A Review of 2022: An EPF PIN Reflection
Palestinians speak of sumud (صمود): steadfastness, perseverance. It was sumud that guided the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network (PIN) through 2022, an eventful year that was by turns unpredictable; full of growth, renewal, and achievement; and disappointing and heartbreaking.
As the year began, PIN along with all Episcopalians learned of the decision to shorten the 80th General Convention (GC) planned for July in Baltimore and restrict attendance to deputies and bishops only. Each triennium, PIN plans much of its work around attending GC to actively participate in the legislative work of convention that influences Episcopal Church policy. It is also a highlight to interact and network with other members of the Church who share our interests and mission of witnessing for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel. So, naturally, we shared the disappointment and concern with our partners in The Consultation about “the losses inflicted on the Body that is the Church” by not being able to attend the Convention.
Yet despite the disappointment at not being able to attend in person, PIN took full advantage of participating from home in the online legislative committee hearings for resolutions. Through that venue we coordinated our dedicated members, supporters, and allies to offer powerful, poignant, intelligent testimonies to the committees. We played a part in helping to pass resolutions C031 Freedom of Speech and the Right to Boycott, C039 Justice and Peace in the Holy Land – Our Call to Action, and D024 Conditioning U.S. Military Assistance on Human Rights. Other resolutions naming apartheid in Israel and condemning Christian Zionism were referred for further consideration. In the coming biennium, PIN will track those resolutions closely offering every possible support for their passage.
Among occasions we missed the most in Baltimore was the EPF reception where we typically present the esteemed John Nevin Sayre Award and the Cotton Fite Award to individuals who embody the principles of peace and justice. But once again recognizing opportunity, EPF and PIN hosted two receptions later in the year to present the awards and properly recognize the recipients: Dr Linda Gaither receiving the Sayre Award at a reception in Ithaca, New York; and the Rev. Canon Dr. Richard Toll receiving the Fite Award at a reception in Portland, Oregon. So in fact these opportunities welcomed many, many people to participate who would not have been present at General Convention.
Similarly, the disappointment of not gathering in Baltimore quickly gave way to other means for activism and opened up the time to reflect on our work. We used the unplanned hiatus to examine our organization and undertake efforts for renewal and growth. Now PIN operates under a new structure that offers more effective ways to pursue our goals and objectives. As a completely volunteer organization, PIN is its dedicated, committed members and supporters. In this new structure, we hope to give each person an opportunity to find their place while at the same time extending our reach into allied communities and spaces to share our work more broadly. The movement for Palestinian justice and liberation is growing and PIN members try to be vigilant in lending support to other groups in the movement. We endorse and sign on to petitions, legislation, campaigns or information events that are aimed at just peace in Palestine and Israel. Statements of where PIN stands on these matters can be found here on our website.
One of the activities where we will direct greater focus is Building PIN. As the new year begins, we invite all who want to know more or want to join our work to visit our website or contact us at epfpin@epfnational.org. 2022 brought a bounty of new energy and thankfully also brought generous financial support that makes the work possible. Many offered their commitment in the form of automatic monthly donations, a very tangible way to be part of justice and peace advocacy.
2022 and its upheavals and unexpected developments offered other new opportunities and PIN seized them. For the first time, PIN offered financial support that enabled two persons to visit Palestine for the very first time, part of a solidarity visit sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America. And PIN found new ways to amplify its voice by bringing attention and offering education about events unfolding on the ground in Palestine and Israel. We published views on the House of Bishops pastoral letter regarding the status of Jerusalem; mourned and condemned the murder of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by occupation forces; condemned the raids of Palestinian NGOs and desecration of church property; and spoke out against the violent arrest of teenager Shadi Khoury, one of hundreds of such arrests that occur every year. PIN members also contributed to the online blog Mondoweiss. Near the end of the year, PIN refreshed and revitalized our website to make it more attractive, accessible, and informative for visitors.
Throughout 2022, as always, PIN took its direction, motivation, and inspiration from the people of Palestine. While we celebrated the successes and opportunities of the year, we did so carrying the heartbreak of one of the most tragic years for Palestinians since the Nakba of 1947-’48. Just as we have learned sumud, we have learned the despair and sadness of continued oppression, continued violence, continued loss of life, home, and opportunity. In many Palestinian families, it was a year of grief and mourning. More than 230 Palestinians were killed by occupation forces in 2022; 36 of them were children. It was the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2014. Most of those killed were executed in the street for suspicion of resistance: a prominent young soccer player, murdered just as the World Cup was bringing enjoyment to much of the world. Some were killed by “mistake”, caught in crossfire when occupation forces conducted illegal invasions of communities: a 15-year old girl on her rooftop looking for her cat. These people were murdered by agents of the state of Israel without attempts to arrest, without charges filed or legal procedure, without punishment or accountability for the murderers. And then the year ended with evidence that circumstances would get even worse as a new settler-driven nationalist government took office in Israel led by those who have voiced support for ethnic cleansing, so extreme as to create concern even among some Zionists.
But sumud is a thing of hope. How else can we remain steadfast? Throughout the Palestinian nation we see renewed determination to resist and overcome; in more and more international legal organizations we see calls of “Apartheid” and calls for accountability; and throughout the Holy Land that is Palestine, we see reminders of the One who brought new life. PIN is ready to encounter 2023 united with Palestinians in resistance and in the struggle for liberation and bound in community with all those in the Church who strive for justice among all people.
