A large crowd of students and community members, bearing keffiyehs and wristbands, gathered in the EMU Student Union Monday night to partake in a teach-in on the sociopolitical conditions in historic and contemporary Palestine, and how these realities inform the ongoing conflict. There was then a subsequent student panel regarding the Jan. 16 Mennonite Action cease-fire protest at the U.S. capitol; a protest which led to the arrest of 130 Mennonites, among whom were numerous EMU students and professors. These individuals shared their experience and held space for questions, solidarity, and grief.
The night kicked off with an introduction by first-year Ciela Acosta, herself an attendee of the protest. She reflected on her own connection to the conflict, and what she learned from her time in D.C. This was followed by a historical analysis and contextualization of the current conflict in Palestine by professor Tim Seidel, who guided the audience with graphs, maps, and anecdotes from his own experience as the leader of cross-cultural trips to the region.
After Seidel helped inform the audience with the history and factsof the happenings in Palestine, a student panel, who received questions from Acosta, and eventually the audience, spoke about their experiences from the cease-fire protest in D.C. and at the capital, and a hymn sing and prayer for peace outside of city hall. The panel featured juniors Aidan Yoder, Jesse Kanagy, Iris Anderson, Micaiah Landis, graduate student Philip Krabill, and sophomore Sara Kennel. Landis said the protest in D.C. “was a chance to make it clear that we will not be silent when our government is using our money to support a Genocide.”
Landis feels that the EMU community has been receptive to events like these. “I have seen many people coming out to the teach-ins to learn and ask questions,” showing that there is a desire to become more informed on the violence.
Krabill was one of the students arrested at the protest at the capital. “Protests like the one in DC are part of a larger national movement to call for a Ceasefire in Gaza, curbing arms deals with Israel, and release of hostages,” said Krabill. Krabill says that “organizations like Mennonite Action, Jewish Voices for Peace (another group that led a protest in the Cannon House building), and many others around the country are showing the US government and the world that US citizens want to see an end to violence and a beginning to peace in Palestine.”
Krabill mentioned how EMU has a plethora of knowledge regarding Gaza, as there are faculty who have spent time living there, and students who have had their intercultural study experiences there. “For those who hold that knowledge, ignoring what is happening in Gaza simply isn’t an option,” says Krabill. Krabill says that the spreading of knowledge of what is happening in the region “spreads solidarity for those suffering and helps people understand the importance of joining the struggle for Palestinian liberation.”
Krabill noted how events like the teach-in “brings together a broader group to discuss and learn about the issue.” Krabill mentioned how the event was helpful for him as well as he was “not up to date on all of the knowledge that Tim Seidel and some of the audience members shared.” Krabill said it also gave him time to “reflect on what actions mean for me personally and how that aligns with people who took the actions alongside me.”
Krabill also attended the Hymn sing saying that it was a continuation of the DC protest. “The organizers purposefully replicated the key pieces, like meeting around and even inside a building of power, singing hymns together, and delivering petitions to decision-makers.” A few days after this Hymn sing, Harrisonburg became the first city in Virginia to call for an immediate ceasefire. At this point in time however, EMU has yet to call for a ceasefire.
Landis said it appears that the school is in support of events like the teach-in but “has not shown any initiative of its own to support a ceasefire.” Landis noted that the president’s office did send a campus wide letter laying out actions they planned to take. However Landis said they have yet to keep their word, and to carry any of these actions through. Landis does feel that the EMU community has been receptive to events like these. “I have seen many people coming out to the teach-ins to learn and ask questions,” showing that there is a desire to become more informed on the violence. Krabill mentioned how it’s hard to say that they are in full support for the same reason.
These events not only give students a chance to be more informed on the ever updating information from Gaza, but a chance to come together as a community to encourage further learning. The city of Harrisonburg calling for a ceasefire shows that cities, or universities can take action in an effort to bring peace to Gaza, and help spread information to those who may not be as informed.
