Palestine-Israel at a Large Quaker Gathering in New England, Summer 2018

As international attention on Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians—occupation and blockade—increases, our Israel-Palestine Working Group produced the following program at our annual five-day New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM) Sessions:

  • Outdoor displays: photos from Gaza and a pin wheel display memorializing the recent dead in Gaza
  • WorkshopsBuilding a Just Peace in Palestine-Israel  with John Reuwer and Laurie Gagne, plus Moving our Meetings to Take Action on Israel-Palestine with Minga Claggett-Borne and Jonathan Vogel-Borne
  • Informal lunch chats
  • Photographic exhibition: Gaza Awaken by Skip Schiel
  • A special visit and presentation by a colleague from Gaza, Dr. Mustafa El-Hawi

(Click here for more info and here for photographs of Sessions)

However, we failed to bring our annual report to meeting for worship with the intention of business, a staple of this Yearly Meeting. Click Talking Points (Word) for our report’s talking points, with illustrations.

Meeting for worship with the intention of business

Palestine-Israel programs at NEYM Sessions-August 2018

WORKSHOPS

A two-day workshop organized by the NEYM Working Group on Israel-Palestine (With reference to NEYM’s minute on Palestine-Israel passed last summer)

Building a Just Peace in Palestine-Israel

 Tuesday, 3:30-5, Leavenworth

John Reuwer and Laurie Gagne (Burlington, VT, MM); Working Group on Israel-Palestine

John and Laurie will have just returned from a month in the West Bank where they deployed with Meta Peace Teams to advance MPT’s vision of seeking “a just world grounded in nonviolence and respect for the sacred interconnectedness of all life.” Their mission is “to pursue peace through active nonviolence” amidst the conflict in occupied Palestine, as part of a growing field of work known as Unarmed Civilian Protection, or Third Party Nonviolent Intervention. (Jeffords 213)

They will report on:

  • Current conditions of living for Palestinians and interactions with Israeli soldiers.
  • Prospects for improvements in the social and political situation from the local perspective, including that of Ramallah Friends.
  • How UCP and TPNI work in theory and in real life, and the potential it may hold for reducing militarism in human affairs.

Their blog: West Bank Peace Team: Summer 2018

Moving our Meetings to Take Action on Israel-Palestine

Wednesday, 3:30-5, Leavenworth

Minga Claggett-Borne and Jonathan Vogel-Borne (Cambridge, MA, MM); Working Group on Israel-Palestine

How do we talk to one another about the issue? How do we engage our meetings? Given the urgency of the situation, particularly for the people of Gaza, what do we need in order to take faithful and effective action? What do those actions look like?  (Jeffords 213)

Minga’s blog, Pedals and Seeds

A REPORT AT BUSINESS MEETING

Monday, 7-9 pm, probably near the end of the evening

A proposed Minute of Concern for Palestinians in Gaza from Burlington (VT) Monthly Meeting and a report about our two presentations at Living Faith in April, 2018, about anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and privilege; and Quakers and Antisemitism.

PRESENTATION BY LAURIE GAGNE AND JOHN REUWER ABOUT THEIR RECENT TRIP TO PALESTINE-ISRAEL

Tuesday, side room in dining hall, exact place and time to be determined

Please scroll up to their workshop info for more details.

PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION BY SKIP SCHIEL

Gaza Awaken

Fine Arts Center lobby

Photographs of children at the Qattan Center for the Child in Gaza

Website: Teeksa Photography

LAWN DISPLAYS ABOUT GAZA

(To be announced)

By the American Friends Service Committee (2017)

INFORMAL LUNCH MEETINGS

(to be announced)

Image by Jeremiah Dickinson
NEYM Israel Palestine Opportunities poster-2018—Click here for a copy

To register for New England Yearly Meeting Sessions, August 4-9, 2018, Castleton VT

Last year’s Palestine-Israel program

Contact Skip Schiel for latest info.

Plans for NEYM Annual Sessions 2017

The New England Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions takes place August 5–10, 2017 at Castleton University, Vermont. Our team is currently planning programs.

WORKSHOPS

Israel, Palestine and New England Yearly Meeting — a two part workshop with Jennifer Bing of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Chicago office — Tuesday & Wednesday, 3:30-5pm

Israel/Palestine flares into the headlines periodically but intense work to resolve issues continues in the background with little notice.  This workshop with share some of that work and help move NEYM to finding its voice on the problem. Day One will focus on two AFSC campaigns. “No Way To Treat a Child” has been tracking child detentions and raising these concerns with Congressional leaders and the State Department. “Gaza Unlocked” seeks to draw attention to the ongoing trauma in Gaza as well as the beautiful resilience of the people.  Day Two will continue talking about that work as well as explore ways for Meetings and NEYM to have a voice in work for peace with justice. Jennifer Bing from the AFSC will be a resource for this workshop. Continue reading “Plans for NEYM Annual Sessions 2017”

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