Friends of Sabeel in North America (FOSNA) launches a new project for North American faith communities

“Friends of Palestinian Detainees”

FOSNA is seeking a dozen congregations in North America to participate in a pilot program that will personalize and humanize the reality of thousands of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails and prisons. Congregations in the pilot will be matched to a Christian Palestinian detainee and their family members with the goal of building relationships that can be sustained. Details about the pilot are provided below. All befriended Palestinian detainees will be political prisoners—some Administratively Detained, that is, arrested without trial, and others “convicted” by Military Courts which detain Palestinian citizens for an undetermined amount of time without providing them any knowledge why they are being detained, or if they are being charged at all.

The plight of Palestinian Detainees has existed for decades as chronicled in reports of human rights organizations which have been published by Addameer.org Recent testimonies by released detainees note extreme beatings, threats, starvation, overcrowding, and rape. Accountability for violations of Israeli codes seem to be a very low point. There is a great need for shining light on the darkness of the detainees. The Episcopal Church of the USA has uplifted the case of a Palestinian Christian woman who is a member of an Anglican church in the Occupied Territory of the West Bank. At the 2024 General Convention in June, they unanimously passed Resolution DO75 which called for the immediate release of Layan Nasir, who was taken from her home at 4 AM in April by Israeli troops. She remains in a detention center with no charge. In July, her appeal was denied by an Israeli military judge. As people of faith, we are called to let our lights shine bright where they are needed the most so that God’s love and justice can be known near and far. This pilot is guided by this mandate of our Christian faith.

This project—“Friends of Palestinian Detainees” “I was in prison and you saw me” --is inspired by the Executive Director of FOSNA and a staff member, Brother Chad Collins, whose years of dedication to the Palestinian cause and human rights speaks for itself. They have the contacts with family members and their detainees that are so essential for this project which continues the ecumenical, theological, liberating work of Sabeel in a personal way as a relational bridge joining Palestinians and North Americans in the “way of justice, love, and peace.”

Purpose of the Pilot: To create and fashion a model for recruiting more congregations in the future and equipping their on-site Project Teams for the task of building relationships across many potential barriers, including: language, communication challenges, the Israeli prison system, racism, occupation, gender role differences, Israeli settler colonialism, Christian Zionism etc. This Pilot project will provide the FOSNA Planning Coordinating Team an opportunity to develop a Resource and Knowledge Bank about international and human rights law, the Israeli detention system, the impact of detention on Palestinians, their families, and community as well as identify the best modes of preparing congregations and their Pilot Project Team at different stages in their relationship building. The pilot will use a participatory approach in which feedback from Project Teams and congregations will play an important role in meeting the needs of all parties as we enlarge the project to a wider variety of congregations and detainees.

What FOSNA will provide the detainees and their family members? An invitation to have human contact at an international level, new relationships with the outside world, emotional and spiritual support from international people of faith and congregations, and an opportunity to have their stories and struggles heard and treated with dignity through interpersonal care and support.

What the FOSNA Planning Coordinating Team will provide the 12 congregations and their Pilot Project Team? The initial research, photo, profile and full contact information of the matched detainee and their family as well as a legal summary of their case. Since we currently have access to this information for 12 Christian detainees who have accepted the invitation to be part of the pilot, all 12 detainees will be Christian. (As we conclude the pilot and enlarge the project, detainees will come from Muslim and other faith or no-faith traditions)

They will also provide the Resource and Knowledge bank of information, orientation to the project and detention sites/world/system, preparation to be trauma informed and self-care, spiritual tools for resiliency, team development work, and a Commissioning Prayer service.

What congregations will provide? Commitment and spiritual and emotional support for the Pilot Project Team—a church team (minimum of 3 dedicated members of the congregation)— who will function as a team that will be responsible for the personal contact with the detainee and their family member on a regular basis. This team will also serve as a liaison to the congregation--providing updates and news of the detainee and their family members to their congregation in a timely manner; assuring the detainee and family are integrated into Sunday prayers and Bible studies, and providing congregational members with ways in which they can support the detainees.

What will be required of the congregation’s Pilot Project Team? They will commit to complete the orientation, training, and commissioning of the FOSNA Planning Coordination Team and to on-going networking with other Pilot Project Teams across North America for a minimum of 12 months.

What will some duties of the Pilot Project Team? Communicate with the family of the befriended detainee, get familiar with his/her legal case, communicate with the lawyer, send cards and letters to the detainee and his family member, pray for the detainee weekly in church and elsewhere, and continue to learn and share with their church about the conditions the detainee endures.

Propose advocacy action to their congregation to address injustice, such as, writing to the Israeli consulate, to governmental representatives, to the Red Cross and the leaders of the churches to which the detainee belongs.

Application for the Pilot Project: The Clergy and/or Senior Warden of the applicant congregation will complete a simple application form along with a letter verifying support and interest in participating in this project. A letter of interest can precede the application. Apply digitally below.

Contacts: This FOSNA project is led by Rev Dr. Joyce Penfield (peacebuildersacademy@gmail.com) and Dr. Mary Segall (mesegall@icloud.com)