EPF Reception, Ithaca, NY,  Sept. 24, 2022

If you could plan a big party with the most interesting and beloved people, who would you invite?  My answer is : You.  This is THE PERFECT PARTY.  Some of you flew in from around the country and some of you were able to walk across town.  Whatever the distance, thank you for joining with me in this celebration of the work for peace with justice to which the Episcopal Peace Fellowship is dedicated.  

Episcopal Peace Fellowship – EPF.  I’d like to share some of things that EPF has taught me about that word Fellowship over the years.  It’s an old-fashioned word with deep roots in Old English, designating the commitments and risk of a business partnership… putting mutual well-being on the line together.  

We are gathered today in a Fellowship Hall, an old-fashioned place where community was built up long before the Net and Net-works bound us together > common meals, music, lectures, pageants nurturing each new generation into fellowship.  

Today this Fellowship Hall hosts Loaves & Fishes 5 days a week, welcoming anyone in town, in whatever state of body and mind, to a delicious free meal and a safe space for fellowship and inclusion and community.

20 years ago, when I was invited to join the National Exec. Council of EPF, I was wandering in an emotional and spiritual wilderness after the death of my husband, Jess. The invitation from EPF to fill his seat on that Council was for me the ultimate offer of hospitality and kindness and fellowship.  I know what it’s like to walk through the doors into a Fellowship, to be offered a feast of loaves & fishes.  I am forever grateful. 

On another level, I have learned that a Fellowship is grounded in and builds up common purpose.  The purpose is often creative, as when students are granted fellowships to be mentored into a particular community of learners and makers.  Or when candidates for Holy Baptism undertake the renunciations and the covenant promises that shape a life of Fellowship in Christ.   

In times of crisis, Fellowships arise with common purpose to confront the dangers.  The crisis of world war was the crucible in 1915 for The Rev. John Nevin Sayre to become a co-founder of the U.S. branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the first international multi-denominational pacifist movement.  Please note that the danger being confronted by the Rev. Sayre was not ‘the armed enemy’ but the whole phenomenon of redemptive violence itself, with the increasingly catastrophic death and destruction of modern warfare, that cycle of war – armistice – war – armistice –  war – armistice, on an ever grander scale.  

As the pressure for war began building again in Europe, the Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship was formed in 1939 under Sayre’s leadership, grounded in a Gandhian focus on nonviolent resistance as power for change. The very first EPF action was circulating a pledge among Episcopalians against fighting, even a defensive war; i.e. Conscientious Objection.  Registering and ministering to Episcopal Conscientious Objectors was the core of EPF’s earliest purpose and continues to this day.  

The Episcopal Pacifist Fellowship voted for a name change in 1965, spurred by a growing realization that strict pacifists and non-pacifists are called to dream and work and pray for a peace that seems impossible in our Fallen World.  The new name, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, does not signify a lessening of the crisis presented by war and advanced weaponry; it is rather a broadening of the call for fellowship in the common purpose of promoting peace with justice in the face of terrifying possibilities.

Today the Doomsday Clock, measuring the probability of full-scale nuclear war, is set at 100 seconds to midnight. I am especially proud of our Ithaca Area EPF Chapter for advancing endorsement of the “Back from the Brink Campaign” all the way from our local Episcopal parishes, to our Diocese of Central New York, and finally to the 2022 General Convention of the Episcopal Church, which endorsed five common sense nuclear weapons policies, moving us closer to a world free of nuclear weapons.  This is now the official policy of The Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship has prayed, studied and acted for peace with justice on many fronts during the years I have been involved.  A glance through the editions of The Witness – which was produced and printed right here in Ithaca before moving on-line – illustrates the range and depth of a common purpose. Here’s just a taste: 

*Creating a Culture of Peace: Interactive Nonviolence Training Workshops for parishes & dioceses (2004 and onward)

*Christian Peace Witness for Iraq : street vigil in Washington D.C., March 7, 2008

*Futures Not Funerals : Chicago Peace & Justice EPF Chapter sponsored keynote address on gun violence at 2009 Diocesan Convention : launched EPF’s on-going work for sane gun laws

*New York Urban Pilgrimage for Young Adults, March 2010 : first in a series of immersion experiences in psycho-social-physical challenges faced by low-income city dwellers : organized by EPF Young Adult Brain Trust

*EPF’s Statement in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions as a means of Nonviolent Resistance  in the quest for a just peace in Palestine/Israel [2010] *Organization of EPF-Palestine Israel Network by The Rev. Cotton Fite later that year

To sum up, our Fellowship is characterized by an inclusive community with a common purpose.   We are a Fellowship and a Peace Fellowship. In particular, though, we are the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.  We do not, however, speak for our church; rather, we speak to our church. The goal is to make our EPF purpose the common purpose of the Episcopal Church: pray, study and act for peace with justice, as the Gospel imperative.  And that makes EPF seem troublesome and irritating and sometimes even “dangerous” in the eyes of some church leaders and members.  

That’s been true since the beginning of our Fellowship, as seen in the fate of Bishop Paul Jones, a co-founder of EPF with John Nevin Sayre.  In April 1918, a commission of the House of Bishops forced Paul Jones to resign his post as Bishop of Utah because of his outspoken opposition to World War I.  But he continued to make “good trouble,” pushing the church, not just to resist war but also to take up the cause of war refugees.  In the 1930’s Paul Jones worked tirelessly to assist Jewish and other refugees

fleeing the Nazi regime.  

I believe it was the enduring relationships of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and, later, EPF, that sustained Paul Jones in his remarkable witness for nonviolence.  I believe that because of my experience in EPF and EPF PIN.  The deep friendships and enduring relationships continually renew my spirit and help me get over myself and get on with the call to peacemaking.  

What is Fellowship?  The Three C’s > Community and Common Purpose and Courage that is founded in deep friendship.  Thanks be to God for the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. 

Israeli apartheid was one of the more contentious issues which surfaced at the World Council of Churches (WCC) General Assembly, which met in Karlsruhe, Germany from August 31^st to September 8^th. 

EPF PIN friends and followers will remember that the existence of apartheid in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, and how to respond to it, was raised at The Episcopal Church’s (TEC) General Convention in July. Three diocesan resolutions accusing Israel of practicing apartheid were forwarded to the next General Convention for further consideration, while Resolution C039, Justice and Peace in the Holy Land – Our Call to Action, which “condemn[s] the continued occupation, segregation and oppression of the Palestinian people”, but did not use the A-word, was approved.

It was no secret that the Anglican delegation from South Africa, in the spirit of their beloved former Cape Town Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, and at the urging of grassroots Palestinian clergy and civil society leaders, planned to introduce a statement to the influential Public Issues Committee, identifying as apartheid the Israeli laws which disadvantage Palestinians and calling on the WCC to support the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. 

