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Delegation calls church to promote peace in Israel/Palestine. An open letter to Mennonite Church USA congregations. Mennonite Encyclopedia project progressing along the information superhighway. Sidebar: Project’s journey started a century ago.

Delegation calls church to promote peace in Israel/Palestine

Mar Elias is a Palestinian Christian school in Ibillin , Israel serving 4,000 Christian, Muslim and Jewish students in the Galilee region. Begun by Elias Chacour, now Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Galilee , the school is a symbol of hope for peace between the peoples of the region. “You can make a difference,” Chacour told Mennonite Church USA delegation members. “And you don’t have a choice of waiting to make that difference,” he said.

Noting deteriorating human rights for Palestinians, the delegation’s open letter to congregations says the power imbalance of Israelis over Palestinians distorts the lives of everyone living in the region and fails to provide longed for security. The delegation believes the system of forced segregation and systemic oppression imposed by the Israeli government and the resulting spiral of violence calls for all Mennonites to work collaboratively in the region.

The delegation asks congregations and pastors to learn more about the issues in Palestine and Israel and calls on institutions and individuals to make investment decisions in Israel/Palestine that promote peace and do not support the illegal occupation and the ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people. The letter encourages agencies to work together to become bridge builders among alienated factions in the region.

The delegation letter asks congregations to study resources that counter the distortions of land and promise in Christian Zionism and encourages tour groups who are visiting Palestine/Israel to consider spending part of their time in Palestinian communities like Bethlehem and Nazareth .

A 30-foot-high separation wall 400 miles long separates many Palestinians from their land. Because the Israeli government is constructing the wall not on the internationally recognized border (the Green Line) but further into occupied West Bank , about 60 Palestinian communities will be trapped between the wall and the border.

Since occupying East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967, Israel – in clear violation of international law – has built more than 200 settlements on Palestinian land, providing housing for nearly 500,000 Israeli settlers. An intricate system of bypass roads, tunnels and checkpoints further isolate Palestinian villages from each other.

“We are seeing a process of squeezing the Palestinians that remain into as small an area as possible,” Israeli peace activist Amos Gvirtz told the delegation. He said that the Israeli government, in a very deliberate fashion, continues to claim more Palestinian land and demolish Palestinian homes, even during the peace process.

Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights told the delegation that the steps Israel takes to hold on to its land are making the country morally unfit to own the land. In March 2005, Ascherman was convicted of blocking bulldozers with his body to prevent demolition of the Dari family home in Issawiya, East Jerusalem . The Dari home has been demolished twice by Israeli authorities.

Standing on the site of the demolition of the Dari home, May 14, Rabbi Ascherman asked, “How can I watch the image of God being demolished with this house?” Ascherman said Jews should be God’s partners in making a better world. He noted that a recent survey showed that a majority of Jews and Palestinians want peace but each group believes that the other does not.

“Without blind support from the United States for over 40 years, this occupation could not have worked,” said Samia Khoury of Sabeel, a Palestinian Christian theological study center in Jerusalem . The United States provides $3 billion in military aid to Israel each year. “But we still believe that peace is possible and that Jews, Christians and Muslims can live together,” added Cedar Duaybis, also of Sabeel.

Ronen Shimoni of B’Tselem, an Israeli center for human rights in the occupied territories, told the delegation that it’s important to put economic pressure on Israel . “We must stop the settlements, stop the confiscation of land and allow for free access from one area to another,” he said.

Shimoni served in the Israeli military as all young Israelis are required to do. He remembers patrolling the Israeli-Palestinian border wall and denying passage through the wall to people who were seeking medical help.

“It dawned on me,” he said, “Who gave me the right to play God and to deny them access? These people are not even allowed to come into Israel so we don’t even know what a Palestinian looks like.”

Delegation members included representatives from Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Church USA Executive Board and Executive Leadership, MMA, Christian Peacemaker Teams, MEDA and MCC U.S. The delegation was formed in response to concerns within the Peace and Justice Partnership Council of Mennonite Church USA that agencies have a common experience around issues relating to investment policies.

