Hi!  My name is Bill Pavuk.  I’ve been a part of the NSHLA team since we began again in 2024 after the Synod Assembly.    

Below are a few outlets that I have taken to reading that I recommend for getting greater detail on what is happening in the region of the Holy Land.   I share these understanding that all news outlets have their “blind spots,” in reporting.  But these have been some of the more substantial and have held up better than most to serious scrutiny.   

Ha’aretz        www.haaretz.com      Ha’aretz literally translates to “the Land.”   It is a well-established newspaper in Israel    

The Times of Israel - www.timesofisrael.com - along with Ha’aretz ,the Times of Israel is another publication that provides a lot of information that goes beyond what we are able to find here.    

DropSite -  www.dropsitenews.com  -     Founded by American journalists Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim, this is a site that has offered very extensive coverage on the cease-fire negotiations, hostage updates, and other important matters.   It is an independent site that is based in the U.S. but that employs and utilizes a lot of quality journalists from the Middle East in their work.   

Al Jazeera - www.aljazeera.com - based in Qatar, this news outlet has been a target of a lot of allegations and threats.   Though they are sometimes dismissed as being too familiar with Hamas and the Palestinians, they are also a news outlet that is positioned to access people and stories that no one else can. 

During the summer of 2025 we have seen a steady stream of human rights organizations, genocide scholars, and humanitarian organizations openly confirming that Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza constitute genocide. At the same time, more countries have announced that they will be joining the vast majority of countries in their recognition of the State of Palestine. On 30 July 2025, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly addressed both of these issues, and more, when it adopted a social policy resolution regarding the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Advocacy toward the U.S. government is particularly needed at this time because the U.S. government continues to supply weapons to Israel that are used in its disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks on children and other non-combatants in Gaza. Advocacy is also needed because the U.S. government has not made the step of recognizing Palestine and has, in fact, worked to keep Palestinians out of the United Nations.

The ELCA resolution, Toward Ending the Occupation of Palestine (known at the Assembly as “D4”), directed the ELCA’s Office of the Presiding Bishop to write to the President and other political leaders calling on them to “recognize and work to end the genocide against the Palestinian people, to halt military assistance to Israel used to devastate Gaza, and to investigate the use of U.S. military aid to Israel to ensure compliance with U.S. and international human rights law.”

The ELCA resolution, adopted with a 95.13% majority, also calls on the U.S. government to recognize Palestine, to redouble its efforts to end human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank, to reject proposals to remove Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank, to address the catastrophic living conditions that could force Palestinians to leave, and to work to end the rampant settler violence and vandalism against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Contact your Senators and Representative!

1) Write, call or visit your Senators and Representative and urge them to use their voices within the government to bring an end to the US support for Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza and work to bring an end to the war. We need Members of Congress (MoC) who will stand up for an end to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and who will relentlessly defend a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living alongside each other in peace marked by justice, equality, and reconciliation.

2) Share the resolution of the ELCA Assembly and the letter of Presiding Bishop Eaton with your Senators and Representative. Briefly reiterate your support for the resolution and the Presiding Bishop’s letter and in your own words emphasize one or more of the five key points in Presiding Bishop Eaton’s letter in the section that begins, “Therefore, I urge that you take all necessary steps to . . . “.

3) It is also important to emphasize the sections in the ELCA resolution that make clear the ELCA’s support for nonviolence and the sanctity of every human life; its support for policies that promote a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict; its support for the immediate release of hostages and political prisoners; its support for Israelis and Palestinians working to create a future of peace and justice for all; its support for a two-state solution with the State of Israel and State of Palestine existing side by side; and, its unwavering opposition to antisemitism and islamophobia.

4) Advocates may also urge their elected officials to support humanitarian aid for Gaza by taking the immediate step of supporting the Senate (S.Res.224) and House (H.Res.473) resolutions mentioned in the ELCA Action Alert posted on 26 August 2025.

