “May I sit?”

Fred: “Oh sure. Are you here for the CUFI conference?”

Me: “Sort of, but not exactly. I think CUFI is promoting a horribly destructive ideology.”

What followed was an exchange of mostly the same old talking points, including some anticipated/presumed (he brought up Apartheid, not me).

I listed out several books that formed my understanding of the conflict, and asked him to suggest some for me. He didn’t reference any books, but asked what I thought Israel ought to do. I suggested that they pass a civil rights bill similar to what we had here in the United States, something that would provide equal rights to all persons in the land under military control.

The alarm to catch my bus went off, just as Fred was excusing himself from the conversation that I think each of us were both happy to let go of. It was a cordial veneer over vehement disagreement. I made my way to the IAP event, and was greeted at the door with a much-needed hug from Jonathan Nahar.

At first, I didn’t hear much about how Monday and Tuesday went. But imagine my elation when I saw this photo:

What is Christian Zionism and why is it so harmful?

Click below to watch this informative nine-minute video entitled Christian Zionism, Deconstructed by @DonnellWrites

Take a Stand Against Christian Zionism: Tools and Opportunities

Join Christians for a Free Palestine’s

July Community Call on Thursday, July 17

8-9:30 pm EST

We’ll hear a report back from the Interfaith Action for Palestine, and share about next steps to build on the momentum of our efforts to challenge Christian Zionism and advocate for a free Palestine.

REGISTER

For a great primer on the historical and theological background of Christian Zionism, look no further than Friends of Sabeel North America’s Toolkit for Countering Christian Zionism. This toolkit contains audio and visual libraries, links to curriculum for Sunday School classes or study groups, conversation tips, frequently asked questions, and more.

Recently launched, the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism (ISCZ) is offering a free a free download of the first volume of their Journal for the Study of Christian Zionism.

Christian Zionism: An Anabaptist Response

Did you know?

MennoPIN has compiled a number of resources for you on Christian Zionism on our website, including a printable tri-fold brochure for distribution amongst your friends and family.

You can visit our website here.

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 M (Philadelphia, PA)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – June 2025

Update on MennoPIN’s relationship with the people of the Gaza YMCA

by David Janzen

The exchange of bombing between Israel and Iran, and now the United States, has taken the attention of most media in recent days. Many lives have already been claimed and the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is off the front page. The entire Middle East is in a perilous situation.

In this time, MennoPIN continues to send prayers and food/supply donations to the hundreds of children, women and men living in the St. Porphyrius and Holy Family Churches in Gaza City. Some of the people formerly sheltering there have returned to the relative safety of the two church buildings after attempting to live in their damaged homes during the brief ceasefire period. Our meager efforts cannot touch the needs of the people given the expense of food and lack of medical care. Many have died, especially the young and old. Our main contact at the Gaza YMCA immigrated to the United States and has had relatively consistent internet access to friends in the churches over the past year. However, this communication was cut off recently when all of northern Gaza lost internet access.

The new “Gaza Humanitarian Fund,” implemented by private American contractors in coordination with the Israeli government, is by all accounts, doing a very poor job of getting food/supplies to those who are in need. Much violence has taken place as desperate people try to access the distribution sites. The United Nations has refused to work with this organization because it does not live up to the principles of international humanitarian aid.

So we continue to solicit funds to Fellowship of Hope, 1614 S. 6th St, Elkhart IN 46516 by check or using the Givelify app. Please include “Gaza Help” as a memo line.

Another of our Gaza YMCA friends remains in Egypt seeking a country that will take a Palestinian family of six. The parents are professionals, who along with their children, would make a most positive contribution to a new community. Our friend in the US, also an experienced administrator, has had difficulty finding employment.

We wish we could be more hopeful for a resolution that opens the way to a lasting peace. It seems that only new leadership on both sides can break the stalemate. And as long as the United States provides military hardware for the Israeli government, the genocide will continue. Our friends with whom we connect haven’t lost hope that love can find a way to peace. Keep speaking out for peace to your government representatives.

+972 Magazine, an independent, online, nonprofit magazine run by a group of Palestinian and Israeli journalists, describes the experiences of Palestinians seeking to receive aid from the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s food distribution sites:

After two months without a single drop of food, medicine, or fuel entering Gaza, a trickle of white flour and canned goods has been allowed in since late May. Most of it has gone to sites in Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), guarded by private American security contractors and Israeli soldiers. On June 10, small shipments also began arriving via aid trucks operated by the World Food Programme (WFP).

But with hunger deepening, people no longer wait for the trucks to move safely past Israeli troops. Instead, they rush toward them the moment they appear, desperate to grab whatever they can before supplies vanish. Tens of thousands gather at the distribution points, sometimes for days in advance, and many go home empty-handed.

Starving civilians gather in massive crowds, waiting for permission to approach. In many instances, Israeli troops have opened fire on the masses — and even during distribution itself — killing dozens as they try to collect a few kilos of flour or canned goods to bring home in what Palestinians have dubbed “The Hunger Games.”