Delegation members talked to Christians, Jews and Muslims, heard diverse perspectives on how to respond to Israel/Palestine issues and sought counsel from partner voices relating to Mennonites in the region.

May 14, the delegation met with two representatives, Elik Elhanan and Omar Alalool, of the Bereaved Families Circle, a group that encourages Palestinians and Jews whose loved ones have been killed in the conflict to begin the hard work of peacemaking by talking to each other. Elik Elhanan, a Jewish student whose sister was killed in a suicide bombing, said that his sister died because of the occupation and he no longer wants to be part of the cycle of violence.

“Blood leads to blood, violence leads to violence and the only way to resolve this issue is to talk,” Elhanan said.

Elhanan’s counterpart, Omar Alalool, a Palestinian Muslim, lost both his father and brother in the war 30 years ago. “In the end,” he says, “if you really want peace, you can’t believe in revenge.” Alalool, a doctor who runs a medical center, said Bereaved Families Circle wants to help people talk to each other.

“People should know there’s another side to this conflict. We want to live in peace,” he said.

The delegation’s letter to congregations urges Christians to rediscover God, as revealed in the Old Testament and in Jesus, as the One whose compassion and care extend to all people, Israelis and Palestinians alike. True security cannot be found in military power, the letter says, also noting that anti-Semitism is inconsistent with the church’s vision for anti-racism and cannot be tolerated.

Elias Chacour, Greek Catholic Archbishop of Galilee, urged the delegation, on May 22, to help Christians in North America find ways to express their solidarity with Christians in Israel/Palestine.

“We don’t expect you to solve our problems,” he said, “But we do expect you to read the Bible without being selective, to humble yourselves and to work with Christians who are already present here.”

Zoughbi Zoughbi, founder of the Wi’am Palestinian Center for Conflict Resolution, told the group that when North Americans visit the West Bank , it gives them hope. The wall, he said, separates families, creates economic hardship and fosters suspicion. Zoughbi said that 80 percent of the Palestinian children his agency serves have been exposed to trauma.

Despite these challenges, Zoughbi chooses hope.

“Hope hasn’t yet chosen us, but sooner or later, God will not deprive us from a miracle,” he said.

The delegation is planning to present its letter to delegates at the San José 2007 Delegate Assembly of Mennonite Church USA, July 2-6, in San José , California .

In Bethlehem , three years ago, Atallah Salem’s brother, Jad, and two of his friends were killed by a missile fired from an Israeli military helicopter. Atallah tells the story to delegation members in front of a graffiti wall in the Deheisheh refugee camp that says, “We will remember you forever,” a tribute to his brother. The refugee camp, first created in 1948, now houses 11,000 Palestinians. More than 650,000 Palestinians still live in 27 refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza . According to the United Nations, there are now more than four million Palestinian refugees worldwide. From the roof of Atallah’s apartment, Mennonite Church USA delegation members could view the progress of the building of the separation wall between Israel and Palestine and could see three Jewish settlements being built illegally on the hills surrounding Bethlehem . “I haven’t been outside Bethlehem for 20 years and I have less imagination than a child,” Salem told the delegation. He said the separation wall was not about fighting terrorism. “They just want to destroy our economy,” Salem said.

An open letter to Mennonite Church USA congregations

For more than 60 years, Mennonites have witnessed to the good news of Jesus Christ in Israel

and Palestine . In recent decades the human rights situation for Palestinians has deteriorated dramatically. Today, a power imbalance of Israelis over Palestinians distorts the lives of everyone living in the region and fails to provide the longed for security. A system of forced segregation and oppression imposed by the Israeli government, which some have called apartheid, and the resulting spiral of violence calls for urgent collaborative action by all Mennonites including the agencies currently working in the region.

In response to the discernment of the Peace and Justice Partnership Council of Mennonite Church USA of the need for a common conversation among various parts of Mennonite Church USA , a delegation of ten persons (see below) traveled in Palestine/Israel, May 11-24, 2007. We visited many important centers in the region and engaged in dialogue with Christians, Jews and Muslims. During the visit we listened to our partners, talked with leaders of other agencies and heard from ordinary people as well as co-workers of Mennonite-related agencies.