The Steering Committee of EPF PIN, having seen the South African Anglican’s statement, wrote to the members of TEC’s delegation on the eve of their departure, urging them to support the effort, and providing them with the statement, as well as reports from B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Perhaps attempting to avoid, or at least shape discussing the issue, acting WCC General Secretary, the Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, citing discussions with church leaders in the Middle East, urged “discernment, care, and wisdom” to “ensure the decisions we take… help the Christians and people in the Holy Land rather than endanger their very existence.”  Paragraphs 62-73 of his opening address flesh this out.

Undaunted, the South African Anglicans, urged by clergy and laity in Palestine, submitted their statement for consideration. Opposition to labelling Israeli actions as apartheid came primarily from the Evangelical Lutheran Church (EKD) in Germany. According to Disciples of Christ minister, the Rev. Jeff Wright, “EKD Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber declared to the gathered delegates that her church ‘would never use the word apartheid to describe Israel’, even though the statement only referred to the studies that had concluded that Israel’s actions fit the definition.”

In his Mondoweiss article, Rev. Wright explains that the Bishop was expressing both her Church’s position, and reflecting German government laws, based on the IHRA definition of antisemitism, making criticism of Israel a crime. Germany was also hosting Israeli president Isaac Herzog at the time, perhaps making it politically important for her to raise objections to the Assembly meeting on German soil. 

The final document which emerged was something of a compromise. On the positive side, Seeking Justice and Peace for All in the Middle East, retained this quote:

”In June 2022 the WCC central committee observed that “[t]he discrimination against Palestinians is overt and systemic, and the ongoing half-century-long occupation continues to contradict the equal human dignity and human rights of Palestinians living under this system of control, while the response of the international community continues to reflect egregious double standards.” 

It also commented on the Israeli Occupation Forces recent break-ins at a half dozen Palestinian NGOs, including the offices of al Haq, which rents space from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah (and which was also damaged).

“The recent suppression of several Palestinian human rights organisations by the Israeli authorities without any effective opposition by the international community is an emblematic example of this system of control and these double standards. For Palestinian people, the situation is sadly compounded by the grave failings of the Palestinian authorities, including reprisals against opposition leaders and the lack of legal and democratic accountability.”

And to the presumed displeasure of the EKD representatives, it continued to reference the human rights reports and used the “A-word”.

“Recently, numerous international, Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations and legal bodies have published studies and reports describing the policies and actions of Israel as amounting to “apartheid” under international law.”

The compromise came in the form of an acknowledgment that,

“Within this Assembly, some churches and delegates strongly support the utilization of this term as accurately describing the reality of the people in Palestine/Israel and the position under international law, while others find it inappropriate, unhelpful and painful. We are not of one mind on this matter. We must continue to struggle with this issue, while we continue working together on this journey of justice and peace. We pray that the WCC continues to provide a safe space for its member churches for conversation and collaboration in pursuing truth, and working for a just peace among all people of the region.

We don’t know how the members of TEC’s delegation voted on this Final Statement. There was no mention of the controversy in the reporting which appeared recently from the Episcopal News Service. And response to a request for comment was not received in time for this PinontheGo issue. (We will gladly update the article if we receive a response.) We do, however, believe that the delegates should have been among the majority who supported the statement.

At the conclusion of the General Assembly, a press release did not mention controversy over the word apartheid, but said the WCC

“is hearing the pleas of the heads of churches in the Holy Land more than ever before in relation to mounting intimidation, violations, limiting access to places of worship, and attacks by radicals… squeezing the Christian presence in Jerusalem, threatening the Status Quo and the multi-religious and multi-cultural identity of the city, along with displacing Palestinians.”

That was similar to the wording in Resolution A216, The Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches of the Holy Land, passed by the Episcopal House of Bishops this summer in Baltimore, and builds on the EPF PIN-backed Resolution B003, Reaffirm Jerusalem as the Shared Capital of Israel and Palestine, adopted at the 2018 Convention in Austin, Texas.

While affirming “the rightful place of Israel in the community of nations,” the WCC press release focused on Palestinian self-determination, noting:

“At the same time, we affirm the right of the Palestinians for self-determination and that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1967, as well as settlement construction and expansion in the occupied territories, is illegal under international law and must be ended.”

“Upheavals, violent extremism using religion as justification, ongoing military occupations, discrimination and systematic violations of human rights, economic crises and corruption, absence of the rule of law, and other factors have contributed to an existential crisis for all in the region.”

Affirming its commitment to the principles of “God’s justice and love for all of creation, the fundamental rights of all people, respect for human dignity, solidarity with the needy and dialogue with people of other faith.”, they specifically highlighted their concern regarding:

“…another wave of forced displacement of Palestinian people from their homes—sometimes on multiple occasions since 1948—as in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, the South Hebron Hills, as well as in the rest of Area C,” and noted that “The expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially those encircling East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law and threaten fundamental demographic and political changes to the region.”

It is perhaps inevitable that a certain level of disappointment follows the completion of the WCC’s 11^th General Assembly in Karlsruhe. There was no call to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which remains the best non-violent method of bringing about social change. And instead of speaking out boldly against Israeli apartheid, they were content to call member churches to “examine, discuss and discern the implications of the recent reports by B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International”.

It is also tempting to see the WCC as a rather opaque multinational bureaucracy body, a sort of religious United Nations, that is long on pronouncements but weak in ability to affect change. That may be true, but what if we were to take seriously their call to “examine, discuss and discern” the reports of human rights NGOs in our parishes and dioceses? (We would also commend for your use the recently released Dossier on Israeli Apartheid from Kairos Palestine which summarizes the various reports.) What if we urged the TEC to “consult and reflect on an alternative policy, perspective and comprehensive solution[s] for Palestine/Israel where all people have equal rights before the law”? And what if, as the WCC urges, we were to ask TEC to “call on the government of Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza”?

Editor’s note: Thanks to EPF PIN member Randy Hey-Lamb for this report.

The compound of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian Territory was broken into by Israeli military in the early hours of August 18. The soldiers posted “Outlawed” on the door of the human rights organization Al-Haq that rents office space within the church compound. Far from outlawed, Al-Haq was the first Palestinian human rights organization created some 40 years ago. It is strictly independent, identifying human rights violations no matter whether by Israel or the Palestine Authority.

In a statement describing the raid, Al Haq detailed the damage.

“At 3:23 am, Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) forcibly blasted through the locked security door of Al Haq’s offices, bursting the door from its hinges and raiding the premises, setting off the alarms. Below the premises of Al-Haq, the IOF bludgeoned and broke the front door of the Episcopal Church, leaving long shards of glass, sponge-grenades (used for riot control), and several teargas canisters, rubber coated and live bullets around the property.”

