Mennonite Action plans march to Washington

Mennonites and allies of Mennonite Action are planning an 11-day, 135-mile march from Harrisonburg, Virginia, to Washington, DC, beginning July 18 to demand a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.

According to a July 11 press release from Mennonite Action, the protesters will join an interfaith coalition opposing lobbying by the far-right organization Christians United For Israel and pressuring U.S. lawmakers to change course on Gaza.

By singing hymns and holding evening services, the “All God’s Children March for a Ceasefire” aims to draw attention to the suffering, death and destruction in the Gaza Strip.

Protesters will call on Congress and the Biden administration to support an immediate, permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages and political prisoners, end military aid to Israel, and support a political solution that includes an end to the occupation of Palestine and peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

“As Christians and Mennonites, Christ calls us to be peacemakers and to stand with the oppressed and the afflicted,” said Emily Hershberger of Harrisonburg, a member of the Shalom Mennonite Congregation, which is helping to plan the march. “That is why we are calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and for our government to stop supplying Israel with weapons while it kills tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians.”

The Mennonite marchers, ages 15 to 74, will walk approximately 13 miles each day. The marchers are supported by their congregations to represent their churches. Their home communities include Salem, Oregon; Waterloo, Ontario; South Bend, Indiana; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Kalona, ​​Iowa; Freeman, South Dakota; Tucson, Arizona; and others, with many participants from Harrisonburg.

In Washington, protesters will join an interfaith coalition that will oppose the annual Christians United for Israel conference and confront U.S. lawmakers who support the CUFI agenda.

CUFI describes itself as Christian Zionist and is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States with 11 million members.

Tim Seidel, a professor at Eastern Mennonite University and a member of Community Mennonite Church who is helping to plan the march, said CUFI “demonizes and dehumanizes Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians, while spreading vile anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. As Christians, as Mennonites, as Americans and as people, we want to be clear: CUFI does not speak for us.”

Joining the Mennonites on the All God’s Children March for a Ceasefire route are members of the Shenandoah Valley Muslim Coalition, Harrisonburg residents and other allies from various faiths, including Jewish supporters and other Christians traveling from states as far away as Ontario.

“I’m marching to show our elected officials that we don’t agree with our tax dollars being used to bomb children,” said Anna Johnson, a graduate student and member of Kern Road Mennonite Church who traveled from South Bend, Indiana.

“The Biden administration’s policies toward Palestine/Israel prioritize death and destruction over ending this cycle of violence. I march because my faith demands that I work for peace for all of God’s children. That starts with a permanent ceasefire.”