Tent Solidarity in Practice

This past weekend my Quaker meeting, Bear Creek Friends, hosted the Midyear gathering of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative). The theme of the weekend was The Fierce Urgency of Now: Quaker Discernment and Action for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine with Steve Chase.

This was the first opportunity I had to put the Quaker Tent Solidarity concept into practice, which is related to the work I’ve been doing regarding ways for Quakers to do something, anything, to bring attention to the horrors of the ongoing Israeli military operations and genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. Which has worsened significantly recently, since the ceasefire was broken. Actually, Israel never respected the temporary ceasefire.

As I’ve been writing, it was a spiritual experience during Quaker meeting for worship several weeks ago that showed me a vision of a tent. I shared this vision during that meeting for worship with the Friends who were present. (see: https://unflinching.blog/?s=%22tent%22)

A member of the meeting said he tended to take visions seriously and spoke about the vision of Rob Knuth many years ago that led to the annual Prairie Awakening/Prairie Awoke program at the Kuehn Conservation Area. Which that Friend and others in the Bear Creek meeting have been deeply connected with and support.

I appreciated that support and the rest of the meeting seemed open to the vision. But there were expressions of concern about possible negative reactions from the wider community, which concerned to me, too. Especially since I didn’t live in the area. So, I didn’t plan to use a large Palestinian flag, using smaller ones, instead. I was afraid that was diminishing the solidarity idea but was led to do that as a way to introduce Friends to the tent solidarity vision while respecting the concerns about safety.

But I also believe we sometimes need to take risks. I’ve heard young Friends complain about the lack of social justice activism, keeping them from engaging with their Quaker meeting.

My long-term hope is to see Quaker Solidarity Tents set up at Quaker meetinghouse across the country.

So, when I arrived at Bear Creek last Friday, my brother and I set up my tent. I also planted a Palestinian flag in front of it and made a sign saying Quaker Tent Solidarity. It was extremely windy during much of the day, but the tent held up.

Quaker Tent Solidarity, Bear Creek Friends Meeting
Photo credit: Jeff Kisling

I didn’t have a plan for how to interact with Friends about the tent solidarity concept. I was thinking just having the tent there would result in spontaneous conversations.

But the Spirit, again, provided a way.

At the end of Quaker meeting for worship, someone is usually designated to close the meeting by shaking hands. My brother, Randy, and I were asked to do that at the end of the meeting for worship held Saturday morning. Which meant we were sitting at the front of the meeting on the facing bench.

Then, as clerk of Bear Creek Meeting, I welcomed everyone to the Midyear Meeting sessions. I hadn’t planned on this, but that provided the opportunity to talk about my Quaker Tent Solidarity vision. I explained the plan for the young people was to see the storyboards of photos from the Tent of Nations near Bethlehem, Palestine, and learn more about that. And then I spoke about my Quaker Tent Solidarity vision.

Bill Deutsch, who would be working with the young people at Midyear Meeting, and I were surprised to learn we had each been thinking about tents, and were open to ways these ideas could be discussed.

All this is related to the theme of the weekend, The Fierce Urgency of Now: Quaker Discernment and Action for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine, led by Steve Chase. I hadn’t met Steve before but was aware of some of his work. I’m grateful we had some time to talk, including a bit about the Quaker Tent Solidarity idea. He was gracious enough to accept the document I’ve been working on regarding Quaker Tent Solidarity.

The tent in the Palestinian context transcends its basic function as a
temporary shelter, embodying a complex tapestry of historical trauma,
ongoing hardship, unwavering resilience, and the persistent demand for
justice and the right to return. It serves as a poignant symbol in the
Palestinian narrative and a powerful tool for raising awareness and
expressing solidarity on the global stage.