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem described how unsafe the residents of the church compound felt during the two-hour raid. “The sound of gun shots, stun grenades, and the smashing of doors caused terror among the families living inside the compound.” The statement continued, “The Diocese considers the offense on the complex of St. Andrew’s in Ramallah as an assault against the free exercise of religion as an established and officially recognized Christian Church.”

Such Israeli actions have been shrinking the space for the free exercise of religion and humanitarian work in the occupied Palestinian Territory. This shrinking of civil society spaces is a step in removing Palestinian worshippers and humanitarians (who now can be designated as “outlaw”) from the Israeli domain. Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) for instance reported that this year, “and for the first time ever, Israeli police announced that they would restrict the number of worshippers at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for the Easter Holy Fire ceremony to 1000 people (the church holds approximately 11,000) and would limit the number of Christians allowed into the Old City on Easter to a mere 500. After an appeal to the High Court, the number of worshippers was increased to 4000.” EPF PIN member Priscilla Read sees the attack of St. Andrew’s Church as constricting the space for Palestinian civil society. She writes, “This attack on a church is part of a pattern of crescendoing Israeli disrespect for religious institutions, religious rites, and people of faith, Muslim and Christian. We observed just this past spring the way Israeli authorities radically restricted Christian processions and observances during Holy Week and Easter. We saw the Israeli Government refuse Muslims the right to gather during Ramadan and access to Al-Aqsa Mosque. They radically restrict both Christian and Muslim access to sacred sites in Jerusalem on a continuing basis, including during the holiest days of the year.” One wonders if there is a strategy of shrinking civil space, the designation of outlaw, and Palestinian removal.

Six of Palestine’s leading human rights organizations were designated “terrorist” by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on October 19 of last year. A seventh raided group, the Health Work Committees (one of the largest health providers in the occupied west Bank) was designated terrorist a year earlier in 2020. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as well as ten European states have found no substantial information to back up Israel’s claims that any of the groups is terrorist. Instead among the organizations in question there is work with farmers against Israeli settler encroachment and for the rights of Palestinian children. Khaled Quzmar of Defense for Children International – Palestine noted that 75 files were stolen during the raid by the Israeli Occupying Forces, putting children at risk. “Information for children in Israeli courts which should be private is now in the hands of the Israeli military.”

Keeping Faith

Khaled Quzmar as well as the other directors of the outlawed human rights organizations vowed to continue their work. “Sealing and closing our office,” he said, “will not silence us. We reject the Israeli designation and any repressive tactics aimed at eliminating our work.” He and the others are keeping faith with their mission and with those who depend on them. Shawan Jabarin of Al-Haq stood firm: “They can arrest us, kill us, and beat us, but we will not deter our resolve in achieving justice for our people, and defending the rights of our people.” Palestinians who removed the iron plates that sealed their doors to continue their work risk years in prison. There is little relief from the Israeli courts. Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, relates: “The Israeli justice system is designed to either find Palestinians guilty if they go through trial or to force them to plead in order to find them guilty indirectly and use that as evidence against other people.” So what redress is there?

Standing by When Innocents are Outlawed

EPF PIN joined 250 other U.S. faith-based, social justice, and human rights organizations in a letter to President Biden on August 29 to stop the Israeli Government’s attacks on Palestinian civil society. The letter charges that the Biden administration’s decision to stand by and not respond to Israeli raids and the repressive tactics that led up to them has put “the safety and well-being of Palestinian human rights defenders at serious risk.” In summary, the letter calls upon the President to: 1) condemn the criminalization of Palestinian civil society organizations; 2) reject the accusations levied against these organizations; 3) take diplomatic action to protect these organizations; 4) open channels for direct U.S. engagement with Palestinian civil society and a public understanding of the impacts of Israeli repression; 5) end U.S. efforts to undermine Palestinian pursuit of justice at the International Criminal Court; 6) ensure unencumbered funding of the targeted Palestinian organizations from U.S. based groups; and 7) suspend U.S. military funding and diplomatic efforts that enable Israeli violation of human rights.

Four days later the directors of the six “outlawed” Palestinian human rights organizations wrote their own letter to President Biden. They write in part, 

“in the days, weeks, and months that followed (Israel’s designation of our groups as terrorist), your administration failed to act despite recognition by U.S. government officials and reports that Israeli authorities have for years pursued policies and tactics that work to constrain humanitarian and civil society space within all areas Israeli authorities exercise control. Your administration failed to act despite your own Central Intelligence Agency’s reported assessment that information passed on by Israeli authorities earlier this year did not substantiate the Israeli government’s claims.” 

The letter enumerates five steps the Biden administration can and should take that include condemning the Israeli government’s actions, rejecting their allegations, working in partnership with other states to rescind the terrorist designations, ending efforts to undermine the rights of Palestinians to pursue justice at the International Criminal Court, and finally to end complicity with and financial and diplomatic support for the Israeli apartheid regime.

Both letters urge the Biden administration not to stand by when innocents are outlawed. The last word is given to Al-Haq whose offices were raided at the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Compound in Ramallah. The international community is urged, they state, to “take concrete measures, such as trade restrictions and arms embargoes, to ensure that Israel is held internationally responsible for its ongoing systematic inhumane acts of apartheid, including the persecution of Palestinian human rights defenders.”

Editor’s Note:  Thanks to EPF PIN members Cliff Cutler and Priscilla read for compelling, writing and editing this post.

The Episcopal News Service published this press release from EPF PIN earlier today.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network (EPF PIN) condemns the early morning raid of August 18^th in Ramallah when Israeli forces forcibly entered, ransacked and confiscated property of six Palestinian NGOs before welding shut their entrances. The illegal raid included the human rights organization Al Haq, whose offices are rented from St. Andrew’s Anglican/Episcopal Church. 

Agence France Press quoted the Rev. Fadi Diab, rector of St. Andrews, as saying, “The soldiers came into the premises around 3:00 a.m. and we started hearing shots and banging on the doors.”  Church property suffered substantial damage. These actions were immediately condemned in a Facebook posting by the Diocese of Jerusalem and Archbishop Hosam Naoum, who called the attack “both a violation of international law and a terroristic attack against the entire community.” The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem demanded that Israeli authorities conduct a speedy investigation into the events.

In October 2021, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network reported on and condemned Israel’s designation of the six organizations as “terror organizations,” alleging affiliation with PFLP, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which it considers to be a terrorist organization. Israel’s Defense Minister justified the raids in Ramallah as “ratifying” that designation, although in the ten months since the designation Israel has failed to provide any evidence whatsoever to substantiate the allegation. In July 2022, nine states of the European Union rejected Israel’s designation.  EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said in response to the raids, “Past allegations of misuse of EU funds in relation to certain Palestinian civil society organizations have not been substantiated. The EU will continue to stand by international law and support civil society organizations”.

