After Representative Speier sent her letter to the Prime Minister of Israel, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the Sumarin Family’s appeal. The good news is that the Justice is asking all the right questions. She asked the State (the Government of Israel) to explain why the Absentee Property Law was imposed when the family was never absent. According to Hagit Ofran at Peace Now, “Currently the State’s response in the Sumreen’s case is due on February 15th.”
Bringing the Sumreen’s Jerusalem case before the High Court gave Rebuilding Alliance the confidence to use this approach for the Salhiah family, also of East Jerusalem. Then we tried crowdfunding to cover a court-ordered deposit for a West Bank appeal and to our surprise, the Israeli Military withdrew the demolition order, the appeal was not even needed anymore, and the Court returned the deposit!
Your support gave the Sumreen family a way to do more than hold on — you gave them a way to press for justice. Now, with a new government in Israel, the independence of the Supreme Court and the High Court is itself at risk. "If implemented," writes Haaretz columnist Amir Tibon, "by the new Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition, [the new judicial reforms] would dramatically weaken Israel’s top court and give unlimited powers to the government."
Just recently on December 27, 2023, their olive groves on land leased from the Greek Orthodox Church, were confiscated by the same settler group, under Police Supervision, that seeks to push the Sumreen family out of their house. The family has been cultivating this land, of 1.2 acres, since the early 1900s.
Near the end of February Rebuilding Alliance brings our first Senate staff delegation to meet with the Sumreen family and the Sumreen Coalition. Our visit comes at a pivotal time, right after the Court hears from the State. We will certainly keep you posted as the Supreme Court responds. Be ready, because the Sumreens may need your help to press your members of Congress to intervene.
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For over 35 years, the Sumreen Family has been working to restore their confiscated Jerusalem home and land. In 1987, Israel's Custodian of Absentees’ Properties declared the Sumarin family home as an absentee property without their knowledge.
On Wednesday, June 29th, the Supreme Court of Israel heard the Family's appeal — and it was a good start.
The Supreme Court listened for 2.5 hours, asking key questions. The Court then gave the Government of Israel 45 days to explain how the Sumreen family home came to be declared "Absentee" in the first place. Until now, the lower courts had refused to hear the details.
According to Rabbi Arik Ascherman, founder of the Sumreen Coalition, "The judges asked the critical question — even if not the subject of the hearing, 'Who lived in the house when Musa then Ahian Muhammad passed away?' According to the practices of 1969 and again after 1995, the fact that a family lives in a house precludes the use of the Absentee Property Act, even if [the house] is not theirs."
Two years ago, at the start of the COVID pandemic, Rabbi Arik Ascherman invited Rebuilding Alliance to join the Sumreen Coalition. We asked many coalition members to be guest speakers in each of the 36 Zoom-briefings that Rebuilding Alliance held with House and Senate offices. Congresswoman Jackie Speier was moved to lead a letter to the Prime Minister of Israel to assure the Sumreen Family's right to their home. Twenty-five Representatives signed on — and that letter made all the difference.
Before then, we gave it only a 20% chance that Israel's Supreme Court would take the case — after that letter, they did. During these past two years, the number of signatories on Congressional letters requesting intervention for Palestine has increased to nearly 200 offices.
Please know that when you email Congress, it really does make a difference. Thank you for all that you do! #SumreenSolidarity
Sincerely,
Donna
P.S. On May 30th, Rebuilding Alliance brought Congressional staff to visit Mrs. Amal Sumreen and her family. Members of the Sumreen Coalition joined us there for lunch. It was the very first time we've all met in person. Here are photos by Alex Bindrim and DBW (me):
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Over the last few months, there has been challenging progress regarding the Sumarin family and their effort to remain in their East Jerusalem home.
The unknown future of the Sumarin family's case makes your support incredibly important. We are so grateful to have you in our circle as we work to support the legal strategy that the family developed with their lawyers, Torah Tzedek, and the Sumarin Coalition, to navigate the challenge of keeping their family in their rightful home.
You may recall that in June, the Israeli Supreme Court gave the Government of Israel an extension before the State is required to respond to the Sumarin family's appeal.
Fearing that the Supreme Court would only pursue the minutiae of details and leave out the big picture issues — including how the property was stolen in the first place — the Sumarin's lawyers filed a second appeal before a different, Israel’s High Court, just a few months ago. This case would cover all aspects of the family home's 30 year history including the misuse of the Absentee Property law, and the secret agreement was discovered between the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and the Israeli settler group next door called Elad, who has been funding the JNF suits against the family. Elad’s ‘City of David’ was established in the Sumarin family’s orchard and per the secret agreement, Elad gets the Sumarin's house if the eviction proceeds.