Your Voice Can Make a Difference!

n Follow up by sending a hard copy of your message and Presiding Bishop Eaton’s

letter to your Senators and Representative via the regular mail.

n Ask for a reply, e.g. ask your Members of Congress (MoC) to let you know if they will support the Senate or House resolution on humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

n Encourage your MoC to visit Lutheran-supported humanitarian work, e.g. the ELCJHL schools or Augusta Victoria Hospital, the next time they are in Jerusalem. Urge them to spend time with various Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders, and organizations like B’Tselem, the Parents Circle - Families Forum, and Kairos

Palestine. Advocates should ask their MoC when they, or members of their staff, plan

next to visit Jerusalem.

n Ask your Senators and Representative if you or a delegation from your congregation, Synod, or community can meet with them the next time they are in your State or Congressional District (or when you are in Washington, DC).

n Follow up with phone calls, emails, etc. if they don’t respond, or if their response

ignores your questions.

n Share what you learn, especially if you receive a response from your MoC, with the Nebraska Synod Holy Land Accompaniment (NSHLA) Steering Team, your congregational advocacy team, your friends and your colleagues, and so on.

n Track what your Senators and Representative are saying on social media regarding Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the unfolding humanitarian crisis there. Comment with points from the Presiding Bishop’s letter to the President.

Resources compiled by colleagues in the US – Lutheran Palestine Israel Justice Network* in early Sept 2025.  The US-LPIJN is a Spirit-led, volunteer-driven, mostly Lutheran network of individuals that speak to the church, not for the church. We function according to consensus when making a policy recommendation to the ELCA or other bodies, or when taking any other action in the name of the Network.

Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center : Sabeel is an ecumenical grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians. Inspired by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, this liberation theology seeks to deepen the faith of Palestinian Christians, to promote unity among them and lead them to act for justice and peace.

Website: sabeel.org

At the top left of Sabeel’s website, you can click on a button to subscribe to their email list.  Sabeel also offers a weekly “Wave of Prayer” for your use, tied to current realities.

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOS-NA): Formed by a group of Christian Americas, and bothered by the injustices they witnessed during a trip to Palestine. The group seeks to “amplify the voice of Palestinians by advocating with churches, communities, and civic leaders for justice, peace, and liberation in Palestine.” Several resources are available on the website, including a blog, liturgical library resources, online courses, a countering Christian Zionism toolkit, and a variety of explanatory brochures.

Website: www.fosna.org

On the home page, you can click on the blue button that says “Stay Informed. Take Action. Get Involved.” to subscribe to their email updates and/or the weekly newsletter. You can also read their blog by selecting Stay Informed at the top menu, and selecting the FOSNA blog.

Jewish Voices for Peace: Although focusing on Jewish audiences, this organization is a “grassroots, multiracial, cross-class, intergenerational movement of U.S. Jews into solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle, guided by a vision of justice, equality, and dignity for all people.” It published The Wire monthly, with news from Palestine, the US and the movement, along with ways to take action.

Website: www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org

To subscribe to their weekly epublication, click on “The Wire” on the top menu, then select Subscribe.

Churches for Middle East Peace: A coalition of more than 30 church communions and organizations including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Evangelical traditions, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Website: https://cmep.org

To subscribe to their newsletter, scroll to the bottom of the page, then click on the Subscribe button. 

Parents Circle - Family Forum: The Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 800 bereaved Palestinians and Israelis members, all of whom have lost an immediate family member to the ongoing conflict. 

Website: https://www.theparentscircle.org

To receive updates and event information from PCCF, sign up for their newsletter by completing the form on the homepage.

American Friends of the Parents Circle – Family Forum: American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum (AF-PCFF) shares the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the American public in order to foster a peace and reconciliation process. The AF-PCFF is committed to supporting the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) through raising public awareness, constituency building and fundraising in the U.S.

Website: https://parentscirclefriends.org

To receive updates about the work in Palestine and Israel, as well as events, click on Get Updates at the menu at the top of the page and complete the form.

Christians for a Free Palestine: An ecumenical, grassroots, nonviolent movement dedicated to mobilizing Christians across the U.S. to take action in solidarity with Palestinians. It seeks to end the genocide in Gaza and ensure a long-lasting, just, and sustainable peace for Palestinians and Israelis.

Website: https://christiansforafreepalestine.com/

To receive email updates, click on Join at the top of the page, then complete the form.

TELOS: Telos mission is to form communities of American peacemakers across lines of difference, and equip them to help reconcile seemingly intractable conflicts at home and abroad.

Website: https://www.telosgroup.org/

To register for their emails, scroll to the bottom of the homepage and submit your name and email address.

Visualizing Palestine: The organization uses data and research to visually communicate Palestinian experiences to provoke narrative change. We envision a liberated future for Palestinians in a world free from oppression. The website has a variety that can be used to share the story of Palestine.

Website: https://visualizingpalestine.org/

To receive updates, scroll to the bottom of the page, click on Subscribe, then complete the form.