Al Haq released an alert containing detailed descriptions of the raid, damage done, and threats made by Israeli forces. Al Haq pledged to continue its work. Al Haq called on Israel to rescind the “terrorist” designations and called on the international community to pressure Israel to reverse the military orders. It further asked for people to “take concrete measures, such as trade restrictions and arms embargoes, to ensure that Israel is held internationally responsible for its ongoing systematic inhumane acts of apartheid, including the persecution of Palestinian human rights defenders.” 

Israel’s actions last October to set these events in motion have now resulted in threatening acts of violence that have spilled over to also affect the lives of St. Andrew’s worshippers and staff. It is a classic example of Israel’s unrelenting, unchecked encroachments into the sanctity of Palestinian life.  EPF PIN urges members of The Episcopal Church to fully realize the widespread injuries and injustices brought about by Israel’s ongoing occupation and policies toward the Palestinian people. We join Al Haq in the call to hold Israel accountable for its actions and for Israel to adhere to international law and honor human rights of all peoples. 

The usual doldrums of summer have been roiled by two recent events that help us realize anew the place our Church has in the world and our part in it. The events are the Lambeth Conference and the latest of Israel’s recurring assaults on people of the Gaza Strip. These two events are wholly unconnected, but they represent what can happen in the world that may demand responses from The Episcopal Church (TEC). In these cases, the path to determining whether we respond and how we respond began at the 80^th General Convention that occurred shortly before the Lambeth Conference convened. 

Many of us who participated in some way in GC were spending our summers reflecting, debriefing, and compiling Lessons Learned. Part of this process involves asking ourselves, why does it matter? Do the millions of people in the pews know about the resolutions that were passed, are they engaged with the legislative process of TEC, and what is the point of all those hours and hours spent preparing and engaging with GC? In other words, so what?

Then came Lambeth. Then came an attempt to reaffirm a 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution that rejected same-sex marriage through a sketchy voting process that seemed to attempt to codify it outside the light of transparency. Then came a “firestorm of criticism” especially from TEC, multiple public statements opposing the attempt, a march-demonstration by bishops, and finally changes by Conference leaders that sought to mend the rifts opened up. Through all of this, the Presiding Bishop, other bishops, and many members of TEC were able to stand apart and speak out to oppose efforts from the part of the Anglican Communion that wants less-than status for LGBTQ+ persons. They were able to do this because TEC is on record through its resolutions passed at General Conventions. This was the response to “So what?”.

Just days before Lambeth’s adjournment came Israel’s new attacks on the people of Gaza, dubbed Operation Breaking Dawn by Israel Defense Forces. At this writing, almost 50 Palestinians have been killed in these attacks including 15 children, and more than 350 injured, nearly one-third of them children.  Although spokespersons for the U.S. and several European governments rushed to offer support for “Israel’s right to defend itself”, observers and analysts were hard-pressed to explain what prompted this round of attacks that even mainstream media described as “pre-emptive” without specific cause. Some suggested that the operation was launched to bolster Israel’s current government and secure its hold on power in the country’s current chaotic political climate. 

What can be certain about Operation Breaking Dawn and the ensuing deaths and destruction are two things: weapons used in the attack were part of the billions of dollars’ worth obtained from the U.S.; and many Palestinian deaths and injuries resulted from attacks targeted at residential structures, acts that may constitute war crimes. U.N. Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, said, “I condemn Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza to allegedly ‘deter’ Islamic Jihad’s possible retaliation for its leader’s arrest. As Int’l Law only permits the use of force in self-defense, Operation Breaking Dawn is a flagrant act of aggression. Illegal. Immoral. Irresponsible.”

What do these events in Palestine and Israel have to do with the 80^th General Convention? That convention passed resolution D024 that puts in place TEC policy that “the Episcopal Church reaffirm its longstanding commitment to supporting human rights in our own countries and around the world, and to ensuring that U.S. military assistance and arms sales not be used to perpetuate conflict, violate human rights, or contribute to corruption, instability, or violence.” With Resolution D024, it could not be clearer that TEC opposes some actions occurring in Operation Breaking Dawn.

What we say matters. TEC speaks through its resolutions that are passed at General Conventions and at Executive Council between conventions. What we do also matters and what TEC can do is determined, defined, and permitted by resolutions. 

Resolution D024 did not prevent Operation Breaking Dawn, nor will it stop all future wars of injustice or sale of weapons for such wars. There is a good way to go before LGBTQ+ people find welcome everywhere in the Church and before some people of the Church will be ready to welcome them. But we are called to witness, not to succeed. We are called to speak the truth, not to win. We are called to stand up, no matter who is standing on the other side against us. That is our mission as followers of Jesus. 

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic when the world was keeping silent about the disease that was killing thousands of gay men, the organization ACTUP proclaimed that “SILENCE = DEATH”. That could have been true for millions of people had a handful not continued to speak, sometimes to shout, and then been joined slowly but surely by many, many more. They spoke and they acted up and eventually they prevailed. 

In TEC and in the world it can influence, the words of resolutions matter, but not just the words. For in the process of preparing for GC and in the writing of resolutions, we come together. We have common cause and we work with common purpose. Despite all our many differences, we create community, we become common/union. That is holy work. 

To complete our reports on actions of the 80th General Convention which met in Baltimore early last month, let’s examine the fate of Resolution C012, Confronting Christian Zionism, submitted by the Diocese of Chicago. C012 was one of two resolutions on Christian Zionism (“CZ”) considered by Legislative Committee 7, Social Justice and International Policy.

The other, similarly titled C040 On Confronting Christian Zionism, submitted by the Diocese of Washington (DC), was considered during online hearings before Convention, but as often happens when similar resolutions come before a Committee, a decision was taken to address C012 and to “take no further action” on C040. The House of Bishops, to which all Committee 7 resolutions went for their first hearing, affirmed that decision at Convention.

As a reminder, CZ grows out of a 19^th Century dispensational, literalist interpretation of Scripture which envisions a violent end-time when Jews who don’t recognize Jesus as Messiah will be annihilated with the rest of God’s enemies. Many proponents believe the 1967 reunification of Jerusalem was a literal fulfillment of Hebrew Scriptures such as Zechariah 8:3. The impact is unequivocal support for the modern State of Israel leading followers to give millions for Israeli settlement construction and political support for our government’s giving billions in military aid each year. Perhaps even more dangerous is the uncritical support for any law or action taken by the modern state of Israel.

