... and to save one life is to save the whole worldto destroy one life is to destroy the whole world, As people of faith contemplating the horrendous violence in the Middle East, we are guided by the truth of this fundamental teaching which is found in both the Jewish and Muslim traditions, that to destroy one life is to destroy the whole world, and to save one life is to save the whole world. We live in the reality of the destruction of thousands of lives in Israel and Gaza. We acknowledge the appalling massacre of 1,200 Israelis by Hamas on October 7, 2023 and the devastating war that has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has taken the lives of over 34,000 people there. We know that for the loved ones of each and every one of these individuals killed, it may surely be that their whole world is destroyed. With our hearts filled with sorrow and compassion, we say, “Enough!” It is time for all of us, people of faith and goodwill everywhere, civilians and leaders alike, to embrace and follow the second part of this ancient and true wisdom: to save one life is to save the whole world. Let us, as a global community pledge ourselves to work with all of our being so that instead of destroying life, we can save one life, and then another, and then another, on the quest to save the whole world. For the sake of both Palestine and Israel, and all human beings involved: It is time for a ceasefire on both sides. It is time for the safe release of all hostages and political prisoners. It is time for the necessities of life – water, food, medical care, fuel, shelter and safety – to be accessible for all. It is time for a negotiated peace now, with a path for justice, security, democracy and restoration for both sides. It is time to rebuild the communities destroyed by war. read more ![]() ![]()
Muslim & Jewish Mothers' Prayer for Life and PeacePrayer of Mothers for Life and Peace God of Life Click here to read the full prayer on a PDF with more information about the authors. Click here to visit the Open Siddur Project webpage and read the prayer in Arabic, Hebrew and German. read more ![]() ![]()
Prayers for Peace and Responses to war between Israel and GazaWords seem inadequate when deeds are so horrific as to defy the ability to string together anything that can ease the pain, lessen the fear, defuse the anger, and move the broken and wounded to doing anything other than striking back. Yet as people of faith committed to peace, we must speak words of compassion and solidarity, aloud and in silent prayer, as well as seek actions that foster healing, justice and peace. In the face of shocking and deadly attacks by Hamas against civilians in Israel and the Israeli military response to those attacks, adding violence to violence, we grieve for each and every human being lost, wounded, suffering loss, and despairing the coming nights and days of uncertainty and pain. We pray for the violence to cease and for the world to come together to support all who have been harmed and bring a lasting peace to a land that has suffered too much for too long. Within our own communities and nation, we commit to stand against antisemtic, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim occurence or rhetoric of any kind, and work for relationships of respect, open-heartedness and healing. Although war often leads us to think in terms of "us" and "them," we know from the very nature of our organization, that coming together in the richness of diversity is the only path to peace. ACTION: We urge you to join with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker-based) in their call to our U.S. government to act to de-escalate the violence. Click here to TAKE ACTION NOW and send a letter to your Senators and Congress Representative. Their website makes this easy, and personalizing the letter can make it even more effective. Peace with Justice: We affirm these words from Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. "We mourn and we pray for the safety of everyone in harm's way... We know that a true and lasting peace will not be acheived until there is a just, negotiated political solution that protects the human rights of everyone." Contribute and Support: Here we highlight a few organizations, mostly led by both Palestinians and Israelis who are working for healing, justice and peace. We offer links for you to consider making donations or supporting in other ways. Rebuilding Alliance - dedicated to rebuilding war-torn communities. Currently their NGO partners in Gaza are delivering food and hygiene supplies. New Israel Fund - prodemocracy organization in Israel already mobilized with war relief. UNRWA-UN - relief for Palestinian refugees - is already established in Gaza. IsraAid - partnering with local and civil society organizations to coordinate humanitarian efforts, providing psychosocial support and urgent aid. International NGO. Gisha - protecting the freedom of movement for Palestinians, especially in Gaza. Listen, Learn and Pray: Below are links to various organizations that include Muslim, Jews and Christians, with statements offering their insight and perspectives from their own experience. MVPJ does not advocate any specific statement or response. We offer these with the prayer that we can learn from one another, even when we disagree. read more ![]() ![]()
Vigil for Peace in the Middle East
We come together as people of diverse faiths and backgrounds to:
In the spirit of unity and holding fast to our common humanity, We grieve for each and every human being lost, wounded, suffering loss, afraid, and despairing of the coming nights and days of uncertainty and pain. We pray for the violence to cease, and for the world to come together to support all who have been harmed and to bring a lasting peace to a land that has suffered too much for too long. Within our own communities and nations, we commit to stand against anti-Semitic, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim incidents or rhetoric of any kind. As people of faith committed to peace, we gather to speak words of compassion and solidarity, aloud and in silent prayer, and seek actions that foster healing, peace and justice.