A few weeks ago, the Israeli Government responded to the High Court appeal by claiming that there was no need for these new proceedings at all. Now it's up to the Sumarin family's lawyers to respond before the High Court will decide whether or not to take the new case.
This Sumarin fund provides payment to the attorneys and consulting attorneys for new developments in the family's legal strategy and it also will serve as a safety net for the family if they lose their appeal of their 30 year case before the Supreme and/or High Court. What a challenge.
Thank you again for your continued support to keep the Sumarin family in their rightful home. May the family’s rights prevail. As we hear of news, we'll be sure to share our updates with you.
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On Wednesday, April 7th at 10am ET, we invite you to join us for "Jerusalem Children on Peace"; a Zoom teleconference call with children from the Madaa Creative Center, who will describe what peace means to them and show you the Pinwheels for Peace they created. We ask everyone to hear the children's' dreams of peace and to contact Congress to press them to save the children's homes in East Jerusalem. Joining us on the call tomorrow is Madaa Creative Center Director Jawad Siyam and Peace Now's Hagit Ofran.
Register for the event here: https://actionnetwork.org/events/jerusalem-children-on-peace/
As you may know, 270 Palestinian families -including the Sumarins- are currently facing imminent eviction in East Jerusalem neighborhoods. So why hold a Pinwheels for Peace event? If we can only figure out how to get this problem to Congress in the virtual world, we hope this will have the same remarkable impact that the children's Pinwheels briefings have had these past few years.
As for the Sumarin family, on April 5th the Israeli Supreme Court reviewed their appeal against eviction but did not take arguments. The title to their home was wrongfully taken using the discriminatory Absentee Property Law even though they were never absent, then was purchased by the Jewish National Fund. The Court requested that the parties submit statements to the Israeli Attorney General, who has 60 days to explain the Government of Israel's position. During this process, the eviction is temporarily frozen, and this is the time when the US Congress and the Administration must express concern. In light of this, we ask for your continued support.
Our Sumarin fund serves as a safety net for the family in case they lose their appeal at the High Court. It also provides payment to the attorneys and consulting attorneys for new developments in the family's legal strategy. For instance, a secret agreement was discovered between the JNF and an Israeli settler group called Elad, who has been funding JNF suits against the family; Elad gets the Sumarin's land if the eviction proceeds. As a result, new legal strategy was required, so thanks to your support, Rebuilding Alliance transferred a grant to pay for the attorneys' fees to pursue this new direction.
In a letter Congresswoman Jackie Speier led to the Israeli Prime Minister last year, she noted, "We believe that the eviction of the Sumarin family and expropriation of their property sets a dangerous precedent that is detrimental to the stability of Jerusalem and further undermines the opportunity for peace." Your support enables us to keep the Sumarin family in their home. We are starting small where it counts and hoping to extend the effort to help keep the other threatened families in their rightful homes as well.
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Greetings Everyone,
When we last updated you in August on the Sumarin family, we brough forth exciting news: the Supreme Court of Israel agreed to hear the Sumarin case come April 2021, rather than evicting them from their home on the 16th of August. Because this case has been going on for 30 years, the Supreme Court hearing is significant.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this fund made it possible for the family to petition the Supreme Court. We were able to reach our $40,000 goal to help the Sumarins pay for lawyer fees and possible fines. If Israel's Supreme Court rules against them, the family must pay $23,000 in fines per the lower court that ruled on technicalities in favor of the Jewish National Fund and $40,000 in eviction fees for forcible removal from their home. Should they win, this project will seed a legal aid fund for other cases, managed by Torat Tzedek, the Israeli human rights NGO run by Rabbi Arik Ascherman.
On a positive note, in response to the briefing teleconferences we held with 36 Congressional offices, Congresswoman Speier successfully lead 25 other Members of Congress in a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister. Thanks to those of you who sent letters to your Senators and Representatives about taking action on behalf of the Sumarin family.
Just as the Congresswoman was closing her letter, a BBC expose released news about a Russian oligarch's involvement with the Jewish National Fund (JNF) in the Sumarin eviction. A secret agreement between the Elad and the JNF was later revealed because of this expose- see the links below to learn more. When Secretary of State Pampeo last visited Israel, he visited a West Bank settlement. That morning, the Secretary ignored the allegations and visited the 'City of David', a tourist site constructed by Elad on the Sumarin family's land, immediately adjacent to the home we are all working to save.
We are drawing upon everything we learned in our advocacy for the Sumarin Family to begin to mobilize American constituents to prevent other evictions in Jerusalem by engaging their members of Congress. We hope to extend this fund in the future to help other Jerusalem families hold on to their homes.
Happy holidays, and stay safe!
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