Some Episcopalians and other well-meaning folk who are neither dispensationalists nor interpret the Bible literally subscribe to a mainline version of Christian Zionism which Jewish historian Marc Ellis calls “the ecumenical deal”, characterized by an unwillingness to criticize the state of Israel out of guilt for the Holocaust and/or an misinterpretation of God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:3. The impact however is the same.

Committee 7 heard spirited online testimony in the spring by parishioners of the Diocese of Chicago, by ecumenical and interfaith members of the Chicago Faith Coalition, and by other EPF PIN supporters, but also drew opposition from both Christian and Jewish supporters of Zionism. After consideration, the Deputies and Bishops altered the language of C012 slightly and sent it for consideration at Convention with a recommendation to approve as amended. However, unlike resolutions placed on the “consent calendar” which pass (or fail) as part of a group, C012 and CZ would be discussed on the floor.

The final language which was considered by the House of Bishops read:
Resolved, That the 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church reject the nationalistic theology of Christian Zionism which provides the ideological basis for Christian Zionist leaders and politicians seeking to influence United States policy in Palestine-Israel; and be it further
Resolved, that this Convention not only reject the theology of Christian Zionism which is inherently antisemitic but also, critically, condemn the political policy positions that it sponsors and financially supports, which include Israel’s expansion across the entire land of Palestine-Israel and the displacement of the Palestinian people, including our indigenous Palestinian Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters; and be it further
Resolved, that, recognizing the extent to which the Prayer Book liturgy including prayers and the lectionary as well as the hymns contain frequent references to the Biblical land of Israel and the Israelites and that many Episcopalians confuse these with the current State of Israel, a conflation that reinforces the deceptive theology of Christian Zionism , the Episcopal Church commit to making clear in liturgy and in teaching the clear distinction between the current political situation and the Biblical past.

Bishop Daniel Gutierrez of Philadelphia, who chaired Committee 7, presented the resolution in the House of Bishops with the Committee’s recommendation to “adopt with amendment”, but Bishop Peter Eaton of Southeast Florida rose immediately to propose that the resolution be referred to an interim body for further study and action. 

While Bishop Eaton said he shared the position that CZ is “an expression of the Christian faith that is not consonant with our Anglican sensibility” and could see why “we might want to distance ourselves from it as a theological construct”, he claimed to be “not aware that [CZ] is a pressing issue within our church”. He went on to say his first concern was that the resolution needed a “clearer definition” to avoid confusing “a condemnation of Christian Zionism with a condemnation of Zionism”.

His second objection was that the resolution also condemned Israel’s policies in the Israel Palestine conflict, which he felt was “much too complicated a matter to slip into a resolution” on CZ. It should be noted, however, that the House of Bishops went on to address that very issue, and the House of Deputies concurred in approving Resolution C039 Justice and Peace in the Holy Land – Our Call to Action.

Bishop Eaton concluded by sharing his opinion that C012 assumed a “conflation of Biblical references to Israel with the modern state of Israel which is neither evident nor compelling” and noted that the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music will be addressing “the way in which matters of sensitive interpretation are handled.”

Bishop Eugene Sutton of Maryland then rose in support of the resolution, affirming that it was “very much needed and very timely”. In response to Bishop Eaton’s comments, Bishop Sutton argued that the resolution “is not designed to be a paper on Christian Zionism”, but “invites people to do further investigation for it”. He also affirmed the call to look at language in the Prayer Book that “is regularly misinterpreted”. He testified that within his diocese “there is a deep conflation when the Prayer Book speaks of Israel… with modern Israel.” Bishop Sutton has encouraged his clergy to say, “in the calling of ancient Israel to be your people” when using Eucharistic Prayer B, or to substitute the words “in the calling of the children of Abraham.” Although Bishop Eaton did not mention how relationships to the large, older and presumably conservative Jewish population in SE Florida might have influenced his concerns, Bishop Sutton, noting the “very large” Orthodox Jewish population in the city of Baltimore, stated that “we have to be very clear on what we mean.”

With the time allocated to discussion on the Resolution running out and with no one else rising to speak for or against the resolution, the House of Bishops voted, by a tally of 69 For, 46 Against and with 2 Abstentions, to refer C012 to an Interim Body for further development. That decision was confirmed without discussion by the House of Deputies the next day as part of their consent calendar.

For those not familiar, Interim Bodies are something like an ad hoc committee of interested and qualified laypersons, deacons and clergy who take up one or more matters between General Conventions. The Episcopal News Service recently posted this release calling for volunteers to participate in nearly a dozen identified or yet to be named Interim Bodies. The application deadline is August 12^th. If you have, or are interested in applying, please let us know

Last week’s July 14 issue of PINontheGo recapped some of the resolutions that passed the unique, turbulent 80^th General Convention (GC) just completed. Resolutions C013, C039, and D024 are important, forceful resolutions and even more remarkable for coming out successfully from a legislative process that was prolonged, at times confusing, and technologically challenging. 

Not to be overlooked from the 80^th, however, are resolution C001 and three resolutions addressing the apartheid regime imposed by the state of Israel on the Palestinian people.

Following the six important resolutions passed in 2018, EPF PIN leadership anticipated that there would be attempts to roll those back at the following convention. C001 represented exactly that. This resolution from the Diocese of Maryland asserted that “discourse surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (sic)” is perceived by some as “anti-semitic”, and further sought to remove agency from The Episcopal Church (TEC) concerning events in Palestine and Israel and hand it over to the Archbishop in Jerusalem. PIN mounted robust testimony to refute those resolves and fortunately, members of the Social Justice and International Policy Committee 07 agreed by voting to reject it, or “Take No Further Action” in GC legislative parlance, which meant it would not be forwarded to the House of Bishops for consideration.

We must be slow to celebrate or find too much encouragement in the halted course of C001, however, because it represents a sentiment widespread in our church: that resolutions and policies in TEC concerning Palestine and Israel ought to be cautious, gentle, gradual, unprovocative, or altogether avoided. Even as the committee rejected C001, we saw some members of the committee act on this sentiment in discussing three other resolutions that all named policies of the state of Israel toward Palestinians as policies of Apartheid.

In the end, apartheid resolutions C025, C031, and C042 from the Dioceses of Vermont, Chicago and Washington, D.C., respectively, were deferred by Committee 07 to be considered at the next 81^st General Convention. Deferral was an option offered to committees this year in view of the shortened, modified nature of this convention. It is useful to review what happened with those resolutions. 