We affirm that

The situation in Israel/Palestine today confronts us with profound theological issues that challenge the roots of our faith.

Our experiences confront us with new questions about our understanding of God and what it means to be peacemakers in this context. Throughout the Bible, God calls the people of Israel to express care for “the other” and the stranger and to work for justice for everyone living on the land. The prophetic tradition repeatedly emphasizes that the people of God are accountable for exercising justice and compassion. The current situation in Israel/Palestine calls us to reject the temptation to reduce God to a tribal god who cares only for the well-being of one people.

The biblical witness testifies that God chose a particular people for the purpose of bringing blessing to “all the families of the nations.” We did not find blessing between peoples in Israel/Palestine. Rather, the situation we encountered impressed upon us the urgency for rediscovering God, as revealed in both the Old Testament and in Jesus, as the One whose compassion and care extends to all people, all of whom have been created in God’s image.

Christians have inflicted horrific suffering upon the Jewish people through the millennia, including the Holocaust. Tragically, Christian anti-Semitism continues. It is reprehensible. It cannot be reconciled with the biblical message, nor is it consistent with our vision of anti-racism.

We renew our commitment to God who disavows human vengeance, calls us to love our enemies and requires us to pursue reconciliation and peacemaking with all people. We understand this to be the essence of God’s nature and healing purpose in the world. Questions about the connection between financial investments and God’s call for justice challenge us to reexamine our understanding of Christian stewardship in light of the realities of life in Palestine and Israel .

We became keenly aware of our need as God’s people in Mennonite Church USA to recognize that true security can be found only in God. Both in this region and in North America , people have tried to find security through military power. The result has been the needless destruction of human lives that we have seen in Iraq and Palestine by occupying armies. In both places the senseless response of suicide bombers adds to the death and suffering.

We observe that

The continuing Israeli military occupation and the dispossession of Palestinians is sinful, responsible for unjust suffering and the major cause of the ongoing conflict.
The Israeli government has consistently violated international law; the United States government has supported violations of human rights and international law by Israel .
The Wall of Separation being constructed through the West Bank segregates Israelis from Palestinians and separates Palestinians from each other, causing undue hardship. This wall, 30 feet high and 436 miles long, will not ultimately satisfy Israeli security needs.
The Israeli economic strangulation of Palestinians by Israeli military restrictions on the free movement of goods and people and the international sanctions imposed on Palestine are causing great suffering and deprivation.
Christian Zionism has undergirded the occupation, reinforcing sentiments that have resulted in grave injustices for Palestinians.
The Christian community in Israel/Palestine, the place of the birth of Christianity, is being eroded by the hardships created by the occupation.
Suicide bombings by Palestinian extremists cause fear, insecurity and death for Israelis and work against possibilities for peace.
In spite of the challenges, we heard the hearts of many Israelis and Palestinians still longing for peace.

In light of these disconcerting realities, in congregational education we encourage

1. Mennonite Church USA pastors and leaders to visit both Israel and Palestine and to deepen their understanding of the current situation in this region.

2. Congregational groups and Sunday school classes to use study courses like Under Vine and Fig Tree (Cascadia) to counter the distortions of land and promise in Christian Zionism.

3. Intentional and continued initiatives to meet with and listen to a range of Israeli and Palestinian voices.

4. Use of resources on Mennonite understandings and responses to the Middle East and Israel/Palestine for further study and reflection (see www.MennoniteUSA/peace).

In economic engagement, we encourage

5. Groups visiting Palestine/Israel to consider staying in Palestinian communities including Bethlehem and Nazareth for at least a part of their time in the region to encourage economic development in Palestinian communities.

6. Church institutions to gain greater understanding of their investments in this region and to avoid investments which violate international law and promote violence. We encourage exploring ways our investments and our role as investors can be used to provide hope and promote peace in this region.

