Nakba Remembrance

The 11th Annual Nakba Remembrance in Northfield took place on May 11, 2024. Nakba means Catastrophe. This year the Nakba was followed by a Mothers March. Northfielders for Justice in Palestine/Israel organized the event. Darlene Cox is a long time attender. Watch a video of the event on the MICAH web page https://northfieldumc.org/micah

Nakba remembers the catastrophe of 1948 when Israel ethnically cleansed ¾ of the Palestinian population and demolished half of their villages and towns. During the ceremony  the villages are named in Arabic, a bell is rung, and a small Palestinian flag is placed on the large map in the location of the villages. It is a moving experience. It was my third Nakba. There were many more people at this year's event.

-Bruce Benson

The idea of marking the location of each of 418 Palestinian villages that were destroyed and depopulated in 1948 was inspired by what was done on the National Mall in Washington DC where a large map was traced on the ground.  I brought this idea to our NJP/I group in Northfield and another woman and I created a 4' x 8' map of the area with the location marked on the map. As each village name is read a small flag is placed in the location of one of the villages by those present. All of the NJP members are involved in carrying out this event but I have been the coordinator since we have been holding this event.   This year about 80 people attended and the program concluded with a "Mother's March" in solidarity with the women of Gaza who have been forced to walk many miles in the last months.   This was the largest crowd in the history of this event.   To anyone stopping by this event,  I would say that this is a free community event open to all  where we are remembering the catastrophe that happened to the Palestinian people in 1948 when Israel became a State.  By holding this event in a public space (Bridge Square) we hope to inform the public about this tragedy that continues today in Gaza. 

-Darlene Cox

I drove past the Nakba ceremony on Saturday with my son Robert on our way to the Blast to meet his soccer team for some post-game ice cream. We saw the Nakba Remembrance participants walking down the street, carrying signs and chanting. We talked about what was going on and why Northfielders would spend time recognizing something that happened so long ago and so far away. I am saddened by the horrible events of the Nakba that happened to families, children, and peaceful people. Seeing my Northfield people in Bridge Square, walking around downtown, bringing life to the memory of the event and the ongoing catastrophes in Gaza serves as a sobering reminder that valuable justice work is needed more than ever.

-Jesse Steed

GENERAL CONFERENCE NOTES

The General Conference has adopted historic legislation for our church related to Palestine:

• Exclude Government Debt of Countries Involved in Prolonged Military Occupations (divestment from government bonds of Israel and Turkey and Morocco)
• Addressing Israeli Detention of Children
• Child Incarceration
• Protecting the Right to Peacefully Address Injustice (the right to boycott)

And we have renewed some vital resolutions:

• Opposition to Israeli Settlements in Palestinian Land (our church's bedrock resolution on the occupation, includes a call for a global boycott of the settlements)
• UN Resolutions on the Israel-Palestine Conflict 
• Holy Land Tours

See them all at UMKR website

UMKR GC 2020 Resolutions and Supporting Resources