Continue Reading

Upcoming Opportunities:

Take a stand Against Christian Zionism

Next Sunday-Tuesday! You can participate online!

The Interfaith Action for Palestine (IAP) is bringing together a coalition of faith-rooted activist organizations for a critical intervention this summer: we’re coming together to counter Christians United for Israel (CUFI) — the largest “pro-Israel” organization in the United States — during their Annual Summit June 29-July 1, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland, and Washington, DC. If you would like to participate, either full or part-time in-person or online, please click below to register.  

Register

Join us at the MCUSA Convention and connect with fellow Mennos who have a heart for peace and justice in Israel/Palestine

MennoPIN has planned a number of activities for the MC USA convention in Greensboro, NC this summer.

We’d love to meet or reconnect with you by having you join us! Let’s forge connections and Follow Jesus

Drop by our booth in the Intersectionality section of the Exhibit Hall anytime Tuesday, July 8 – Friday, July 11 and say hello!

Wednesday, July 9 at 5:15 pmImperial Ballroom DInformal reception with refreshments and updates(co-hosted with Mennonite Action)

Friday, July 11 at 2:30 pmGrandover West classroomSeminar: Harmful Effects of Christian Zionism on the Church with Rev. Dr. Alex Awad

Friday, July 11 at 3:30 pmPebble Beach theatreSeminar: A Faithful Response to Palestine and Israel with Jonathan Kuttab 

Register for Trees, the Land, and Jesus:  A Working and Learning Trip to Palestine and Israel

Join Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) and Mennonite Men as we travel to Palestine and Israel from February 4-19, 2026, to plant olive trees, meet Palestinian peacemakers, and connect the land to Jesus’ way of peace. 

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. 

Flyer with Itinerary and Cost
Interest Form

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)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – May 2025

Does the Land Grieve?

Amy Yoder McGloughlin, Conference Minister, Allegheny Mennonite Conference

On October 5, 2023, just two days before the Hamas attacks on Israel, followed by the disproportionate and ongoing retaliation of Gazans by Israel, I met with Hamdan Ballal in the South Hebron Hills community of Susiya. It was an accidental encounter – I was supposed to be meeting with someone else in the village – but our visit deeply affected me.  

Hamdan and his mother invited my Community Peacemaker Teams delegation to join them in their modest dwelling. We drank tea and ate sweets, as one would expect in any Palestinian home, and we talked about their lives and experiences in this village that has been under constant threat of demolition for decades.  

My colleague, Linda, a UCC pastor who shares my curiosity about the relationship Palestinians have to the land, asked Hamdan a question that broke our conversation open, beyond the typical storytelling I experience on a delegation. She asked, “Does the land grieve?” I watched as Hamdan’s eyes sparked with the joy of being asked a really good question, one he’d never been asked by a group like ours.

We talked about the deep relationship of land to Palestinians, especially those in these communities where land is how they feed their flocks, grow zaatar, and plant vegetables to feed their families. He showed us his community’s olive trees, and told stories about growing up in their shade, learning family stories as they harvested olives together.  

Hamdan mentioned that he had finished producing a documentary, and I didn’t think anything of it at the time. But, as it turned out, he was one of the producers of the Oscar-winning documentary, No Other Land. I didn’t make the connection with our visit, until I saw the news of Hamdan’s beating by settlers who attacked Susiya, and his subsequent arrest by the Israeli Military on March 24th, just three weeks after he won the Hollywood award for a film about the region.  

Hamdan’s film has the distinction of shining light onto the South Hebron Hills and Masafer Yatta. The international outcry against the settler and military project in this region has been heartening to residents, but it has also brought increased violence to their community.  

Just a few days after the Oscar nominations were announced, another village, Tuba, was attacked in Masafer Yatta. Ali Awad, Tuba activist and resident, was targeted. His car, the only vehicle that could manage the inhospitable rocky terrain in the region, was set on fire by settlers, as was the food for the sheep. And two days later, the military came to arrest Ali. They zip tied his hands behind his back, threw him in the back of a military transport vehicle, and while his wrists bled, a soldier pressed a boot into his back.  

Two weeks ago, another village in Masafer Yatta, Khalet Al Dabaa, was completely destroyed. Its tents and structures bulldozed, its caves decimated. That village is gone.  

It is a risk for Hamdan and Ali and all the residents of the South Hebron Hills and Masafer Yatta to tell their story. And yet they continue to speak, to confront and to tell their stories. Because the land remembers, they remember, and the people and land are inextricably linked in a web of mutual care.  

I get tired of telling these stories, and perhaps you get tired of reading them. But I take heart from the example of Hamdan and Ali. We have to keep telling the stories, demanding justice, and insisting on the humanity of Palestinians. “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

Remarkably, No Other Land, a film about the communities of Masafer Yatta that are being forcibly displaced by the Israeli army and settlers, has no United States distribution, despite winning an Oscar for best documentary feature film at the 97th Academy Awards. MennoPIN is making efforts to get it screened at MC USA‘s Convention in Greensboro, NC this summer.

