Justice and Human Rights Palestine Project #48044

Help Sumarin Family Win in Israel's Supreme Court

by Rebuilding Alliance

Project Report | Aug 1, 2023
Sumarin Family gets to live in their house!

By Maria Syed, Analyst and Strategist | and Donna Baranski-Walker, Executive Director

Amal happy to share her feelings

On April 3rd, the Sumreen Family WON in Israel’s Supreme Court!

After 32 years of legal wrangling, Israel’s Supreme Court recognized the Sumreen Family’s right to live in their house for two more generations. Thank you for helping the Sumreen family win their Supreme Court case.

In their decision, the Justices stated that the Sumreen Family has the right to live in the house and rejected the eviction claim. “After many legal proceedings involving the property in all courts, it can be hoped that this ruling will make it possible to put an end to it, while providing a sufficient degree of legal certainty to the parties.”

According to Rabbi Arik Ascherman, the founder of the Sumreen Coalition, “This is a winning card.”

The family lawyer, Advocate Wassim Dequar agrees and said that “This decision blocks any possible eviction effort.” In his opinion, the house stays with the family for the foreseeable future, another 70-80 years with a very clear ruling that addresses the underlying issues.

Hagit Orfan of PeaceNow said, “The judges gave the ruling according to a ‘technicality’--you cannot reopen a ruling issued in 1999 that granted the family the right to continue living in their home.” She believes that “had it not been for all the efforts made by so many people in Jerusalem and internationally, it would be just another case for the judges– and they wouldn’t have gone all the way to deliver justice.”

Describing the unexpected Supreme Court decision, Rabbi Arik says, “This decision gave everybody a boost. It shows determination can sometimes win.”

When Amal, the head of the family and wife of the late Muhammad, heard the news, she said, “We won after 32 years of hardship and fighting for our home. My home is safe for me and my children. I sleep so relaxed now — before I couldn’t sleep, I would stay up thinking about how they will one day barge in and take us out of our home. And this is wrong. I don't understand how they can take people’s homes and say they are theirs. We have been living in these homes forever.

I want to thank all of the lawyers who helped in defending my home. I want to thank … everyone who helped us. Everyone worked so hard. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I thank all the people who visited our home and stood with us.

I want to advise the families of Silwan and anyone who is affected [by the threat of home evictions] not to leave their homes and not to be afraid of their threats. Stay in your home and defend your home to the very end. These are homes that were inherited from our grandfathers, do not leave your homes. May God protect us.”

Rebuilding Alliance is honored to be part of the Sumarin Coalition. We joined in 2020 at the invitation of Rabbi Arik. Since then, with your support, we were able to do amazing things at the request of the family:

Rebuilding Alliance mobilized many of the Sumarin Coalition members to speak in 35-some Zoom Briefings with Congress. As a result, Congresswoman Jackie Speier led a letter to the Prime Minister of Israel, signed by twenty-five Representatives. Publication of this letter occurred just as the Supreme Court was weighing whether or not to hear the Sumarin Family’s appeal — at the time, we gave the Court only 20% chance of even accepting the case. The Congresswoman’s letter made all the difference.

Rebuilding Alliance has brought several Congress and Senate staff delegations to meet with the Sumarin family and the Sumarin Coalition.
Through your donations, we partnered with Torat Tzedek and raised the funds required to provide a safety net if the Supreme Court ruled against the family. Thankfully that safety net was not required.

We had hoped and still hope that the fund will become a legal aid fund to assist other E. Jerusalem families — but the Sumreen's are not out of the woods yet. The family was notified that the fees that accrued with interest are due for a case they lost long ago when they sued for redress for their lost orchard, taken for the ‘City of David’. Lawyers are being interviewed by the family — we’re waiting for more details and will update you as soon as we know more.

Thank you for standing by the Sumarin Family in their quest for justice.

Sumreen Family with Rabbi Arik

Sumreen Family home

Al Aqsa via rafters of City of David next door

On the patio, Al Aqsa in the background

Amal is thankful to Allah and all the supporters

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Feb 3, 2023
Israeli Supreme Court will hear the State of Israel response

By Donna Baranski-Walker and Matthew Walsh | Executive Director and Deputy Director

Land owned by the Greek Orthodox in E. Jerusalem

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.

The Sumreens were cultivating the land since 1900

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Jul 5, 2022
Sumreen Family reached Israel's Supreme Court -so far so good

By Donna Baranski-Walker | Founder & Executive Director, Rebuilding Alliance

Mrs. Amal Sumreen describes the meaning of Home

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):

Sumreen Coalition Members with Mrs. Sumreen

Congressional Staff meeting with Sumreen Family

The family lives next to City of David arch. dig

Next to Bustan, which is facing 1000 demolitions

I am so grateful to have met the Sumreen family

Rabbi Ascherman, Sumreen Coalition, + Congr. Staff

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