First of all, it is important to note that “The Episcopal Church” did not refuse to name Israel’s apartheid, an interpretation being offered in some conversations. General Convention is the governing body of TEC, and this convention never considered these resolutions; instead, they were deferred by the responsible legislative committee to be considered at the next convention. That said, the committee’s deliberations offer glimpses into the thoughts of some deputies and bishops on this matter. Many people attended committee deliberations as silent Observers. Each will have their own interpretation of what happened. The following represents the interpretation of this writer. 

Following an array of testimonies by members of the Church, Jewish and Muslim persons, and legal experts affirming apartheid practices by Israel, several deputies on the committee argued to pass and forward an apartheid resolution to the House of Bishops so that there might be open discussion of the issue. Opposing this action were several members of the committee, primarily bishops, who would not support an apartheid resolution. Realizing that the opposing viewpoints deserved fuller and deeper discussion than the shortened convention could accommodate, the committee took the decision to defer these resolutions to the 81^st convention. 

Remarkably, considering the decision to defer, no member of the committee refuted the premise that there is apartheid. The opposition was to TEC saying so. It is a curious position for people who claim a branch of the Jesus movement, so the opposing arguments deserve closer attention. They were primarily three: the timing is not right for TEC to take such a position; naming Israel as an apartheid state would harm interfaith efforts and relationships with rabbis; and provocative words are not helpful in the ongoing conversations and dialogues toward peace. These perspectives reveal a deeply disturbing lack of appreciation for the immanent and extreme dangers facing the Palestinian people, as well as a shocking misunderstanding of political and diplomatic realities. 

In the past year, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, B’Tselem, the UN Special Rapporteur, the Presbyterian Church, the United Church of Christ, and the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church have all affirmed Israeli apartheid. For Palestinians, wherever they are, literally every day brings at least one of the following: death or injury, loss of home or property, incarceration or administrative detention, unemployment and economic insecurity, prohibition from returning to the ancestral home, separation from family, discrimination in housing and employment, another day of siege and blockade, and absence of freedom and self-determination. In the face of such extreme injustice, the appropriate time for TEC to act is NOW. 

Interfaith dialogue can be an important part of pluralist societies that helps us better understand the people around us. It allows us to amplify the ideals and principles we have in common, not least of these being justice and universal human rights. Of all cities in the world, Jerusalem best embodies the challenges of interfaith harmony. To suppress conversations about justice, human rights, and events in Jerusalem and the Holy Land to protect interfaith “relationships” points to relationships that are neither healthy nor authentic. 

Persistence in believing that dialogue holds the key to just peace in Palestine and Israel is failing to grasp reality. The only diplomacy in the works in the region at this moment is building a military alliance purposed for cataclysmic war against Iran; Palestinian human rights have been brushed aside. When suffering and violence are rampant, speaking truthfully, taking bold action, and issuing forceful responses that address root causes are demanded. Platitudes and piety are not policy. Gentle speech and “mutual understanding” will not assuage militaristic zeal. The premise that making peace with justice in Palestine and Israel relies primarily on bridge-building, interfaith dialogue, and failed performative “negotiations” is sorely outdated, undone by the realpolitik of events and Israeli government ambitions. The mounting violence and inequities demand actions that will yield results, including those laid out by the global BDS movement. 

There are naturally frustration and disappointment in the decision to defer the apartheid resolutions, but church polity is a real thing. The mission of PIN is to the Church, and it commits to abide by that polity. PIN is grateful to have been able to share the discussions and decisions of Committee 07. We look forward to using what we have learned in our preparation for General Convention 2024 by amplifying our voice and actions, helping people of the Church find new ways to understand events in our Holy Land, and offer innovative, effective ways to respond to injustice and wrongdoing. 

The year-long delayed, and recently streamlined 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church has completed three days of concentrated action and worship in Baltimore, yielding four reasons to be excited. During that time the Bishops and Deputies adopted an amended version of Resolution C013 on Freedom of Speech and the Right to Boycott. It also adopted an amended version of Resolution C039 entitled Justice and Peace in the Holy Land – Our Call to Action. And, it adopted Resolution D024, Conditioning U.S. Military Assistance on Human Rights.  And the House of Bishops also adopted the enigmatically titled Resolution A216, The Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches of the Holy Land.

Resolution C013 calls on “the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress, Governors, and State Legislatures to oppose legislation that penalizes or criminalizes support for all nonviolent boycotts, divestment and/or sanctions, especially on behalf of Palestinian human rights, as an infringement of First Amendment rights.” According to Palestine Legal, more than 30 state legislatures and the federal government have proposed or passed legislation which would limit the rights of Americans to participate in a boycott of products coming from the illegal Israeli settlements or Israel itself. While several of the state laws have been successfully challenged in the courts, one of those victories was recently overturned on appeal and may be sent to the U.S. Supreme Court for further consideration. Adoption of Resolution C013 should allow The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations (OGR) to oppose such legislation in meetings with legislators and via action alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN).

Resolution C039 recognizes “the right of the State of Israel to exist” AND “condemn[s] the continued occupation, segregation and oppression of the Palestinian people; recognizing that for Israel to continue as a democracy it must allow for equality of all its peoples;…”. In the past year a growing library of documentation of Israel’s discriminatory practices has been published by B’Tselem, the leading Israeli human rights organization, by Human Rights Watch, by Amnesty International, as well as the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine. While not using the term apartheid, a second resolved also urges “the President of the United States and the U.S. Congress to take action to oppose Israeli laws and practices that result in unequal rights for two peoples.”  Again, adoption of Resolution C039 should allow the OGR to raise its voice with the Administration and on Capitol Hill, and to solicit broad opposition to anti-Palestinian discrimination via action alerts from the EPPN.

Unlike the previous two resolutions, which were considered first by Committee 7, Social Justice and International Policy, and began their courses toward adoption in the House of Bishops, Resolution D024  was heard by Committee 8, Social Justice and U.S. Policy, and advanced through the House of Deputies. The resolution reaffirms The Episcopal Church’s “longstanding commitment to supporting human rights in our own countries and around the world, and to ensuring that U.S. military assistance and arms sales not be used to perpetuate conflict, violate human rights, or contribute to corruption, instability, or violence;…”. More specifically, it resolves that the previously mentioned Office of Government Relations and the Episcopal Public Policy Network “support policies to oppose U.S. government military assistance, including the sale or provision of arms and related technologies such as surveillance equipment, to countries that have demonstrated well-documented, persistent, and egregious human rights abuses or severe corruption contributing to instability and conflict, and work to ensure that the United States government is not playing a role in furthering violent conflicts.” While not specifically mentioning any country, we know that the Israelis receive the largest portion of U.S. military aid, and that Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon are also in the Top Ten, so adoption of this Resolution should strengthen the Episcopal voice inside the Beltway of Washington, DC.

