You should have received an email recently from info@cmep.org with confirmation of your plans to join in on our digital advocacy training. If you have not confirmed that with us, please let us know by emailing info@cmep.org.

To do before Monday: Create a free acount at zoom using the same email you registered for the summit with! This is strongly encouraged, but not required. This will make the tech side of the break-out rooms where you meet with people in your state or region go more smoothly. You’ll still be able to participate even if you don’t take this step.

On Monday: We will offer an Advocacy Training from 4:10-4:45 lead by CMEP’s Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Relations. From 4:50-5:30, participants will move to virtual breakout rooms via Zoom with a designated leader where they will be with other participants from their state. Depending on your location, you might be grouped together with someone else from a different state.

Advocacy will focus on HR 2407,  Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Military Occupation Act and calling on members to oppose the impending annexation of large parts of the West Bank. All of the materials are linked below.

The Technical Details

After the closing prayer of the main summit, you’ll log off the webinar where you’ve been watching the summit and log back onto the Zoom Advocacy Meeting Link. This will occur around 4 pm Eastern.

Advocacy Training: Join Zoom Advocacy Day Meeting on June 22nd, around 4 pm Eastern. (We’ll give insturctions in the main portion of the summit for people to switch over!)

https://go.cmep.org/AdvocacyZoom
Meeting ID: 850 2565 9745
Password: see your email!

Breakout Rooms: Once the training portion is over, you’ll see an option pop up on your screen to join the breakout room. Click through to join the room. Your group leader will then lead you through the next steps. The Breakout Rooms will automatically time out at 6 pm Eastern, but your group is free to dismiss and leave the call once you are finished for the day!

We’ll update this page with the Breakout Room Assignments by Monday morning! You will be grouped with others from your state or region.

Advocacy Day Materials

We will be finalizing the materials for your Advocacy Day this week. They will be available for your review the day before the summit.

Explaining Advocacy Day
Please take the time to read this overview on how the Congressional Advocacy component of the summit will work this year. Read more by clicking here.

Talking Points
These talking points can be used in the event you are able to have a phone or video meeting with your Congressional office. You do not need to use every statistic or talking point, but can help ground the conversation. CMEP Board Member, the Friends Committee on National Legislation has analysis on HR 2407 (third link below), which we’d recommend you read before you communicate with your congressional offices.
Annexation Talking Points
HR 2407 Talking Points
Bill Analysis: Supporting the Human Rights of Palestinian Children

Sample Phone Scripts and Emails
Please find a few examples of scripts you can use when calling or leaving a voicemail with your Congressional office or emailing through the “Contact” form on their website. It is always advisable to personalize the content to include why these issues are important to you as a constituent and any applicable links to the state/district.
Annexation Phone Scripts and Emails
HR 2407 Phone Scripts and Emails

Additional Legislative Item
SR 3176 Summary

Leave Behind
These are used in the event you are able to have a conversation with a Congressional staffer–either over phone/video or via email. They have the “ask” as well as statistics from the talking points. This is what you would have “left behind” with the staffer if you had an in person meeting.
HR 2407
Annexation

Hill Meeting Steps
If you are able to get a phone/video meeting with a staff person from your Congressional offices, the following meeting steps can be adapted for a virtual meeting. The most important component, if you are meeting in a group, is to ensure you have a leader who can facilitate, and move the meeting along by calling on people to address the various agenda points and make the ask. You should try to convene a practice call ahead of time to plan this out.
Hill Meeting Steps

Links Shared During the Summit

The links below are provided for informational purposes and do not necessarily represent CMEP positions or policies. 

Keynote: Jeremy Ben-Ami, J-Street

• Here’s an article about the Congressional letter against annexation Jeremy mentioned  in Haaretz: https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium-despite-aipac-opposition-letter-opposing-annexation-gains-support-among-house-dems-1.8932703 We will get a direct link to the letter too 
• The full text of the letter can be viewed here: https://www.jta.org/2020/06/15/politics/full-text-of-the-letter-from-house-democrats-warning-israel-about-annexation-of-the-west-bank
• Here is an article in RNS that Rev. Dr. Cannon wrote: https://religionnews.com/2019/03/07/anti-semitism-versus-legitimate-criticism-of-the-state-of-israel/

Panel: COVID-19, The Middle East, and Intersectionality.  Carla Khijoyan, Jessica Montell, Bassam Nasser, and Mae Cannon

• Resource: “The Double Lockdown: Palestine under Occupation and COVID-19.” This timely booklet, edited by Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb and chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat is a timely collection of essays addressing the impact of COVID-19 in Palestine.  Here is a link to the free downloadable resource http://brightstarsbethlehem.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the_double_lockdown.pdf
• Regarding BDS:  As an organization, CMEP does not have an official position on BDS whether in support or opposition. This is because there is a broad view regarding BDS among CMEP’s member Communions. However, CMEP supports the right of people to engage in nonviolent responses to address the injustices in Israel-Palestine, including through economic measures. As such, we have opposed legislation introduced at the federal level to restrict the rights of folks to engage in BDS. Here is CMEP’s full policy position:  “In order to defend free speech and religious liberty, uphold the right of churches and organizations to find appropriate and various ways to end unjust practices and policies that violate international laws and conventions, including exerting economic leverage on commercial and government actors.
• As an organization composed of churches and church related bodies, we maintain strong support for free speech and religious liberty. As part of this support, we affirm and defend the right of churches and organizations to witness using economic measures in the specific case of Israel-Palestine, and endeavor to find appropriate ways to exert economic leverage on commercial and governmental actors to end unfair and unjust practices and policies which violate international laws and conventions. Such actions have precedence among churches in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and in many other times and locations.”
• You can view all of CMEP’s policy positions here: https://cmep.org/about/policypositions/policy-guidelines/

Keynote: Dima Khalidi, Palestine Legal: “Protecting Our Right to Stand for Palestinian Freedom”:

• Here is the link to the article Dima mentioned: https://electronicintifada.net/people/kristian-davis-bailey

Panel: Political Engagement: Israel/Palestine 2020 In Focus. Debra Shushan, Mike Yaffee, Zaha Hassan, and Kyle Cristofalo

• This is the link to Friedman’s speech Debra mentioned: https://il.usembassy.gov/u-s-ambassador-to-israel-david-m-friedman-delivers-remarks-at-the-2019-aipac-policy-conference/