Mennonites ask U.S. Rep. Yakym to seek Gaza cease-fire in vigil at his Mishawaka office

MISHAWAKA — For the second time in three months, Mennonites and others gathered outside the Mishawaka offices of U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, urging the Congressman to support a cease-fire resolution to stop the war in Gaza.

About 125 people spoke, sang songs and described the humanitarian effects of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The group, which demonstrated in December, brought its message again to Yakym's office.

Group members held signs calling on "Bread, not bombs," asling for humanitarian for the more than 1 million Palestinians fleeing the conflict but who still seem to be in the line of fire.

For David Janzen of Goshen, he showed a book he said were photographs of the YMCA in Gaza that his church has had an ongoing dialogue and contact since 2020. In it, the photographs showed what looked like a gym and other areas that were extensively damaged by what he said were bombings in Gaza.

"I tried to give this to the Congressman's office, but they said they can't take any gifts," Janzen said.

There is an ongoing connection between the local Mennonite representatives and the Gaza YMCA board and members, he said. "We speak with them twice a month, but on Oct. 7 we were getting ready to have a (Zoom) call and it had to be canceled because of the Hamas raid," he said.

In Gaza, a small Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people, Israeli forces have killed more than 32,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7. The war follows a surprise attack by Hamas, a militant Palestinian group, on Israel that killed about 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 hostage. Though some have been released, there are still believed to be 134 hostages unaccounted for, with some reports estimating about 30 of them are dead. Hamas leaders have said the attack was in response to Israel’s 16-year blockade in Gaza and repeated violent attacks over the 75-year Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The church here is keeping in touch with those with the Gaza Y. One member has made it out to California with family but the other person still is in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Sandi Hostetler was holding up a banner that was made recently by children from the Sunnyside Mennonite Church of Elkhart. Not only were the recent banner efforts done for the children to understand the Gaza situation, Wednesday's demonstration also had children listen to a book written 10 years ago by a 13-year-old girl who had been experiencing the conflicts in Gaza.

For some who have traveled to Israel for themselves, like Steve Miller of Elkhart, the demonstration is something he said he feels has to be done to hold Congress accountable for the people dying in Gaza.

Miller added that the situation only is worsening in Gaza.

"I think that down the road, this is not good for Israel, it's not good for outlying areas of nations. It's just a continuation of trauma and unrest," Miller said.

In a prepared statement, Yakym said: "While every American has a right to peaceful expression, I unequivocally stand with Israel and their right to defend themselves against Hamas terrorists and their atrocities," he said. "The quickest way this conflict will end is if Hamas surrenders and immediately releases the hostages they are holding captive in Gaza.”

The group calling itself Mennonite Action staged the demonstrations at about 20 locations and were expected to have up to 15 more in the coming weeks, a spokesman said.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Mennonite group calls for Gaza cease-fire at Yakym's Mishawaka office