Prayerful and Passionate Protest PhotographsOn 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! read more ![]() ![]()
A Prayer to the God of Compassion, Peace and HopeGod of Compassion, this is not normal. אָדוֹן הַשָּׁלוֹם רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל תִּקוָה To those we have lost, grant perfect rest under the sheltering presence of your love. read more ![]() ![]()
Unity and Solidarity Vigil held 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. read more ![]() ![]()
Statement of Soldarity with Muslims Everywhere![]() 3-15-19 Around the world the human family is grieving over the horrific terror attack that killed at least 49 of our Muslim brothers and sisters and wounded dozens more as they worshipped in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. We at Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice share our most heartfelt condolences and sympathy with that community, especially the loved ones of the victims, and offer prayers for what comfort and healing they might find. We also intensify our commitment to stand against all forms of hatred, drawing from the wellspring of love that animates the world’s faith traditions to triumph over bigotry based on race, ethnicity, or religion. Our traditions require our constant vigilance in confronting injustice, intolerance, division, and other evils with a love that we know ultimately wins. read more ![]() ![]()
A Personal Story and Statement from a MVPJ Steering Committee Member![]() Today, as people of the book, we grieve with our Muslim siblings and the entire human family over the tragic and horrific killings in New Zealand. Apparently inspired by White Supremacist hate exported from the United States, a killer went on a rampage, killing at least 49 people, as they prayed in mosques on Friday. We must stand up against hate and violence with all of our might and do all that we can to change the hearts of those who harbor such hate, while also doing all that we can to prevent such people from being able to cause such mayhem. May we instead be inspired by the smiles of young children, who instead of harboring hate, see our interconnectedness as a human race. We are not born with hate, we are taught hate. Our task, today, tomorrow and every day is doing all that we can to sow the seeds of love, acceptance, and peace, for what we sow we shall reap, Inshallah.
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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! read more ![]() ![]()
The Rev. Dr. William Barber II at Stanford Memorial Church
Did you miss it? Or hunger to hear it again? Click here for six minutes of excerpts from his speech. Rev. Barber is the founder of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Renewal and Repairers of the Breach. read more ![]() ![]()
blessed are you... blessed are we
blessed are you who refuse to turn away. blessed are you who have been calling. read more ![]() ![]()
Statement of Solidarity and PrayersMultifaith Voices for Peace and Justice stands in sadness and solidarity with our Jewish siblings at the news of the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, PA. We are all part of the same human family, and the sorrow of one of us is sorrow shared by us all. Our hearts break at such violence and hatred, and we respond by coming together with courageous peace and tenacious love. We grieve the lives lost and dreams broken in Pittsburgh, and extend our prayers to the families and friends of those wounded and killed, to Jews around the world, and especially to our own local Jewish communities. We will stand together, cry together, pray together, and work together to build a world beyond fear and division, a world of compassion, inclusion, justice and peace. read more ![]() ![]()
Sept. 11 Multifaith Prayer of Lament![]() O God of Many Names, Mystery of all Creation, Source of Life and Love, You who teach our spirits to sing, And our hearts to weep: We gather to celebrate our oneness, to pray for peace, to stand for love, to light a candle -- in a nation and a world that seem filled with division, violence, hatred and darkness. Give us courage to name and face the gaping wounds and evils around us: The hatred that led to the attacks of September 11, 2001; the devastation and death of many innocent lives that day; the ensuing spiral of war, revenge and human rights violations, shattering lives in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and beyond, as well as lives of U.S. women and men in uniform, their families, communities, and friends. Hatred and white supremacy – from Charlottesville to Palo Alto; xenophobia and bigotry that treat some people as disposable; Nationalism that justifies war and torture, the build up of weapons of mass destruction, bans on Muslims and refugees, cruel immigration policies and the destruction of dreams; Religious hypocrisy that denies the sacred image of God in each and every human being; Ignorance that denies the real crisis of our planet, that offers weak platitudes rather than wise policies in the face of ecological catastrophe;
For all we do, and all we tolerate, that destroys the dreams of our children, of any child, for a chance to live in a just and peaceful world. read more ![]() ![]()
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