Upcoming Events, Actions, and Resources

Each month, Voices from the Holy Land hosts an “Online Film Salon” with panelist discussion. Prior to the salon, registered attendees are encouraged to watch a curated list of short documentaries by Israeli, Palestinian, American, and European film makers on that month’s topic or theme such as Zionism, BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), and Silencing of Student Voices.  

To find out more, watch recordings of previous salons, and/or register for next month’s salon, visit https://www.voicesfromtheholyland.org/

Voices From the Holy Land Film Series is sponsored and supported by a coalition of interfaith (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Unitarian) and interdenominational organizations nationwide whose members feel called by their faith to work for justice, human rights, and peace in the land that is holy to all three Abrahamic faiths.

Listen to a conversation about identity, faith and solidarity with Palestinian American Mennonite Michael George on Front Light’s latest episode.  Michael serves on both the steering committees of MennoPIN and Mennonite Action.

LISTEN

The Interfaith Action for Palestine is bringing together a coalition of organizations to counter Christians United for Israel’s (CUFI) Annual Summit June 29 – July 1, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland, and Washington DC. CUFI is the largest “pro-Israel” organization in the United States that promotes hawkish, Christian supremacist, and genocidal policies. Last year, hundreds were mobilized to disrupt CUFI’s supremacist agenda in powerful and creative ways. Challenging white Christian Nationalism is even more urgent this year. 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.

Interest Form

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)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – April 2025

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.

Download Study Booklet

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.

Join the Call

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.

Register

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.

Register

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)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – March 2025

In This Issue

With so many demands on our attention, where do we direct our gaze? As this message goes out, Israel has renewed its attacks on Gaza and hundreds have been killed, even as killing and displacement continues in the West Bank. May this Lent be a Season of Seeing as we refuse to look away and recommit to looking for the Imago Dei (Image of God) in one another.

LOOK CAREFULLY: WHAT DO YOU SEE?

In the Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Silwan, 80% of Palestinian homes have received eviction notices. Thousands of Palestinians have had their homes demolished (sometimes multiple times) and been forcibly displaced.

Using public art to uplift and advocate for their communities, a group of artists and activists have painted giant murals featuring large images of staring, wide-opened eyes that “dare to look back at the occupying forces and bear witness to the colonial violence that is wielded again the Palestinian people.”

Some of these murals can be seen from miles away and appear as if they are watching over the ever-encroaching Israeli touristic sites which many Christian pilgrims so blindly flock to.

Once one looks, it is hard to avert ones’ eyes…

The Eyes of Silwan

Below are excerpts from a first-hand account of Silwan as seen by Reverend Chad Collins. “The Eyes of Silwan” was originally published on Friends of Sabeel North America’s blog.

It was my great honor to be part of the Apartheid Free Campaign delegation to Palestine, May 5 – 14. One of our goals was to observe Israeli apartheid in its many forms, particularly in East Jerusalem and within the 1948 borders of the state. This trip was to sharpen our focus and strengthen our voices as we, in partnership with many denominational Palestine Israel Networks (PINs), the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), and others prepare for the official launch of the Apartheid-Free Campaign.

On our first full day, we took a very significant walk down a road leading from the Dung Gate of the Old City through the streets of Silwan to the neighborhood of Batn al Hawa, to the Madaa – Silwan Creative Center. Like many walks in Palestine, it was a difficult trip, physically and emotionally.

As we walked from the Old City to Silwan there were three intertwined images that I hope will resonate with all of you. At the beginning of the walk you witness the presence of the Israeli Apartheid forces at work. This is most notable by their many surveillance cameras, which serve as a reminder that the people of Silwan are always being watched. The people are not free in so very many ways and are being watched by their occupier 24/7.

Secondly, as you make your way down the hill you will begin to see in the distance, painted on the houses of Silwan, murals of the eyes of local and international leaders, activists, freedom fighters and more. These eyes communicate to the people of the world (namely Israel) that Silwan sees them and that they should see Silwan too and know that they are still here and that they love their land and their home.

Many of the eyes are from those martyred (murdered) by police (military) forces within Palestine (i.e. Eyad al-Hallaq, Rachel Corrie) and throughout the world (George Floyd). It is powerful to stare into these eyes and to know the stories of their lives and deaths and their witness beyond death. As it is said, the eye is the doorway to the soul and with these murals Silwan is calling us all to see the souls of these beautiful people as they represent the sumud, or steadfast resistance, against Israeli apartheid.

Continue Reading

Photos of Silwan by Mike Merryman-Lotze

LOOK CAREFULLY: WHAT DON’T YOU SEE?

With all attention on Gaza (understandably), the West Bank and East Jerusalem generally gets overlooked. However, what had already been an exceedingly bad situation there, has only gotten exponentially worse since October 7. According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, in the last two months “the Israeli regime has ramped up its oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and adopted more extreme measures, including extreme arbitrary violence against innocent civilians, further loosening of the permissive open-fire policy, severe movement restrictions and disruption of daily life, blanket cancellation of permits to enter Israel, and extreme limitations on access to farmland that are critically damaging livelihoods, mass arrests and the transformation of detention facilities into a network of torture camps.”

