Multifaith Prayers for Peace on 11th of the Month

Monthly Multifaith Prayers for Peace
7-7:30pm on 11th of every month
NEXT GATHERING: Wednesday, December 11, 7-7:30pm, Congregation Etz Chaim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto, 94306

In the midst of difficult times, Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice will host “Peaceful Presence,” a monthly prayer service on the evening of the 11^th of each month, offering a time of quiet multifaith prayers for peace and strength for the journey.  All are welcome: those of all faith traditions and of no defined faith, those who are suffering at the hands of their own government, those who need a pause in the midst of intensive work on behalf of others, and all who would like to pray with others for the well-being of all.  The prayer time will include elements from several religious traditions.

Upcoming: 
Wednesday, December 11, 7-7:30pm, Congregation Etz Chaim, 4161 Alma St., Palo Alto, 94306
Saturday, January 11, 7-7:30pm, First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton St., Palo Alto, 94301
Tuesday, February 11, 7-7:30pm, Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 E. Charleston Road, Palo Alto, 94306
Wednesday, March 11, 7-7:30pm, First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto 94303

Pictures from August 11 Multifaith Lament & Worship

On August 11 local Jews and Quakers joined together to lead a powerful Multifaith Service of Lament and Public Worship with a Concern for Immigrants and Refugees. More than 200 people participated.

The Lament was part of a national effort that connected the 9th of Av (August 11th), the Jewish annual day of mourning over displacement, discrimination and murder of Jews through their history, with the experience of today’s immigrants.

The Quaker Public Worship with a Concern for Immigrants and Refugees invited participants to sit in silence to listen to the Spirit which guides human affairs and inspires both immediate words and future action.

Correction Officer Drives Truck into Peaceful Protesters outside Detention Center

Wednesday night, August 14, a guard at a for-profit ICE Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island drove a truck into a group of peaceful protesters from an organization called Never Again Action. Then a squad of prison guards came out and pepper sprayed them. Five people were hospitalized, including one person with a fractured leg. Those protesting were mostly Jewish community members demonstrating against the for-profit prison's contract with ICE and the inhumane and immoral immigration policies. Click here to read the NPR report and watch the disturbing video.

Never Again Action emphasizes that these assaults are just a small example of the horrifying violence that ICE uses against our immigrant neighbors every day.

To show support and solidarity, please read and consider signing this petition from Never Again Action calling for the closure of the Wyatt Detention Center and the immediate release of all ICE detainees.

August 20, 2019 "talking points" from Never Again Action organizers:

• We are grateful that the five injured protesters have all been released from the hospital, but our thoughts are also with the people locked inside The Wyatt in horrible conditions without access to medical care. The violence that #JewsAgainstICE protesters experienced was a small example of the violence that ICE uses against our immigrant neighbors every day.
• We appreciate the decision by Wyatt Detention Facility to place Captain Woodworth on leave, and by the state to open an investigation, but we also call for the governor and attorney general of Rhode Island to open a broader investigation into the unsafe and inhumane conditions at Wyatt Detention, where over 100 asylum seekers are currently being detained.
• Violence at the hands of law enforcement is an all-too-common reality for many people of color in the U.S., and rarely do the perpetrators face swift consequences like Captain Woodworth did in this case.

Prayerful and Passionate Protest Photographs

On July 12, 2019 MVPJ hosted a vigil on behalf of immigrants, children and refugees as part of the Lights for Liberty campaign. Click below to see more photographs of the event. Many thanks to Jack Owicki from Pro-Bono Photography who took these wonderful pictures!

A Prayer to the God of Compassion, Peace and Hope

God of Compassion, this is not normal.
אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים
(Eil malei rachamim)
God of Compassion, this is not normal.
It is not normal for weapons to disrupt prayers of freedom and memory.
It is not normal for houses of worship to have protocols for responding to violence.
It is not normal for leaders, partners, and friends to extend thoughts and prayers in the wake of another attack.

אָדוֹן הַשָּׁלוֹם 
(Adon hashalom)
God of Peace,
We refuse to accept this as normal.
We refuse to resign to apathy.
We refuse to give in to forces that seek to divide.
We refuse to allow time to dull our moral outrage.

רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל תִּקוָה 
(Ribono shel tikvah)
Master of Hope,
In the face of hate, strengthen our hearts to insist on love.
In the face of darkness, uncover our eyes to find sparks of Your light.
In the face of violence, open our hands so we might extend them in peace.

To those we have lost, grant perfect rest under the sheltering presence of your love.
To those who are in pain, grant wholeness, comfort, and healing.
To those who survive, grant us the faith, courage, and wisdom we need to build a world of peace.

Unity and Solidarity Vigil held in Sunnyvale

Unity and Solidarity Vigil
in light of attacks in Sunnyvale and Poway Synagogue
WE ARE ONE!
Was held on Thursday, May 2, 2019
El Camino Real and Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road in Sunnyvale

Marking the terrifying attack on pedestrians on April 23 in which the police say the driver may have targeted the victims based on their race and his belief they were Muslim, and the horrific shooting at Congregation Chabad Synagogue in Poway, CA on April 27, we gathered in Unity and Solidarity at the site of the April 23 incident. The vigil was a quiet, loving presence to acknowledge the pain and suffering of all people targeted by violence and hate, and to declare unequivocally that all lives are precious and we are all part of the same human family.

Thursday, May 2, was the National Day of Prayer*, and at this time our nation surely needs prayers for healing, respect in our diversity, and peace. Thursday was also Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember victims of the Nazi Holocaust, and to honor all victims of violence and pledge, "Never Again."

In pain and solidarity at yet more violence, Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice offers both words and action. Our words are below, and our actions continue with the Thursday vigil.

Statement of Soldarity with Muslims Everywhere

A Personal Story and Statement from a MVPJ Steering Committee Member

Amidst the rubble of what was once a beautiful mosque in Afghanistan in 2002, a boy was rocking back and forth reciting a portion of the Qur'an. I sat next to him, reminded of how he resembled children in a Jewish synagogue from my childhood, rocking back and forth as they recited Hebrew prayers. The Imam walked over and lightly touched the boy on the shoulder. He stopped praying and looked up. The Imam told the boy that I was Jewish and asked him, "What do we call Jewish people?" The boy smiled at me and responded "People of the Book." "Very good," the Imam replied as he touched his heart. With a nod from the Imam, the boy resumed reciting prayers. Muslims refer to Jews and Christians as people of the book because we share common sacred texts, the Torah, the Bible, and for Muslims, the Qur'an. 

How do you respond when...

...your dinner guest makes an Islamophobic comment?

...you witness public instances of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Trans or any other form of oppressive interpersonal violence or harassment?

American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) has six thoughtful and helpful tips to counteract anti-Muslim rhetoric in your conversations.

They also have bystander intervention do's and don'ts for how to intervene in public situations while considering the safety of everyone involved.

Both articles provide guidelines that may be contrary to your first instinct, however noble those may be. These are important reads!