Unlike the other three resolutions, Resolution A216 falls into the category of Privilege and Courtesy resolutions which do not have to be passed by both houses. Usually they convey a message or recognize an individual or group for their work and witness. This resolution was generated in the House of Bishops, and is significant for the language it employs. Specifically, the resolution expresses “alarm at the escalating threat to the Christian presence”  in Jerusalem and the Holy Land “from Israeli radical groups… actively seeking to undermine the Christian communities of the Holy Land”. The resolution also offers the bishops’ support to the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches for their efforts “to raise awareness of the plight of the Churches in the Holy Land;” and expresses “deep concern for the consequences for the ongoing life of the residents of the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem”, following the recent Israeli Supreme Court decision to uphold the claims of “a radical settler organization” on property of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem located at the Jaffa Gate. The Bishops concluded their message by promising to “pray and work for the stability, well-being, and prosperity of the Christian communities of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, especially in this season of increasing pressure from those who seek to change fundamentally the historic multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious character of the region.” EPF PIN will be watching and encouraging those efforts as we look toward the next General Convention, only two years away!.

In addition to these resolutions, EPF PIN celebrated with our partners in The Consultation who also enjoyed successes, particularly in resolutions addressing racial inequities and care and ministering to Trans members of our Church. Read about these and other resolutions from The Consultation here.

In the coming days we hope to offer further additional news concerning the fate of other resolutions we were promoting and analysis about the actions taken at General Convention 80 in Baltimore. Stay in touch!

Thanks to the EPF PIN team who monitored the legislative sessions and Randy Heyn-Lamb who crafted the report with editorial assistance from Harry Gunkel.

Late last week  Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and outgoing House of Deputies President Gay Clark Jennings issued a joint communique that “they would be accepting their design group’s recommendation of a June 6 deadline for submitting resolutions to the 80th General Convention,” in order to give the legislative committees time to complete their work online before the church gathers in person next month in Baltimore, Maryland.

“The final plan for mitigating the threat of COVID-19 transmission will be submitted for approval June 7 by the Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and Executive Council. If the plan is backed by those two bodies, the 80th General Convention will be reduced from eight to four days, July 8 to 11.”

Legislative Committee 07, covering Social Justice and International Policy, continued to meet last week in anticipation that the 80th General Convention will find a way to include the resolutions which have come before their Committee for consideration, including several resolutions supported by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network.

One of the ways that the Committee plans to complete their work during the “shorter, smaller, safer” Convention is to place as many of the Resolutions as possible on the Consent Calendar.

The Consent Calendar acts as a sort of omnibus bill for Resolutions where there is general agreement among the Committee members to recommend approval (or non-approval) by the two Houses. Resolutions included in the Consent Calendar are then voted up or down together and not considered individually. This, obviously, is a much faster process, but means that Bishops and Deputies are voting on matters without much chance to educate themselves or have discussion on their House floor.

At last Thursday’s Committee 07 hearing, in addition to taking initial testimony on Resolution B002, which asks The Episcopal Church to underwrite the 3 year salary for an ophthalmologist at the Ras Morbat Eye Clinic in Aden, Yemen, the members heard additional testimony on Resolutions C001, C025, C031, C039, C042.

Several members of the Baltimore Jewish community gave testimony in favor of resolutions C001, which would reaffirm the Episcopal Church’s opposition to antisemitism but constrain future resolutions on Israel and Palestine unless they had the agreement of the Archbishop in Jerusalem. Earlier testimony by EPF PIN members and interfaith friends had argued that the Church’s 1991 Resolution opposing antisemitism had been stronger and included language that distinguished between legitimate criticism of Israeli laws or policies and antisemitism. We had also opposed this Resolution because while we may seek out and consider the advice of the Archbishop in Jerusalem, it should not be the Church’s practice to mute our concerns or voices to any person or institution inside or out of the Anglican community. The Committee apparently agreed with that reasoning and voted unanimously to place the Resolution on the Consent Calendar for no further action.

The Committee also voted to move Resolution C012, with some editorial changes, on to the Consent Calendar for approval. This resolution, along with Resolution C040, condemns the theology of Christian Zionism. The beliefs, while more popular and openly taught in fundamentalist and evangelical circles, can also be found in Episcopal and other mainline churches, especially among the laity. The particular emphasis on last days eschatology and a triumphalist return of Jesus to destroy His enemies is often coupled with the need to unquestioningly support the modern State of Israel regardless of the justness of its actions. [Because of the similar wording of the two resolutions, C040 will be forwarded with a recommendation of no further action being required.]

C013 and C041, the two similar resolutions concerning the Freedom of Speech and the Right of Americans to participate in Boycotts, both received strong support in the Committee’s deliberations and C013 will be placed on the Consent Calendar for approval. For anyone interested in learning more about this ongoing assault on our liberty, we recommend finding a screening of the engaging documentary Boycott from our friends at Just Vision. [As with previous similar resolutions, C041 will be forwarded with a recommendation of no further action required.]

The remaining resolutions concerning Palestine/Israel, Resolutions C025, C031, C039, C042, all dealt with the issue of the State if Israel’s ongoing and increasing discrimination against the Palestinian people both within its current borders and in the territories it continues to occupy in contravention to international law. All of the resolutions use the term Apartheid to describe the practices of Israel’s government, except for C039, which condemns the discrimination without using the “A-word”.

While we at EPF PIN have no problems agreeing with the Israeli NGO B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in saying that the State of Israel is practicing its own version of apartheid, some members of the Committee, especially if not exclusively among the House of Bishops, are still reluctant to move one of the three Apartheid resolutions on to the Consent Calendar. Some still question whether Israel meets to criteria for the crime of Apartheid, others are concerned at trying to pass a resolution using the A-word without a fulsome discussion on the floors of the two Houses which the shorter Convention format may not allow. The idea of referring these resolutions forward to the 81st General Convention planned for Louisville in 2024 was discussed, but no decision was taken.

There was strong support from both Deputies and Bishops on the Committee for Resolution C039 which came out of the Diocese Olympia, though there was some discussion about editing of the first part of the resolution for greater clarity.

The Committee will have at least one more session, scheduled for 5PM EDT on June 20th, to discuss these four resolutions prior to the start of General Convention. If you would like to register as an observer, you must do so at least two days beforehand by completing the online request form.

Thanks to EPF IN member Randy Heyn-Lamb for this update.

Occasionally and somewhat unpredictably, readers of PINontheGo emails and followers of the EPF PIN Facebook page will find a message that we have “signed on” to a statement or letter, or endorsed a webinar or other action initiated by another group. Endorsements are upon request from the initiating group and after consideration by our Communications Workgroup or/and the Steering Committee. Endorsements can be important tools in amplifying our message to a wider audience that includes non-Episcopalians. Endorsements also help solidify the connections between EPF PIN and other denominational PINs, and with larger, umbrella religious or secular organizations pursuing justice, reconciliation and peace in Palestine and Israel. 