“There’s a reason you’re not seeing a lot on news or social media about what’s happening right now in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Israeli authorities are ramping up the judicial harassment of Palestinian journalists in Jerusalem, while in the West Bank journalists are being detained while in the field and their equipment is either confiscated or they’re forced to delete any images or videos they capture of Israeli aggression. By targeting the messengers, Israel is enforcing media blackout.”

perspective of Mariam Barghouti, Palestinian journalist, as shared on Instagram

LOOK CAREFULLY, THEN ACT!

What responsibility do we hold, in the face of witnessing such oppression and injustice? How does one move from passively observing to becoming change-makers? May we be inspired and compelled to action by the words of a fellow Mennonite as she shares her story.

An Awakening to Activism by Alice Moyer of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship
Like many folk, the events of October 7 and the subsequent aftermath in Israel/Palestine had a jarring effect on my focus on the Middle East. 

Since young adulthood, I’ve had a developing sense of the imbalance of power and injustice in Israel/Palestine. I attribute this to growing up amongst Mennonites whose perspective would have differed from many Americans and Christians. I’ve also been fortunate to have Palestinian friends and friends at church who had direct experience in Palestine to help inform me. My church signed onto the Palestine Kairos document that Palestinian Christians implored American Christians to endorse.

However, throughout the years, I never contacted my elected representatives to voice my concern for the injustice that was occurring and the complicity of our government in it. For that, I beg forgiveness.

I’m sure, like many of you, I found I was unable to hold the depth of sadness and horror I felt as events unfolded after October 7. I was needing a place to express and process these feelings. So when the newly formed Mennonite Action put out its call to action, I was on board. 

I welcomed the chance to call on my Senators to act, to hold public vigils in my city, to sing hymns in the Senate Cannon Building rotunda in DC. I needed the weekly vigil held by Fridays at Fetterman’s to hold space for those suffering death, injury and displacement in Gaza as well as the hostages and prisoners waiting to return home. I needed to participate in the walk from the Liberty Bell to Lockheed Martin during Lent and later the walk from Harrisonburg, VA to DC to share my sadness with others along the way. I needed to share in the multi-faith worship services in front of the White House and Capitol. I needed to participate in the disruption of the CUFI (Christians United For Israel) convention and their Zionist agenda. I needed to worship and march with Palestinian, Jewish and Mennonite Action groups marking one year since the beginning of the war. 

In all these actions, I admit this is what I needed to do to make sense of what was happening, to own my part in it, and to find some sort of solace for my soul. But I also hoped my actions showed to those suffering that I saw them and what was happening was not okay. I hoped my actions demonstrated my choosing to stand in solidarity with them and to fight for them.

October 7 has taken place in the backdrop of some of my own searching and learning the past few years regarding my white and Christian privilege. I learned I have benefited from laws that have favored me due to my whiteness and from my ancestors coming to North America who were allowed to farm on land based on the Doctrine of Discovery. I attended a reparations training for faith-based groups sponsored by the mayor’s office of Philadelphia. I joined a book group that reads books examining all of these issues. So it was clear to see the interconnectedness of these issues of colonialism and greed with what was happening in Israel/Palestine. My pastor, Jonny Rashid, reminded our congregation on the anniversary of 500 years of Anabaptism that our ancestors nonviolently disrupted the power structure to follow Jesus in the midst of persecution. So I try to hold all of this as I participate in these actions. It is hard.

As the violence continues, it is easy to become discouraged. But I continue to be moved by others. Weekly, at our Fridays at Fetterman’s vigils here in Philadelphia, I hear stories of solidarity, persistence and determination. At the recent gathering of Allegheny Mennonite Conference, Conference Minister Amy Yoder McGloughlin shared photos of a recent trip to Palestine where artists have painted eyes on buildings bearing witness to the unlawful confiscation of their neighbors’ homes. I am moved by the stories of the tenacity and courage of those who have lost so much. And on my desk I have a quote from Sarah Augustine, author of The Land Is Not Empty, that says, “We must accept that resistance is an end in itself. In the face of overwhelming injustice, resistance is the only ethical human response.” This is the resistance I feel called to. 

Join Christians for a Free Palestine’s March Community Call on Saturday March 29 to hear live updates from a Silwan resident resisting displacement alongside esteemed Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour, Palestinian American activist Halah Ahmad, and member of CFP leading solidarity actions in their own communities.  oin 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.

Register

On Saturday, March 8, Department of Homeland Security agents detained Mahmoud Khalil,  U.S. permanent resident and student organizer for Palestinian rights at Columbia University.

As Anabaptists, our spiritual forebears were jailed, beaten, and tortured for standing up for their religious and political freedom. We refuse to stand by silently while Mahmoud is detained for standing up for his own beliefs.