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Battery candles will be available. read more ![]() ![]()
July Peaceful Presence Contributions
Our host, Farha Andrabi, told the Muslim story of Hajirah, "Hope, Patience and Perseverance: The Story of Hajirah." (Some of you may know her as "Hagar." However, the story about her in the Muslim tradition has some significant and surprising differences!) Ellen Stromberg from Congregations Beth Am and Etz Chayim, read excerpts from this piece called "Praciticing Hope" by Rabbi Betsy Forester. Eric Sabelman told a story that came to him during a Quaker service. He titled the story "The Courier's Message." The images on the left are illustrations connected with Eric's story. Kristi Iverson shared some teachings on "Patience," one of the Ten Paramis (or Ten Perfections) from the Buddhist tradition. read more ![]() ![]()
Tell Congress: NO CLUSTER BOMBS!
Cluster bombs are banned internationally by more than 100 countries, yet President Biden says the U.S. will send cluster munitions to Ukraine. Cluster bombs release hundreds to thousands of "bomblets" from the air that spread out over very wide areas. These small bomblets can sit ready to explode -- for decades. Far too often it is when children – thinking they are toys – pick them up - that they explode and rip off limbs of innocent children.
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MVPJ Stands Against Cluster Bombs
Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice’s Steering Committee is compelled to stand with many other Americans and people of faith and goodwill around the world against the President's decision to provide cluster bombs to Ukraine. [1,2] We find that the arguments given by the President for doing so are based on expediency, flying in the face of universal condemnation of weapons of mass destruction. To resort to cluster munitions as a "temporary" solution to delayed production of other weapons does not make them less reprehensible. [3] Major differences exist between cluster munitions and precisely targeted "smart" bombs and artillery shells; cluster bombs are intended to kill over a wide area, and not just a single target. The claim that only munitions with very low "dud rates" - where unexploded bomblets remain lethal - will be sent to Ukraine is subject to scrutiny, because variations between batches cannot be predicted in advance of use on the battlefield. Claims that Ukraine would not use these weapons where its own citizens would be endangered and that post-war clearing of landmines and unexploded ordnance is required anyway ignore the change of citizenship in disputed territory and the risk that not all bomblets will be found in time to prevent injury to the innocent. The argument that Russia has already used cluster munitions is hardly moral justification for the US and its allies to begin using them. [4] (click "Read More") for to end of letter. Click here to download a pdf of letter. read more ![]() ![]()
May Peaceful Presence Prayer Contribution from Muslim Participant
She explained, "In our Islamic tradition, when we want to communicate with God through our individual prayers, we like to call Him with His beautiful names and attributes, so I tried to write down a prayer as a believer in dialogue for peace and justice and call God with some of His beautiful names and attributes in my prayer." The names of God Hilal includes are: Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim (You are The Most Compassionate and The Most Merciful) Al-Awwal and Al-Akhir (You are The First and You are The Last) An-Nur and Al-Hadi (You are the Light and You are the Guide) Al-Jami'e (You are the Gatherer, You are The Unifier) Al-'Adl (You are The Utterly Just) Click here to download a PDF of this beautiful prayer!read more ![]() ![]()
Make Nuclear Disarmament a Priority!ACTION ALERT: Sign a letter to Congress for Nuclear Disarmament! ![]() MVPJ has been working for many years to support nuclear disarmament, a principle of peace and justice shared by all of our faith traditions. A new bill in Congress can move us another step forward! Sign a letter to Congress today, urging your Representative to become a co-sponsor of this bill! H. RES. 77 – “Embracing the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” – was introduced last month by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA). The bill calls on the Biden Administration to … • Make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of the national security policy of the United States • Renounce the option of using nuclear weapons first • End the President’s sole authority to launch a nuclear attack • Take the nuclear weapons of the United States off hair-trigger alert • Cancel the plan to replace the nuclear arsenal of the United States with modernized, enhanced weapons.
Urge your Representative to become a co-sponsor of H.Res. 77 today! Click here to sign a letter to our local Representatives. (Many thanks to Peninsula Peace & Justice for setting up this easy way to express our support!) read more ![]() ![]()
Call for Nuclear Arms Control! TELL CONGRESS & THE PRESIDENT: Nuclear Weapons Must Never Be Used!
NEW RESOURCE: Read this 1/17/23 article by Frida Berrigan, "How to Avoid Nuclear Standoffs that Threaten the Entire World." While Berrigan does not avoid the dire consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, in her history and vision she offers hope. History: "Small, decentralized, broad-based activities added up to the survival of the species. ... It is not hyperbole to assert that these actions drove Reagan and Gorbachev to the negotiating table." Vision: "Anyone who cares about the future of life on this planet can be an antinuclear activist. ...
Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine are horrifying. While the threats deserve condemnation, more importantly, they require a steady response of de-escalation that pulls us back from the threat of nuclear warfare. TELL CONGRESS THAT MORE DIPLOMACY IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT HUMAN LIVES AND OUR ENVIRONMENT! WRITE: Join the Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers) letter campaign TODAY by clicking here! Easy pre-scripted letters to send to your Senators and Congressmember, or you can edit to personalize them before sending. As the Friends Committee on National Legislation reminds us: "Dialogue with Russia is not capitulation or appeasement. It is, in fact, the only sane response to the threat of nuclear brinksmanship. Congress has a moral responsibility to de-escalate tensions and prevent the use of nuclear weapons to preserve the environment and all humanity. In the face of nuclear threats, the world must work together deter disaster."
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