In late May, for example, the Communications Workgroup, with the support of our Steering Committee,  joined more than 60 other organizations in endorsing a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken initiated by Representative Cori Bush (1st-MO) and signed by 15 other House members. Her letter asked President Biden’s senior diplomatic officer to press Israel to stop the forcible transfer of over 1,000 Palestinians from their Masafer Yatta homes in the hills south of Hebron. While this and a similar letter initiated by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley seem to have not had the desired impact, by signing the letter we gave witness to your concerns and let the influential first term Representative Bush know we have her back.

About a week earlier  EPF-PIN posted a statement on our Facebook page supporting the Rev. Stephen Sizer, a priest in the Church of England who faced a religious tribunal after accusations of antisemitism made by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. We believe Rev. Dr. Sizer was targeted by the small but influential Board of Deputies because his statements and activities in support for Palestinian human rights and opposing Christian Zionism have been influential in shaping opinions. The Bishop’s Tribunal in the Diocese of Winchester began on May 23 and lasted five days. The verdict may not be known immediately, and Rev. Dr. Sizer is prohibited from commenting on the process until deliberations are complete. But Mick Napier of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign provided an enlightening series of daily reports on his Facebook page which can be viewed here.

We signed on to two other late May letters initiated by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA). The first endorsed their renewed campaign entitled FIFA: Suspend Israeli Apartheid. With the Football (Soccer) World Cup scheduled to be played later this year in Qatar, the attention of much of the world will be drawn to the matches. But as the campaign asserts, FIFA is not following its own rules when the Israel Football League (IFL) is concerned. Specifically, IFL matches are a venue for blatantly racist chants (e.g., “Death to Arabs”) and anti-Arab violence. The IFL also allows players and clubs from illegal Israeli settlements to play. At the same time, Israel restricts travel by players and coaches between Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem. Israeli officials also refuse permits to build stadiums and training facilities, fail to release sports equipment from customs, arrest players and tear gas sports events. During the struggle in South Africa, the boycott of rugby proved influential in bringing the Apartheid practices to an end. If you would like to sign FOSNA’s message to FIFA, you can begin by endorsing the campaign here.

The second FOSNA letter we recently endorsed calls on President Biden to raise the issue of access to holy sites in Jerusalem and other locations in Israel and the West Bank. This year, tensions ran high as the observance of Passover occurred at the start of Orthodox Holy Week and the end of Ramadan. Beatings, tear gas and rubber bullets marred Muslim prayers at the Al Aqsa mosque when municipal police escorted Jewish worshippers around the Temple Mount. Christian leaders also protested when strict attendance limits were placed on the number of people who could participate in traditional Easter services. Use the link above if you would also like to sign the letter before the President’s trip to Israel later this month. 

EPF PIN has also used the opportunity provided by the Episcopal News Service (ENS) to publish Press Releases which we can then highlight in PIN on the Go! and our Facebook page as we did twice recently. In mid May the ENS published our press release concerning the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh outside the Jenin Refugee Camp and the intimidation and violence of the Jerusalem police as her body was being carried to the church for her funeral. In late May ENS also published a PIN press release that was critical of the House of Bishops Pastoral Letter on the Holy City of Jerusalem. While we have not sought endorsements from other denominational PINs, the Releases have been shared by email to wider audiences, 

Of course, not every month offers as many endorsement opportunities as have occurred recently, but we will continue to respond to opportunities which come to us, and share them with you here and on our Facebook page.

Thanks to EPF PIN members Randy Heyn–Lamb and Priscilla Read for keeping up with out endorsements and writing and editing this report.

On May 23, a Bishop’s Disciplinary Tribunal for the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England will convene to consider a 2018 complaint of antisemitism made against the Reverend Stephen Sizer by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network is aware of, and deeply appreciates the long and powerful witness of Reverend Sizer to the realities of life in Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories. His criticisms have been recently substantiated by reports from the Israeli NGO B’Tselem and by international organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. We also agree with his criticism of the Scriptural interpretation of some fellow Christians who support an exclusive, supremacist, nationalist form of Zionism. His defense of Palestinian human rights is rooted in a profound commitment to truth and justice as the basis for an enduring peace.

In 1991, the Episcopal Church, adopted Resolution D-122, which expresses a forceful condemnation of antisemitism and distinguishes clearly between anti-Jewish prejudice and legitimate criticism of Israeli governmental policies. We believe the charges leveled against the Reverend Sizer to be a similar conflation of legitimate criticism of Israeli laws and policies with antisemitism.

Accusations of antisemitism leveled at those who advocate for Palestinian human rights are used to stifle the free-flow of information and debate and are being concretized in anti-boycott legislation passed in more than thirty American states. We deplore these infringements of our First Amendment, and we ardently support Stephen Sizer’s right to speak the truth, and stand with him as he faces the predictable fall-out.

Thanks to EPF PIN member Lynn W. Huber for this report.

We Are Not Numbers (WANN) is an international organization which matches up professional, published English writers with Gazan youth interested in writing in English themselves. 

Having been to Palestine twice, and having done writing and teaching about the ever-increasing horrors of life there, the moment I learned about the organization, I volunteered. 

The staff interview potential mentors and orient us fully as to what is expected. I have found it an exciting and growth-producing experience, handled in a professional and engaging way.

An irony is that were I physically present in Israel/Palestine I would not even be able to enter Gaza—which is for all intents and purposes held hostage by the Israeli government. But with this program I can do something! I can both learn and teach, and even make a slight positive difference in the isolation of Gazans. And with the blessing of ZOOM I can see and hear my mentées face to face.

One of them, Alalami Hassan (who gave me permission to use his name), is a medical student, and was my first mentée. He wrote a fascinating essay on (of all things) donkey carts. They are used for many purposes, in part necessitated by the partial blockade on gasoline imposed by Israel. Photos and incidents from his essay (not to mention a whole lot more he taught me during our sessions) almost made me feel as if I had actually been there.

Our relationship began during the last bombing war against Gaza, and our calls were often interrupted by the electricity being cut off. It surely gave me a close-up sense of what Gazans were enduring. And I was on line with my friend when part of a building next door to him was blown away, and the resulting rubble covered a group of children caught in the crush.

It is so easy for us to sit in our termperature-controlled, bomb-free homes, read a headline, say a compassionate “tsk, tsk”, and flip the page. Being present, even in this strange way, made it come alive for me and be utterly real.

If you are intrigued to know more (and perhaps even to volunteer for the program), have a peek at some of the essays on the WANN website and contact them there.