FIND OUT MORE

Thursday, March 20, 8-9:30 pm EST

Join Mennonite Action’s next mass monthly call this Thursday and learn about how Mennonite Action mobilizes a racial justice framework in our Palestine solidarity efforts. This month’s theme is immigrant justice, as chapters of Mennonite Action begin holding “God’s Love Knows No Borders” actions across the US and Canada this month.  

REGISTER

Christians Stand Against Forced Displacement and False Doctrines

Over 3000 “Christian Zionist” leaders affiliated with American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI),  a project of the extremist International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem (ICEJ), recently issued a deeply immoral statement calling on President Trump to declare Israeli sovereignty over the entirety of the Holy Land. That statement can be accessed here. Trump is expected to make an announcement on the topic of annexation within the coming weeks, if not days.

The ACLI statement is wholly inconsistent with the God witnessed to in the pages of scripture and with our moral and ethical obligations as followers of Jesus and the Biblical prophets. We must publicly renounce such efforts and make it clear that those affiliated with ACLI do not speak on behalf of Christians or Christianity.  Moreover, we must categorically reject any thinly-disguised plan to annex Palestinian land and engage in continued violence against innocent civilians in the occupied West Bank, in Gaza, and beyond.

For this reason, a diverse coalition of Christian voices committed to just peace in and beyond the Holy Land have come together to stand against forced displacement and reaffirm the inalienable Palestinian right to a life of freedom and dignity in their ancestral homeland.

Click Here to Add your voice

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)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – February 2025

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.

Join on Zoom

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.

Register

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.

Register

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.

Register

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.”

LEarn More & Listen

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.

Find out More

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)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – January 2025

In This Issue

With the start of this new year, we’d like to take a moment to highlight some of the many ways which Mennonites showed up and spoke out for peace with justice in Israel/Palestine in 2024.

While we welcome the ceasefire and celebrate the release of hostages/prisoners, uncertainty abounds, and we all know that a temporary pause in violence in Gaza is not a realization of true peace. At at time when many of us are understandably growing weary, our hearts are also telling us we must stay the course. May this update provide encouragement and strength to commit more fully to this work in 2025.

2024: A Year of Solidarity

Mennonites across the United States have come together in faith-based witness, striving to uphold the dignity and humanity of every person as we seek to end the Israeli occupation. In 2024, Mennonite and Mennonite-affiliated/partner organizations, congregations, committees, and individuals:

Advocated for the reinstatement of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency

Supported solidarity-building pilgrimages to disrupt violence and create environments for healing

Joined other faith-based communities in pledging to dismantle Israeli Apartheid

Equipped Anabaptist congregations with educational resources such books, liturgies, and documentaries. Hosted numerous speakers and talks, offering opportunities to learn from Palestinians, scholars, and one another.

Launched a campaign to plant olive trees that support Palestinian livelihood

Mobilized in acts of peaceful civil disobedience (see green inset below)

Faithfully prayed with specific requests for peace

Carried on our long-standing commitment of providing humanitarian assistance to displaced Palestinians

Wrote letters-to-the-editor and opinion pieces, providing a faith-based perspective and alternative to mainstream media’s insufficient coverage

Urged elected officials and petitioned city councils to champion a permanent ceasefire and end military aid/arms sales to Israel

Held vigils and stood together with Jews and Muslims in grief and prayer

Engaged in difficult conversations with family and friends and refused to remain silent

This is just a small sampling of the myriad of ways Mennonites have served as peacemakers for Israel and Palestine over the past year. A huge shout-out to all of you who have stepped up in solidarity on either a local or national level, in ways both big and small. Every effort matters.

For some of you this work is new, yet for many others, you have been active around this issue for many years. While we all struggle with discouragement at times, we can take comfort and courage knowing we are not in this work alone, as demonstrated so clearly above. We stand in solidarity with each other and the Palestinians and Israelis who so desperately seek peace. As we move ahead, let us continue to lean on each other and our Lord, whom we look to for our hope and strength.

Mennonite Action

Thanks be to God and the cloud of witnesses that brought Mennonite Action into being!

During 2024, Mennonite Action encouraged mobilizations across the United States and Canada providing the tools and strategies for hundreds of actions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mennonite Action and MennoPIN share board members (three MennoPIN Steering Committee members serve on the Board for Mennonite Action and Adam Ramer, Fundraising and Partnership Director for Mennonite Action, has joined MennoPIN’s Steering Committee) and often work together in our shared vision for the liberation of the Palestinian people.

For those looking to learn more about Mennonite Action’s work and to join their movement click HERE.

Reflections by Jacob Janzen, MennoPIN Christian Zionism subcommittee member

My contribution to this month’s MennoPIN Update was being drafted as a reflection on the outgoing Administration of the US Government, when news of the ceasefire agreement came in. It’s intimidating to offer thoughts on events as they unfold in real time, in part because things happen so quickly, but also because claims that are made sometimes prove false after additional scrutiny is applied. This issue seems most particularly acute in something so contentious as the Israel/Palestine conflict.

