Tag: genocide

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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Did you know?

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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