West Michiganders Call for an Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
As West Michiganders, we care deeply about the well-being of our neighbors, both near and far. We’ve created powerful networks of people and resources to ensure that all West Michigan residents are able to raise thriving families and live in peace and safety. While we can use these resources to care for our immediate neighbors, we rely on our elected officials to enact foreign policy that promotes the flourishing of our global neighbors.
Out of deep concern for our global neighbors in Gaza, residents and organizations of Michigan’s third congressional district signed onto the below letter to Representative Hillary Scholten in support of a permanent ceasefire and de-escalation in Gaza.
View the letter and complete list of signatories in the yellow box below.
Our follow-up letter, after receiving no formal response from the Congresswoman or her staff, is in the blue/gray box below.
Thank you for your support!
September 26, 2024
Dear Rep. Hillary Scholten,
It has been well over 3 months since we sent the below letter to your office (June 13, 2024). On June 24, having not yet received a confirmation or response, we reached out again to follow up and ensure the letter was received. The next day, one of your staff confirmed that the letter was received and that they were working on writing a letter in response. We followed up again on August 5 and received no reply.
As advocates well experienced engaging with Congress – and for some of us, even working in Congressional offices – this long-delayed, lack of response to a large group entirely made up of constituents is both surprising and disappointing.
We updated the letters’ signatories – your constituents and many of your supporters – about this; and upon the request of other concerned constituents, we re-opened the letter so that additional individuals and entities from your district could sign on. There are now 230 signatories, including 221 individual constituents and 9 organizations.
Since the writing of our original letter, the warring and devastation have only continued and been expanded into Lebanon, which we cannot endorse as advocates for peace.
As we stated before: we believe that ending the suffering in Gaza and beyond deserves your highest priority, and we are eager to hear your public statement and response in support of protecting human lives, divesting from the Israeli government's war fighting capacities, and putting an end to the daily civilian carnage we see in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
Original: June 13, 2024
Updated Signature List: September 26, 2024
Dear Rep. Hillary Scholten,
We, the undersigned 221 individuals and 9 organizations, write to you today as your constituents to urge you to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and support further humanitarian efforts in the region.
As people and organizations that have helped build your district’s ethos of care for refugees and asylum seekers, the atrocity on May 27 that killed 45 refugees in a camp near Rafah struck a deep nerve. And although our views may differ on many points of Israeli/Palestinian history, we are united on this: Nothing justifies the civilian suffering and carnage we see daily in Gaza, suffering that continues primarily because of ongoing U.S. government support.
We, your constituents, care deeply about the well-being of our neighbors, both near and far, and we know you do, too. We’ve seen this lived out by your career in public service which has been distinctly marked by a pursuit for justice, equity, and the prioritization of human rights. Your decades of work on matters of immigration, refugees and civil rights, coupled with your own family history and background, have allowed you to be a congresswoman with unique insights on these issues.
For these reasons and more, we believe that ending the suffering in Gaza deserves your highest priority.
There are serious consequences of our inaction. The forced displacement of Palestinians is contributing to an already huge and growing global refugee crisis. While we celebrate and support the United States’ global humanitarian assistance and refugee admissions programs, we fail ourselves and our international neighbors by remaining silent on matters that create refugee crises in the first place. As West Michiganders, we will continue forward in our longstanding commitment to welcoming forcibly displaced people, but we do so with the hope and expectation that our elected officials are guiding our nation’s foreign policy and federal spending in ways that promote peace and stability; striving for a world in which no family, adult, or child anywhere is ever forcefully and violently displaced from their home.
This is not a radical proposal. Prior to the horrific events of May 27 in Rafah, President Biden himself repeatedly called for the protection of innocent civilians, and as such, drew a “red line” limiting the Israeli military’s combat tactics in Rafah. And on May 31, the Biden administration announced a proposal to reach an enduring ceasefire. By all accounts this limit has been crossed, repeatedly. As a nation, we have a moral imperative to do our part – not only in words, but also in our federal spending – to safeguard human life in Gaza and beyond. Calling for a ceasefire is only the beginning and must be followed up by action that discontinues U.S. assistance to the Israeli government's war fighting capacities and discourages further escalations in the region.
As our representative in Congress, you are the only direct voice we have into this administration's policies and the federal government’s spending priorities. Therefore, we urge you to:
Publicly call for an immediate end to the Israeli military’s Rafah offensive and a permanent ceasefire to prevent further loss of innocent life
Prioritize the protection of all civilians by urgently funding more humanitarian aid into Gaza and identifying publicly those who are blocking this aid
Work diplomatically to support the release of all hostages and regional de-escalation across the Middle East
Prohibit the transfer of more military assistance and weapons to the Israeli government
Urge all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law
While we are far away from our global neighbors in Gaza, we believe we bear a responsibility to them out of our love and commitment to the well-being and flourishing of those around us. Driven by these values you share with us, we urge you to represent us in the halls of Congress by publicly calling for a permanent and immediate ceasefire.
