NoVa-UUJME was founded in 2014 shortly after UUCA Member Gene Mulligan returned from a UUJME-sponsored trip to Israel/Palestine. Upon his return, Gene sought to inform others of what he had learned on his trip by showing a series of films that documented the plight of the Palestinians. One such film was the Academy Award nominated film “Five Broken Cameras” which was filmed by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat. Emad’s Israeli co-director was Guy Davidi. The film tells of the the weekly nonviolent marches that Emad’s village of Bil’in holds to protest the nearby Jewish-only settlement that has encroached on their farm lands.
About a dozen congregants at UUCA joined Gene in 2014 in founding the Northern Virginia Chapter of UUJME (NoVA-UUJME). The chapter has had several names internally at UUCA that have included the words “task force” as well as “peace and justice” and “Israel” and “Palestine”, and, in about 2017, the chapter began uniformly using the NoVA-UUJME moniker
One of NoVA-UUJME’s internally named predecessors was part of a UUCA Share-the-plate which together with a Chalice Theater production of “My Name is Rachel Corrie” raised $5,000 in donations for the Gaza Mental Health Foundation during the catastrophic bombing of Gaza in 2014. More recently, NoVA-UUJME contributed nearly $1,000 to the Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society (JIDS) from the profits of the successful musical event “Peace, Salaam, Shalom” at UUCA that involved UU, Muslim and Jewish singers and brought together nearly 300 congregants from UUCA, Kol Ami and the Moroccan mosque — all of whom are housed under the UUCA roof.
NoVA-UUJME works closely with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) — UUCA’s denominational parent — was a founder of CMEP and remains on the CMEP board along with nearly 30 other religious organizations. UUCA also has a local church partnership with CMEP thanks to a generous NoVA-UUJME member. This partnership began 2017.
In addition to CMEP, other NoVA-UUJME partners with which we work in tandem include Voices from the Holy Land (VFHL), the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights (VCHR), and the Olive Oil Ministry (OOM).
We were one of the original co-sponsors of VFHL events as it began with a single film screening at Grace Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Virginia, in 2015. And continue to work with VFHL which has held over 150 screenings and received sponsorship by nearly 100 congregations with screenings that have included several at the Washington National Cathedral, and VFHL events have now spread to other states.
NoVA-UUJME is one of the 17 member organizations of the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights (VCHR) which advocates for Palestinian human rights at the state legislature, for unbiased information in Virginia’s textbooks and for Virginia state and local governments to stay away from contracting with organizations whose human rights records are blemished.
Our involvement with the Olive Oil Minstry (OOM) is a fundraising effort in which we join with nearly 30 other churches in the DC metro area and sell fair trade olive oil to raise funds for the Tent of Nations and other worthy Palestinian projects. The following video is of Palestinian Daoud Nassar of Tent of Nations presenting his views on nonviolence at the Carter Center in Atlanta.
While working for equality and peace several thousands of miles away in Israel/Palestine, we simultaneously seek to maintain good community connections at home with congregations and organizations that include:
- the Moroccan American Community
- Kol Ami Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community
- Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
- Temple Rodef Shalom
- Congregation Etz Hayim
- American Muslims for Palestine, and
- Jewish Voice for Peace
Activities & Events — NoVA-UUJME has:
- Sponsored “Peace, Salaam, Shalom” – musical event attended by nearly 300 people
- Hosted series of five VFHL films with about 100 people at each event
- Helped block anti-BDS legislation in Richmond together with others from VCHR.
- Participated in protests, letter writing and visiting of Members of Congress
- Hosted 20 Gaza high school students after church service
- Chapter members have attended Passovers and Iftars and other events locally
- Held monthly Israel/Palestine book study with Kol Ami
- Held session at UUCA on envisioning peace in Israel/Palestine with Christian, Islamic and Jewish groups, including JIDS, CMEP and Kol Ami.
- Held event on Islamophobia and hosted speakers, including Palestinian villagers, BDS proponent Omar Barghouti and Israeli Jewish writer Miko Peled
- Supported Tracey Rogers’ photo exhibit: “Movements of Oppression, Solidarity and Hope”
- Arranged for Palestinian scientist Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh to speak at the Smithsonian
- Hosted Quaker peacemaker Landrum Bolling and, separately, Josh Ruebner of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights
- Held talk by Gazan woman who formerly served with the from Gaza Mental Health Program
- Held Zoom gathering together with Temple Rodef Shalom to hear from J-Street lobbyist
- Sponsored a delegation of 23 UUCA congregants led by Rev. Terasa Cooley on Mejdi tour of Israel and Palestine in October 2019.