Carrying signs and quilts reading “Pray for Peace” and “Our Weapons are killing children,” close to 120 Mennonites from around Michiana gathered at the Mishawaka office of U.S. House Representative Rudy Yakym on Tuesday.
The assembled crowd called for an end to violence in Gaza and demanded that Yakym support a ceasefire.
Some of the Mennonites gathered, including Anna Johnson, have lived in the Middle East and shared perspectives on the ongoing violence. Johnson said her faith plays a big role in her publicly calling for a ceasefire.
“One of the things that was exciting for me about yesterday’s action was how distinctly Mennonite they were," she said. "Our gathering at Yakym’s office, we had a big quilt that said ‘Mennonites for a ceasefire. We were singing hymns and really grounded in this Anabaptist and pacifist tradition that is about nonviolence, but not in a passive way.”
Tuesday’s protest in Mishawaka was part of a string of protests by Mennonite groups across the U.S. and Canada. For his part, Yakym has been a staunch supporter of Israel. In a statement provided to media outlets, Yakym says "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."
Johnson said the local Mennonite community will continue to organize and hopefully take part in more national actions.
Health officials in Gaza estimate close to 20,000 people in the territory have been killed with half of the Gaza strips' 2.2 million residents facing food shortages and potentially starvation.