We encourage our readers to seek multiple reports on the same events and think critically about where omissions and exaggerations are employed to gain sympathy.  We do our best to learn as much as we can, recognize the limits of our perspective, and trust that God’s omniscience will win out in the end.

Relative to the fast pace of events we read about in the news, the work of the MennoPIN Countering Christian Zionism subcommittee can feel excruciatingly slow.  But we are focused on shaping the lens from which all other events are seen. We continuously calibrate our own moral compass in the hopes of helping others to do the same. There are no versions of Zionism that justify what has been done to the Palestinian people. But among them, Christian Zionism is the least defensible. It asserts that the Second Coming of Christ can be instigated by treating people in very un-Christian ways.

Our advocacy at MennoPIN is based on the firm belief that all people are God’s people, and we are called to love and serve everyone. We also recognize that the efforts we undertake out of love may be perceived by some as misguided. MennoPIN is open to healthy dialogue when it leads to a greater understanding of one another. Comments may be sent to info@mennopin.org

For as much as we feel relieved by the news of the ceasefire, it is hard to trust the long-term intentions of a US Government with several people in key positions that hold these views. Our work as Peace and Justice advocates is as important now as it has ever been. Please engage as much as you can.

2024: A Year of Generosity

In 2024 we experienced tremendous generosity from our Anabaptist Community both for the work of MennoPIN but also for the direct relationships we have created through Gaza Twinning.

More specifically, thanks to many of you, $13,000 has been contributed to support Tareq Abuhalima’s family who continue to live in tents on the beach in Gaza* and for our Twinning partnership with leadership from the Gaza YMCA.

In addition, $6,000 was donated to support the work of MennoPIN and $1,100 was donated to plant olive trees in the West Bank.

MennoPIN could not be as effective without this important financial support, so thank you!

*If you are experiencing extreme cold where you are, please remember how cold it must be for those living in tents in Gaza. Please continue to keep those people in your prayers, and consider additional contributions that can alleviate their suffering.

2025: Looking Ahead

MennoPIN and other peace and justice organizations are gearing up to gather once again for the MC USA Convention: Follow Jesus 25,  scheduled for July 8-12, 2025, in Greensboro, North Carolina. MennoPIN has submitted two seminars for the convention. Assuming our proposals are accepted, one will feature Jonathan Kuttab, steering committee member and well-known Palestinian-Anabaptist international human rights attorney, who will provide an update and an Anabaptist response to Gaza. The other seminar will include Reverend, Dr. Alex Awad, Palestinians Christians Alliance for Peace, who will address Christian Zionism.

Be sure to stop by the MennoPIN exhibit and also be on the lookout for an announcement this spring with more details and invitations for you to join us there.

Reminder: Palestine-Israel Book Study

On February 25 at 7:00 pm, Western District Conference will host a Zoom discussion of Apeirogon, by Colum McCann. The book tells the story of Israeli and Palestinian fathers who both lose their children, one to an Israeli rubber bullet and the other to suicide bombers.  When they learn each other’s stories, their loss connects them and together they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace.  

Special guest, Tareq Abuhamila, will introduce the discussion with an update of current life conditions in Gaza and the ceasefire agreement. Questions about the ceasefire and responses to the book, are all a part of the hour-long gathering. 

Please register by emailing wdc@mennowdc.org by Monday, February 17th

Grab a copy and join us!

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)*

**Since October 2024, MennoPIN has benefited greatly from the contributions of Gretchen as our new Communications Volunteer. Her efforts are critical to bringing these updates to you every month! She has taken up the mantle from Lydia Miller, who was also a big help.

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – December 2024

In This Issue

Advent is the season when we wait in the darkness for the true light of Jesus to come into the world. And what darkness it is. It is hard not to feel powerless as Gazans desperately search to find even the most basic necessities for life—food, fresh water, shelter, and safety. In this update, we share some simple, yet meaningful ways for you to make a difference in the lives of Palestinians that have touched our lives here at MennoPIN.

Offering Whatever Support We Can: Our Congregation’s Twinning Relationship with the Gaza YMCA

December 2024

Despite the destruction of the Gaza YMCA building and the dispersion of contact persons, our congregation’s “twinning” relationship continues with our Gazan partners. A group of 6-10 of us meet via Zoom every other week to hear of the current status of the conflict, the condition of our friends and families, and to offer whatever support we can.

Fellowship of Hope’s contacts with Gazans began in October 2020 as a part of the Mennonite Twinning Initiative and continued regularly until Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023. It took over a month before we could reconnect. The deaths and injuries to thousands and destruction of Gaza has deeply scarred those who survive. We continue difficult conversations of lament while offering our support, however meager it seems.