Sincerely,
Constituents and Organizations of Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District
INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUENTS (221)
Abigail Punt
Adnoris “Bo” Torres, Latino Community Coalition
Adriene Galindo
Alejandra C
Alexandra Johnson
Alexandra Tiger
Ali Short
Alice Gallmeyer
Alisa Flores
Alison Morgan
Allison Fritz
Allison Meyaard-Schaap
Amanda Barnett
Amanda Stek
Amber Kilpatrick
Amy Cogswell
Amy Constant
Amy Piescer
Andrew Oppong
Andrew Ryskamp
Andy DeBoer
Anissa Eddie
Ann C. Cloyd
Annaka Ediger
Anne Bruinooge
Annica Quakenbush, MS
Arlene DeKam
Ashley Ver Beek
Audreyanna Williams
Barbara Hansen
Becky Haderer
Ben Dekker
Ben Irwin
Bob Synk
Bonnie Mulder
Brendan Kerlin
Brianna Trammell
Brielle DeNooyer
Carol Kamp
Carolyn Sherwood, Calvin University
Carolyn VandenBerg
Celia Post
Claire VanNoord
Courtney DeBoer
Craig Van Hill
Cynthia Kamp
Dana Boyer
Dana Hulst
Darrell B
David Clemo
David Freeman
David Kamp
David W Stek
Deanna Smith
Deborah Borst
Denise Joseph
Deniz Drake
Destany Gryka
Edward DeVries
Elaine C Hoekstra
Elisha A. DeVries
Elisha Marr
Elizabeth Marchena
Ellen L Westrate
Ellen VanDyken
Emily Jacobs
Emily Venn
Emily Westmaas
Emma Crevier
Emmett A Harrison
Eric Bouwens
Eric Kas
Erika VanDyke
Erika Ver Beek
Gary Nederveld
Gavin Block
Ginny Kuilema
Grace Swanson
Greg Yoder
Gwen Vogelzang
Hana Testerman
Hannah Pedersen
Holly Bechiri
Ian Borton
Isis Luna
Jacqueline J Poehlman
Janice Kwasteniet-Stek
Janice McWhertor
Janneke Cole
Jayne Ver Beek
Jeanne Clemo
Jeffrey Niemeier
Jenny Tanis
Jess Beutler
Jesse Bloomster
Jessica Challa
Jessica Smith
Jill DeVries-Dryer
Jill Petter
Jim Kwasteniet
Joanna DeMoor-Tannor
Jody Smith
Joel E. Berends
John Kerlin
Jonathan Hill, Calvin University
Joseph Kuilema, MSW, PhD
Julia Vandertol
Julie Blossom-Hartley
Katie Assarian
Kendall Blanton
Kerrie Van Weelden
Kris Vander Stelt
Kristen D. Meyer
Kristen Loch
Kristyn DeNooyer Garcia
Kurtis Hoffman
Laney Kamp
Laura Hoeksema
Laura Kuilema
Laura Luchies, PhD
Laura Pegman
Laura Sterenberg
Lauren Baker
Lauren Ebels
Lauren Huisman-Woy
Leyna Burel
Libby Huizenga
Lilia Bakker
Lily Eggers
Linden Becker
Lindsay Capel
Lisa DeVries
Lisa Gemmen
Lisa Hoekstra Jansen
Lorilee Craker
Lydia Vander Stelt
Lynda Freeman
Lynn Richardson
Lynn Setsma
Maiya Hoffman, Family Futures
Maria Brummel-Schutte
Marie VanderLinde
Marjorie Brink
Mark Mulder
Marta Johnson
Martha Velting
Mary Brummel
Mary Hoeksema
Matt Fleming
Megan Herrema
Megan Saler
Melanie Dorn
Melissa Atkinson
Melissa Stek
Michael Kruzich
Mieke Stoub
Milissa Block
Muneeba Khan
Nancy J. Kwasteniet
Nate Rauh-Bieri
Nathan Williams
Neil Carlson, PhD
Nicholas Duley
Nicole Duquette
Noah Kruis
Patrick Eaman
Peggy Vander Meulen
Penny Barstow
Peter Kuhl
Peter Quakenbush
Peter Vander Meulen
Philip Kerlin
Rachel Blair Grigoryan
Rachel Dekker
Rachel Door
Rachel Venema
Rebecca Dykhuis
Rebecca Pobst
Rev. Aune M. Carlson, Churches for Middle East Peace
Rev. Greta Jo Seidohl
Rev. James A. Lucas
Rev. Kyle Meyaard-Schaap
Rev. Nicholas Baas
Rev. Tony Holmes Curran, Sherman Street Church
Robert Nienhuis
Robin Meyer
Sadie Wigs
Samantha Scott
Samuel Fynewever
Sana Amaah
Sandra Bergh
Santiago Gayton
Sarah Sterenberg
Scott H. Vander Linde
Seema Mahdavi
Seth Hoeksema, Calvin University
Shay Gabriel
Shelby Buis
Shelli Fynewever
Sherita M. Washington
Simin Beg
Stacia Hoeksema
Stacy Beene
Stephanie Festian
Susanna Dixon
Tabitha Blanski
Tara Whipkey
Taryn Hoeksema, Treetops Collective
Thaddeus Hofheinz
Theo Bremer-Bennett
Thomas B. Hoeksema Sr.
Tiffany Freeman
Timothy L Blamer
Todd Vanden Berg
Tom Dodd
Tom Hoeksema Jr.
Trudi Ippel
Victoria Gibbs
Virginia L Kuilema
Virginia Wieringa
Wen Batzer
ORGANIZATIONS (9)
DataWise Consulting, LLC
Encompass LLC
Liminality Consulting
Mahaba Massage and Wellness
MI Burial
Mindful School of Yoga and Spirit of the Wild | Earth Sanctuary
MountainGem Advocacy & Communications
Sprout and Blossom Birth & Beyond
The Space