IMPORTANT UPDATE: Haspel's hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee is schedule for Wed., May 9.
Please call your Senators every single day until the vote is taken. One of California's own Senators, Diane Feinstein, is a particularly important contact - she has not said yet how she will vote!
CALL SENATOR FEINSTEIN every day and URGE HER TO VOTE AGAINST GINA HASPEL on deep moral grounds. 
Call Feinstein's office at 202-224-3841 or 415-393-0707 to say NO to Haspel!

March 13, 2018 NRCAT Press Release:
"With news that President Trump plans to nominate CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to replace Mike Pompeo as CIA Director, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) reiterates its call for no new government jobs for torturers. Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director, said, 'It is morally repugnant that a former head of a CIA torture site who helped destroy videotaped evidence of torture would be elevated to the role of CIA Director. Haspel cannot be trusted to follow the law nor represent our country's fundamental values of ethical government and transparency.'"

As a long-time member of NRCAT, Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice asks you to:
1) contact your Senators and urge them to VOTE NO on Haspel nomination. (See below for contact information for Senators Feinstein and Harris.)
2) sign NRCAT's petition to the U.S. Senate stating, "It is a moral outrage for someone who headed a CIA torture site and destroyed videotaped evidence of torture to become CIA Director. Stand up for our democracy and the rule of law by blocking President Trump’s nomination of Gina Haspel as CIA Director." Click here to sign.

Read the April 27 ACLU article for more information about Haspel's involvement in the CIA "black site" in Thailand, the torture of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, and her involvement in ordering the destruction of CIA videotapes.  ACLU also joins several senators in questioning the CIA's unprecedented activities promoting Haspel's nomination. Read the May 4th article here.

More background material from the ACLU and a link to a letter signing page to U.S. Senators (where you can sign the letter as is or add your own comments) is provided by this Peninsula Peace & Justice Center action page. Or you may use the information below to contact California Senators directly. 

Saturday, March 24 - Across the Country

March with kids and their families to demand that their lives and safety be a priority, and we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools.  

Join one of 819 marches!

Local marches currently planned in Redwood City, San Mateo, San Jose, San Franisco, Oakland and Santa Cruz. Click "Read More" below for details. Visit the national March for Our Lives website to sign the petition, learn more, and donate.

In response to the horrific shooting at a high school in Floriday, MVPJ member Craig Wiesner wrote an article for Tikkun Daily Blog. Start it here then go to the Tikkun website to read the whole piece.

"Thoughts and Prayers? What the Prophet Isaiah Said"
by Craig Wiesner

17 more dead. “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” Sackcloth, ashes, bowing your head… Actually, on the night 17 people were killed in Florida, I thought to myself that maybe my husband and I should fast. We didn’t. We did sit and watch the news as details of the mass shooting at a high school in Florida were slowly revealed. We closed our eyes in prayer, feeling helpless, angry, sad.

17 dead, the shooter in custody, parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, neighbors, grieving. A chorus rings out “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” Two words come to mind when I hear or read that phrase coming from people in power who could do so much more than think and pray. Then, yesterday, the pastor of our church asked me if I would lead the Time for the Child in us all at church this Sunday. “What’s the scripture?” I asked. Curious? Read on!

True and False Fasting

“Cry aloud; do not hold back;

lift up your voice like a trumpet;

declare to my people their transgression,

to the house of Jacob their sins.

On Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 86 rabbis and Jewish leaders were arrested in the Capitol during a solidarity vigil for Dreamers. Among them was Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, a local faith leader and cofounder of Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.

Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice was one of the organizers of the event. Click here to visit their Facebook report and watch the video. If you look carefully about 45 seconds in you will see Rabbi Lewis!

Join this roundtable discussion hosted by faith leaders with State Assembly Members Mark Berman and Evan Low. They will present options for action that are currently underway for sensible firearm legislation, as well as future legislation that we can support.

Saturday, January 20, 3-4:30pm
Westhope Presbyterian Church
12850 Saratoga Ave.
Saratoga 95070 

If possible, please RSVP to esfishrev@gmail.com. RSVP helpful but not required.

Fr. Kevin O'Brien, a Jesuit priest and Dean of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley (part of Santa Clara University) is featured in this video, inviting us all to a culture of encounter, not confrontation.

"Jesus was concerned about promoting what he called the 'reign of God.' This reign, this community of justice, peace and love -- that to him was more important than any title for himself."

In a pluralistic society, we need to listen, respect and learn from people who are different than us. Quoting Pope Francis, O'Brien claims, "Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something about God."

PBS will broadcast "The Sultan and the Saint" nationwide on Tuesday, December 16. The film is a powerful depiction of Muslim-Christian peace, telling the story of St. Francis of Assisi’s trip to Egypt during the wars of the Fifth Crusade (1217-1221).  Francis enters Sultan al-Kamil’s military camp, and through dialogue and prayer, the two lay the groundwork for an end to the bloodshed. Narrated by Jeremy Irons, the film also includes interviews by scholars, historians and religious leaders.

"The Sultan and the Saint" will show on the local PBS station KQED from 8pm-9pm, Tuesday, Dec. 26. Check local listing for other times.

Islamic Scholar Homayra Ziad observes, "These two were indeed seeking peace in the midst of war, so they were open to being transformed by the person who was alledgedly their enemy." Set in the past, the film speaks with urgency to our present world.

You are also encouraged to host a broadcast viewing party in your home, congregation or community. Sign-up by clicking here and a discussion guide will be provided.

As persons of faith representing diverse religious traditions and commitments, Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice stands in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters and decries any effort to divide communities, intimidate adherents of Islam, and propagate hatred, racism, and disunity. Together with the Archbishop of Canterbury and other religious leaders throughout the world, we believe God calls on us to love one another and to support the flourishing of all peoples and nations on earth. 

We therefore call on the government of the United States and the President in particular to disavow the extremist propaganda of Britain First and other hate-mongering organizations. We urge Mr. Trump to remove his recent retweets of this group and make clear his opposition to all acts of bigotry and attempts to intimidate and increase divisions. We appeal to our government, faith communities, and all people to work ardently for healing, respect and unity.

California Religious Freedom Act, SB 31 has been signed by Governor Brown!  Thanks to all who helped make sure this happened! 

SB 31 WILL prohibit a state or local agency from participating in a federal program to create a database based on a person’s religious beliefs, national origin, or ethnicity for law enforcement or immigration purposes.  SB 31 WILL also prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from collecting information on the religious beliefs, practices, or affiliations of an individual except under certain circumstances. SB 31 will bar state and local agencies from participating in ineffective and harmful programs that undermine public safety and diminish public trust in law enforcement, while also fulfilling California’s duty to ensure equal treatment under the law, regardless of race, religion, or national origin. The bill is co-sponsored by the ACLU of California, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - California, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations California.

SB 54, the California Values Act, has been signed by Governor Brown!  This bill will ban the use of state and local resources from carrying out the work of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in deportation actions, essentially making California a Sanctuary state. This is a huge step in standing up for immigrants and those who could become targets of the Trump administration.

Contact information for Gov. Brown and local Senators and Assemblymembers can be found below.