The current status of the friends with whom we are closest: 

  • One, along with two family members, is in the United States with a relative and has recently received a work permit as he seeks citizenship. An administrator professionally, he is seeking any kind of employment, describing it as “starting over.” One of our U.S. participants encouraged him to search for translating jobs which may be available in schools and hospitals. 
  • A second friend is in Egypt with his family of 6 seeking emigration to another country. He has found few open doors as Palestinians are stereotyped as violent radicals in some countries, although he and his spouse were credible professionals as Palestine. Egypt and other Arab countries of the Middle East are not welcoming refugees from Gaza. His children are attending some classes set up by other Gaza refugees who are teachers.
  • Our third friend remains with his family in one of the two churches still standing in Gaza City. We are unable to be in regular contact due to power and internet outages. They are in desperate need of food, medical and other supplies along with the other 600 people sheltering there. Fellowship of Hope has been successful in soliciting and wiring money that our friend distributes to people in the two churches and aims to continue to do so.
    Those wishing to contribute to this effort can send checks to Fellowship of Hope, 1614 S. Sixth St, Elkhart IN 46526 or use Givelify to donate online. For both, be sure to designate Gaza on the memo line.

These Palestinians, all of whom have lost family and many friends, long to live in their home country, re-open the YMCA and care for the families there, and most of all to find peace. We continue to learn from them and other people who travel to the States sharing insights into this long tragedy. We send demands that our government stop sending weapons to Israel’s army and for an immediate ceasefire. We also help sponsor local community meetings in which knowledgeable people from Palestine, Israel and other places communicate with our local population. 

To this we can testify: our friends are good people, God’s people, who deserve the right to live where their ancestors have been for centuries, without oppression. They only want what all of us, including the people of Israel, desire.

Fellowship of Hope Church in Elkhart, IN

Donate via GiveLify Online

Help my Family Survive this Winter in Gaza

A Letter of Appeal from Tareq Abuhalima*

Dear Friends,

I am writing to you with a heavy heart and deep concern about my family’s situation in Gaza as they struggle to survive. UN reports suggest 80% of Gaza has been completely destroyed. Many people, including my family, live in tents and are experiencing extremely harsh, unbearable conditions, including freezing temperatures at night.

I never imagined the war would last through the winter! In these past 420 days, the people of Gaza have encountered hardships beyond comprehension. In a recent conversation with my niece, Rahaf, she confided that she is often “shivering from the cold.” What could I possibly say to comfort her?

As winter sets in, recent heavy rains have exacerbated the dire living conditions. For people displaced on the beach, like my family, high tides, heavy winds, and rainfall caused their tents to collapse. Two of my brothers had to completely rebuild their tents.

There are severe shortages of flour and limited humanitarian aid. People wait for hours in line for a loaf of bread and often leave empty-handed. Food prices soar causing people to go to sleep hungry, hoping for relief the next day. Most people rely almost completely on canned food and lack fresh fruit and vegetables which contributes to health issues.

My sister-in-law, Ameera, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Malak, named after her sister who was killed along with her children and husband November 2023. Malak in Arabic means “Angel.” I pray that Malak will be able to see a better future of peace and prosperity. That is her angelic face in the photo above.

I am trying once again to raise funds for my family to buy food, tents, and blankets to survive the winter. This includes my mother, my siblings, their spouses, and my nieces and nephews. I am raising funds to help them through the winter, the next 3 months. I have a $9,000 goal. 

Contributions of any size are greatly appreciated along with your prayers. Details can be found below.

In gratitude and peace,

Tareq Abuhalima

*Tareq Abuhalima, former project manager at Youth Vision Society in Gaza, is currently a graduate student at Bluffton University in Ohio. Since December 2019, MennoPIN has been in relationship with Tareq Abuhalima as part of our Twinning Initiative to advocate for the people of Gaza. 

Contributions for Tareq’s family may be made in the following ways:

  • Checks can be written and mailed to MennoPIN in care of Treasurer, Jim Norton, at 1410 Pembroke Circle, #4, Goshen, IN 46526. Please include Tareq Abuhalima in the memo line.
  • Online contributions can be made through Zelle at tareq.h.halima@gmail.com
  • Scan the PayPal QR Code below and click the link for the PayPal QR.

Christians for a Free Palestine, an ecumenical, grassroots, nonviolent, and volunteer-led movement, is offering a variety of free resources designed to help you support Palestine throughout this holiday season. MennoPIN encourages you to check them out!

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 (Communications Volunteer, Philadelphia, PA)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – November 2024

In This Issue

For the last 13 months we have watched with horror as the Israeli forces have relentlessly assaulted and decimated the homes and lives of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. According to the United Nations, 1.9 million Gazans have now been displaced, out of a population of 2.2 million. With winter quickly approaching, hundreds of thousands find themselves sheltering in inadequate tents with little protection from the elements. In this update, we examine the issue of this massive, deliberate, Forced Displacement and share several multi-media resources for you to learn more and pass along to others.

The Generals’ Plan by Jonathan Kuttab

A moral fatigue and paralysis seems to have overtaken much of the world. Individuals, organizations and institutions seem to have reached the end of their credulity and ability to be outraged at the ongoing genocide in the Middle East. We protest, hold sit-ins, challenge politicians, appeal to international tribunals, yet it seems nothing works.

