Gaza Twinning (With the Mennonite Church)

 

By Michael George; reprinted with permission; first published in the Menno PIN newsletter (Mennonite Palestine Israel Network newsletter), July 28, 2024.  Originally Published as “Gaza Twinning Update.”

 

Children taking violin lessons at the Edward Said Public Library in 2022. Youth Vision Society, a non-profit organization and MennoPIN twinning partner, operated the library until its recent destruction.

It has been a privilege and blessing to help coordinate MennoPIN’s “Twinning with Gaza” Initiative over the last four years. Three Mennonite Church USA congregations have built relationships with non-profit groups in Gaza doing wonderful and life-giving work in their communities. Representatives of these dynamic organizations and small groups from congregations met via Zoom regularly to share stories, life experiences, hopes, and challenges. As a result of this consistent and open communication, close friendships have been developed between the “twinning” participants in Gaza and the United States. It has been a gift to get to know our friends in Gaza and we will continue to walk alongside them during this horrific and catastrophic time.

 

The three “twinning” relationships are:

Youth Vision Society (Gaza City) and Manhattan Mennonite Church (Manhattan, Kansas)

Gaza YMCA (Gaza City) and Fellowship of Hope (Elkhart, Indiana)

Pulse of Peace Association for Psychosocial and Mental Health (Khan Younis) and Landisville Mennonite Church (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

Youth Vision Society is a non-profit organization in Gaza City that aims to empower youth, children, and women through myriad programs such as promoting civic involvement, providing basic life necessities to those living in refugee camps, raising awareness about gender-based violence, and operating the Edward Said Public Library. Youth Vision Society’s work has improved the lives of thousands of people in their community.

 The Gaza YMCA is a non-profit organization in Gaza City operated by members of the very small Christian community in Gaza. This vibrant organization is a safe haven for Christians and Muslims alike and is known for its interfaith cooperation. Its youth and adult sports leagues, summer camps, arts and educational programs are just some of the ways that the Gaza YMCA serves its community.

 The Pulse of Peace Association for Psychosocial and Mental Health in Khan Younis works to provide activities for children to cope with the trauma of living under blockade and experiencing frequent violence. They work to provide their community training and awareness of mental health by providing workshops for schools and play-based therapies for the younger children. They also provide after-school programs for many children in their neighborhood.

 Tragically, the physical buildings of all three organizations have been destroyed during the past nine months. However, members of these organizations are still actively helping their communities survive despite unimaginably perilous circumstances. Most people in Gaza have been forced to relocate multiple times and are struggling to provide the basic necessities of life. They are faced by constant bombardment by the Israeli military and there is no safe place in Gaza.

 For example, many Gaza YMCA members are among over 600 people currently sheltering in two churches in Gaza City. There are now 250 people sheltering in the St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church and nearly 400 in the Holy Family Catholic Church. Just a few weeks ago, a YMCA board member sheltering in the Holy Family Catholic Church sent his “twinning” partners at Fellowship of Hope this urgent message:

 The situation in the church is very difficult now. All the people who live around us have left their homes and headed to areas that are not under attack. Most of the places around us are empty and no one lives there. The occupation forced them to leave for southern Gaza. The bakeries have closed. Luckily, last week we bought enough gas to last us a month to make bread and eat. We are now under siege and have not been able to leave the churches for three days. The nearby hospital, Al-Ahli Al-Arabi, has closed and the doctors have left. The patients have been transferred to small clinics as a result of the bombing. Today we ate ready-made meals that we had stored and got from the ANERA Foundation. I do not know what to say. The situation is very sad and frightening.

 Fellowship of Hope is responding to this dire situation by raising funds for those sheltering in the Gaza City churches. Please see this link to find out how you can help: Appeal on Behalf of Those Sheltering in GazaCity Churches

 Whether our partners have remained in Gaza or have fled to countries like Egypt, Qatar, or the United States, MennoPIN “twinning” congregations will continue to communicate the best we can with our partners and share their stories with as broad an audience as possible.

 Please take a few moments to view the pictures here of the incredible work that these organizations do as well as the tragic destruction of their facilities. I share these pictures with you in an effort to restore the humanity of our friends in Gaza as well as provide a glimpse into their current catastrophic reality.

 

Michael George is a member at Landisville Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.