As Unitarian Universalist congregations across the country prepare for the church year to begin anew, many congregations begin their fall with an Ingathering Water Service -where members bring a sample of water from their summer travels or their beloved communities and add it to a communal vessel at the front of the worship hall. For many congregations, this is a cornerstone ritual of Unitarian Universalism, and a powerful tradition that holds deep meaning of what each person brings into the community to create the whole - their grief, their joys, their experiences, and their passions. Often, we use this water to dedicate babies. It is a symbol of our covenant to be a community and solidarity with one and other.
This fall, UUs for Justice in the Middle East is inviting UUs to participate in a symbolic act of witness during their water ingathering service by bringing an empty cup to the service. UUJME chapter members, local advocates, and other congregants who would like to participate can decorate a paper or reusable cup with designs (e.g., keffiyeh pattern, prayers for Palestine and peace, kites, watermelon, or the faces of healthy Palestinian children), bring that cup to the front during the ceremony, spill some "missing water" into the vessel, and then leave the cup behind beside the water communion vessel.
UUs could also bring two cups - one with water as usual and one that is empty.
The intention is to augment and expand the traditional water ceremony, not to replace the existing ritual. This is not to alienate us from our traditions but to start or continue a conversation about an additional ritual element.
UUs across the country are taking this prayerful action in sympathy with the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are denied potable water by Israel, a war crime that is enabled by the United States. These people are dying of starvation, thirst, preventable disease, and weapons of war.
This silent yet powerful symbolic ritual will be only the beginning of continued conversations within each congregation as the violence in Gaza continues with no sign of a ceasefire. UUJME will provide materials to help you figure out what format of conversations or actions your congregation should take next based on the needs of your unique community.
If you would like to learn more about how to get started with Empty Cups for Gaza, please check out the information session video at Empty Cup for Gaza Ingathering Ritual Q&A on Vimeo. Please discuss the idea with your local minister, other staff, and congregational leadership and bring your curiosity about how this ritual can be included. Invite them to view this ritual suggestion as bringing another seat to the table for an attitude of abundant space for ritual.
Info Session Video Recording
Empty Cup for Gaza Ingathering Ritual Q&A on Vimeo
Background Information
2. "Groundwater & the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Crash Course Geography #25" – Crash Course, 11.05 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=WHSTQ5WuJbfnP0i6&v=Hzntl-YJe04&feature=youtu.be
3. "Weaponizing Water in Palestine" – Al Jazeera, 25.10 minutes: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/people-power/2023/7/27/weaponising-water-in-palestine
Sample Newsletter or Social Media Announcement
An Empty Cup for Gaza at the In-Gathering
As you offer a bit of water during the annual water ceremony in-gathering service, we invite you to also place an empty paper cup next to the congregational vessel in solidarity with Palestinians. The day before, decorate the cup with a keffiyeh pattern, or a photo of healthy Palestinian children. UUs across America are taking this prayerful action in recognition of and solidarity with the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are denied potable water by Israel, a war crime that is enabled by the United States. Palestinian civilians are dying en masse of starvation, thirst, preventable disease, and weapons of war. This summer, the General Assembly of the UUA passed the "Solidarity with Palestinians" Action of Immediate Witness, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We hope that our congregation will discuss becoming an Apartheid-Free Congregation in the coming months as part of the call to action from the UU Action of Immediate Witness that passed at the 2024 General Assembly. (This is a ritual of prayer offered by UUJME, Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East).
Links to Images to Put on Empty Cups
Ingathering Artwork for Empty Cup - Google Drive
Brief moments of joy as NGO entertains hundreds of displaced Palestinian children (alarabiya.net)
Script to Read During Ceremony/Ritual
In some congregations, the water ceremony tradition does not include the ability to speak about the water brought. In others, people are able to share. If you are able to share, the below lines can be considered words to say, modified as you see fit. In still other congregations, the worship leader/minister may wish to say something about this added ritual and they are welcome to use and modify these lines as well. Information in the Sample Newsletter content just above, or additional information at the top of this blog post, can also be used for additional wording. More resources below can generate even more ideas for wording.
UUs across the country are taking this prayerful action in sympathy with the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are denied potable water by Israel, a war crime that is enabled by the United States. These people are dying of starvation, thirst, preventable disease, and weapons of war.
Follow-up Actions for Congregants and Congregations
Email us pictures from your Empty Cup ritual that we can include in the October newsletter: [email protected]
Ask your congregational leaders to dedicate a share-the-plate offering from an upcoming worship to donate to organizations providing water and food to Palestinians in Gaza. Two suggestions are as follows:
- 501c3 charity: UNRWA USA (United Nations Relieve and Works Agency)
- Direct mutual aid: Gaza Soup Kitchen, Palestinian led, provides hot meals, bread, and water
Look for a list of upcoming opportunities on our website at https://www.uujme.org/resources and plan how to engage:
- Author talk - Safety Through Solidarity - A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
- Palestine/Israel 101 Teach-Ins
- Solidarity Circles Group led by the binational Israeli Jewish/Palestinian Green Olive Collective
- Recognizing and Countering Anti-Palestinian Racism
- Grief Processing Spaces
Print out the planned opportunities card from the website and display it on your congregation's bulletin board and additional copies in the fellowship hall.
Learn about the Action of Immediate Witness that passed at the UUA General Assembly in June this year, "Solidarity with Palestinians": https://uupalestineaction.org.
Look for a list of tiered resources on Palestine/Israel that will soon be posted on the Side with Love website. We'll update this blog post with the link.
If you are a person of SWANA heritage (Southwestern Asia and North Africa, as a term to replace the colonialist term Middle East), please consider connecting with the SWANA Caucus of DRUUMM for a community of support. Reach out to [email protected] for more information.
Connect with UUJME's organizers, India Wood and Jolly Hollamon, to find out how to start a UUJME chapter or group in your congregation: [email protected] and [email protected]