Every single day we hear of another massacre: 100, or 60, or 90 Palestinian men, women and children killed in a school or shelter, and more are asked to evacuate. A recent report by the United Nations found that: “Israel’s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, with mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians there.”

It went on to say “through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population.”

Yet even in this horrible atmosphere, what is happening in the North of Gaza seems to be of a qualitatively deeper level of immorality: A plan, publicly known as “The Generals’ Plan,” is being implemented in the Northern part of Gaza. According to that plan, the entire area is to be declared hostile. 

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Forced to Flee: Personal Stories from Gaza

Six Times Displaced: Rana’s Family Story

Rana and her family have been displaced six times in less than six months and still haven’t found safety. Visualizing Palestine, in partnership with Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, created ten visual infographic slides that capture their story. 

View Slides

Gaza: Israel’s Crimes Against Humanity in Gaza

In this 15-minute video, produced by Human Rights Watch as part of their recent report Hopeless, Starving and Beseiged: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, 49-year-old Ghassan shares how he has been impacted, both physically and psychologically, by being uprooted from his home.

“Honestly, there are moments when you feel alone on this planet. There is no safety. In truth, I don’t ever remember feeling safe since I was displaced from the north.”  

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Displaced in Gaza is a recent collection of personal testimonies of loss and hope from Palestinians in Gaza. These stories were commissioned by the Hashim Sani Center for Palestine Studies at Universiti Malaya and collected and published by the American Friends Service Committee on their website Gaza Unlocked.

Read Testimonies

This Advent, Churches for Middle East Peace invites you to join Weekly Wednesday Prayers for Peace (12:30 – 1 pm EST via Zoom) and their Advent, Not Arms Action calling on the U.S. government to suspend arms sales to Israel.

Take Action: Register For Wednesday Prayers
Take Action: EMAIL congress during AdVent

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 (Communications Volunteer, Philadelphia, PA)

Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN) Join

MennoPIN Update – October 29, 2024

In This Issue

Bluffton University Student Shares his Gaza Story
Gaza: Ravaged Yet Resilient – A Story of a Medical Mission
Can a Book of Stories Bring Peace to Palestine and Israel?
Prayers for Palestine from Sabeel
Stay Informed on Palestine

Bluffton University Student Shares his Gaza Story

On the anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks, Tareq Abuhalima, who is completing a master’s in business administration at Bluffton University, shared his experiences growing up in Gaza at Peace Mennonite Church, Lawrence, Kansas. Tareq has lost family and friends this last year and his remaining family are living in tents on the beach.

Gaza: Ravaged Yet Resilient – A Story of a Medical Mission

Voices from the Heart and Prayers for Peace Alliance invite you to a moving event featuring Dr. Sameer Khan and Dr. Ahlia Kattan as they share their experiences from their May 2024 medical mission to Gaza.

In their talk, “GAZA: Ravaged Yet Resilient,” Dr. Khan and Dr. Kattan will discuss their humanitarian work in Gaza, the challenges they faced, and the resilience of the communities they served. 

When: Sunday, November 3, 2024 starting at 12:00 PM EST

Where: The Fallser Club in Philadelphia and also can be watched live online

RSVP: Registration is required for in-person attendance and the event will also be live-streamed on Facebook (no registration necessary)

Can a Book of Stories Bring Peace to Palestine and Israel?

Western District Conference Israel-Palestine Task Force invites your participation in a book discussion group on February 25, 2025, 7:00 pm CST held on Zoom.

We will be reading Apeirogon by Colum McCann. An apeirogon is a polygon with an observably infinite number of sides. McCann is an award winning author who writes a book of tiny chapters, each one a breath, a feeling, a story.

The book is based on the real life experiences of two friends, an Israeli who opposes the occupation and a Palestinian who studies the Holocaust. They meet in a parent grief support group, as both have tragically lost their daughters. Their raw stories and their ardent peace work buoy the heart as the book takes us on a journey through love, loss, reflection, and hope. As you read the book, note the artful connections between the stories and the theme of ending the occupation in Palestine.

What stories of peace do you tell? We will take time in our discussion to reflect on the book’s stories and our own. To register, email wdc@mennowdc.org, and a Zoom link will be sent out.

Did you know…

…Sabeel offers weekly, up-to-date ways to pray for the people of Palestine

Reminding us that prayer is an essential part of peacemaking, Sabeel Wave of Prayer is updated weekly by Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian organization. These prayers address regional, timely concerns for Palestine-Israel from a Christ-centered perspective. Subscribe and join this community of prayer.
 

Stay Informed on Palestine

Organizations

Web Publications

Mennonite Palestine-Israel Network

info@mennopin.org | 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)
Zachary Murray (Mennonite Central Committee, Washington, DC)
Adam Ramer (Co-coordinator of Mennonite Action, New York, NY) Gretchen Merlot (Communications Volunteer, Philadelphia, PA)