In peace building (political advocacy, public witness and accompaniment) we encourage

7. Mennonite-related agencies working in Israel/Palestine to coordinate their work in the region.

8. Congregations and agencies to challenge U.S. military and economic support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine and to advocate for justice and protection of human rights for all people in the region.

9. All parts of the church to strengthen our commitment to bridge-building between the alienated factions in this region.

Delegation participants – Daryl Byler (MCC Washington Office), Ron Byler (Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership), Ed Epp (MEDA), Kim Vu Friesen (MC USA Executive Board), Stanley Green (Mennonite Mission Network), Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach (MCC Washington Office), Rich Meyer (Christian Peacemaker Teams), Mark Regier (Mennonite Mutual Aid), Carol Rose (Christian Peacemaker Teams) and Lee Schmucker (Mennonite Mission Network)

Mennonite Encyclopedia project progressing along the information superhighway

Called GAMEO (www.gameo.org), or Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online, the Web site currently makes available nearly 7,500 articles from the print version, ranging from “A-B-C Books” (a collection of religious readings for beginners) to “Zwolse Vereniging” (a Dutch Mennonite conference). With more articles added weekly, managing editor Sam Steiner estimates that the Mennonite Encyclopedia’s 14,000-plus entries will be online by the end of 2008.

But Steiner and his colleagues don’t plan on stopping there. The goal is to not just replicate the printed encyclopedia on a Web site but to update existing articles and add new ones for 21st-century readers and researchers.

“GAMEO fills a gap on the Web by providing a quick source of reliable information on Anabaptists and Mennonites in a one-stop location,” said Steiner, librarian and archivist at Conrad Grebel University College , Waterloo , Ont. “GAMEO is built on the magnificent resource of the print Mennonite Encyclopedia but is not bound by space or time as print publications are.”

An estimated 10 percent of the articles online have been updated, such as changing place names (for example, Russia to Ukraine ), using updated population and membership numbers and occasionally adding an illustration. More than 1,000 articles are new and did not appear in the printed encyclopedia, particularly entries from some Canadian historical databases.

GAMEO is an inter-Mennonite, international initiative, supported by the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission, Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee, Mennonite Central Committee and Mennonite World Conference. U.S. and Canadian editorial committees are responsible for the content while a binational management committee oversees the entire project.

The process so far has been quite simple. The entire encyclopedia has been scanned and text distributed to the volunteers in each country, who do minor editing, updating and formatting. Steiner or Richard Thiessen, GAMEO assistant managing editor and library director at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, B.C., post articles online and create links.

GAMEO organizers want to broaden the number of participants and invite other researchers and writers to contribute. If they don’t see an article on something they are interested in, Steiner said, they should contact him with the pertinent information or even draft an article, based on a template found on the Web site.

To most effectively incorporate those people and their efforts will require using new technology, costing $8,000. “We’ve raised $1,000 thus far and need at least $6,000 in hand before we can move ahead with the [computer] conversion,” Steiner said. “When the conversion is done, it will allow regional Mennonite historical societies and identified Mennonite scholars to be hands-on in the growth of GAMEO.”

More than 1,200 visitors go to the GAMEO site each day, and Steiner says he receives several e-mails a day with questions about Mennonites. Most questions are from the United States and Canada , but an increasing number are coming from outside North America . That pleases Steiner and his GAMEO colleagues, who eventually want to offer content in languages other than English.

“GAMEO should be a resource that helps bind together the worldwide Mennonite community,” he said.

Sidebar: Project's journey started a century ago.

American Mennonite scholars in the 1940s conceived of the Mennonite Encyclopedia as an extension and translation of the Lexicon. But the project soon mushroomed well beyond its European counterpart, resulting in four volumes published between 1955 and 1959. A fifth volume to supplement the earlier work came out in 1990.

In 1996, using a database created fro the three-volume Mennonites in Canada series, the Mennonite Historical Committee of Canada started putting information online and then added pertinent entries from the Mennonite Encyclopedia. The project expanded two years ago with the addition of the Mennonite Church USA Historical Committee and Mennonite Brethren Historical Commission as partners.