Holding on to Humanity: Bereaved Palestinian & Israeli Stories of Grief & Hope

Holding on to Humanity: Bereaved Palestinian & Israeli Stories of Grief and Hope
Monday, April 7, 7pm
Stanford Memorial Church

Join us for a human centered evening of listening and reflection. Hear the deeply personal stories of loss from two Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parents Circle Family Forum and their courageous decision to work together to prevent further bereavement, to create dialogue, reconciliation and peace.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Statement Against Christian Nationalism

The Steering Committee of Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice issued this Statement Against Christian Nationalism on March 4, 2025. A slightly shorter version was published in The Mercury News on March 6, 2025 and titled "Americans of conscience must reject Christian nationalism."

Here is the full text:

 As a multifaith organization committed to peace and justice, we call on all governments in the U.S. including local, state, and federal to protect religious freedom. 

We affirm that true religious freedom includes both the right to practice one’s faith and the right to live free from the imposition of religious beliefs through government policy. In the United States we believe the rise of Christian Nationalism in particular threatens this freedom.  

When religion is used as a tool of political power, it often leads to the suppression of fundamental human rights. Therefore, we reject any attempt to use religious doctrine as a basis for governance in a way that restricts reproductive justice, denies LGBTQ individuals equal protection under the law, or marginalizes communities based on faith, race, identity, or national origin.

As people of diverse faiths and ethical traditions, we share a common calling to resist oppression and stand for a society where diversity is celebrated, and justice, equality, and compassion guide our shared future. We call on all people of conscience to reject Christian Nationalism and to work together to uphold the dignity, freedom, and rights of all.

Out of the mud grows the lotus: Reflections from a Peaceful Presence

On January 11, 2025, our Peaceful Presence was hosted by the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple. Sydney Shiroyama, the Minister's Assistant and one of the leaders, later wrote an inspiring reflection on that gathering in light the Day of Remembrance and the ongoing political situation today. Click here to download and read her full article. Excerpts are included here, and the picture is from the service.

We post this with deep gratitude for Sydney's insights and for the wisdom and hope shared with us from the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple community - on January 11 and ongoing through our friendships. We need one another!

Excerpts from article by Sydney Shiroyama:

The theme of the January event was "Out of the mountain of despair - a stone of hope; Out of the mud grows the lotus." The phrase, “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope,” is engraved in the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C., and it is a famous line in his “I Have a Dream” speech. It serves as a reminder that even during times of great difficulty, the possibility of hope still exists. Rev. Koyama added a Buddhist metaphor with a similar meaning: “Out of the mud grows the lotus.” The lotus flower's emergence from muddy waters symbolizes transformation, enlightenment, and the power of perseverance.

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This is the best way to learn about upcoming MVPJ events, efforts and calls to act, as well as stay up to date about where our monthly "Peaceful Presence" gatherings will be held.

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Peaceful Presence Gatherings on 11th of Every Month

Monthly Multifaith Prayers for Peace and Justice
7-7:30pm on 11th of every month
NEXT GATHERING: CANCELED for April
How about attending one of the two April 7 events instead?
Celebrate the Legacy of César Chavez & Farmworkers (5:30pm in East Palo Alto)
Holding on to Humanity: Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli Stories of Grief & Hope (7pm at Stanford Memorial Church)

Peaceful Presence is sometimes hosted in-person, sometimes by Zoom, and sometimes hybrid (with both options - to join in person or via Zoom). Watch for updates!

Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice coordinates “Peaceful Presence” gatherings, a monthly prayer service on the evening of the 11^th of each month, offering a time of quiet multifaith prayers for peace and justice and strength for the journey. Each gathering is hosted by a different local faith community, includes contributions from diverse faith traditions, and has its own format and theme.

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: 
CANCELED: Friday, April 11 due to confluence of religious events around this date
Sunday, May 11 - tba
Wednesday, June 11 - Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Photos from Inauguration Eve Multifaith Community Gathering

"We are deciding to love!" was the call of the Inauguration Eve Multifaith Community Gathering held on January 19, 2025.

More than 200 people came together from diverse faiths and spiritual backgrounds to be inspired and guided by local faith and civic leaders and choirs, and simply by being together, to commit to solidarity and love.

The event began with a procession of faith and civic leaders, and calls to prayer from Buddhist, Jewish, Baha'i and Muslim traditions.

Rev. Dean Koyama and Rev. Gerald Sakamoto offered Buddhist chants. Rabbi Chaim Koritzinsky blew the Shofar from the Jewish tradition.
Aasim Shaihu gave the Muslim Azan (Call to Prayer).The Eastside College Preparatory School was one of three choirs that inspired us!

Photos from MLK Community Sing! Jan 20 2025

Here are just of few of the wonderful photos of our MLK Community Sing! on January 20 in Mitchell Park.
About 60 people gathered to raise our voices with song for peace, justice and hope.

Local singer/songwriter Deborah Levoy led us in song. Local Spoken Word artist Andrew Ramirez of Know Expressions? contributed his awesome Spoken Word piece, "American Eyes."

These photos were taken by Alfred Leung of ProBonoPhotos.org. CLICK HERE to see all of the wonderful pictures from this event!

Thank you Alfred and ProBonoPhotos!

Humanitarian Support Options for Victims of Violence in the Middle East

Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice offers a partial list of suggestions for giving to the many organizations that provide humanitarian support for victims of violence in the Middle East. The organizations on this list have been recommended by members of our Steering Committee for your consideration.

Click here for a google doc with a list of organizations and their missions, source of recommendations and their reasons, plus easy "how to give" links.This is a living document, and we may add to it as we learn of new opportunities.

Click here to download a PDF with this same information.

MVPJ is committed to work with advocacy efforts to end the violence in the Middle East, the root cause of this suffering. We know that such efforts take time, tenacity and a vision of the peace and justice that can and needs to be. In the meantime, it also vital to address the immediate suffering TODAY through the remarkable programs of organizations like these.

To read MVPJ's most recent statement on our commitments to work for peace in the Middle East, click here.

Our Faiths Call Us in this Time

Quakers (Society of Friends)

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government,
nor are we for this party or against the other...
but we are for justice and mercy and truth and peace and true freedom,
that these may be exalted in our nation
and that goodness, righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace,
and unity with God and with one another,
that these things may abound.
- Edward Burrough, minister in early Society of Friends (Quaker leader) (1634-1663)

Interfaith Leader from the Christian Black Church Tradition

I find my resolve to keep moving forward because I come from a resilient people. Ancestors who navigated heartbreak, oppression, grief, and anger, all from a system that told them they were not human. My grandmother founded a church in a time and culture where women weren’t traditionally allowed to, and my grandfather organized his church to vote in the Jim Crow South, at great risk to his safety and well-being. Today, I lead an interfaith advocacy organization that champions comprehensive reproductive health and supports expanding access to democracy for all. I stand in a tradition of people using their faith and resources to strengthen their communities, and I encourage all of us to continue in the examples set by our elders in this way. 

Moving forward, our work is to build communities of care where we advocate and organize to preserve the dignity of all people and ensure we all live in communities that enable us to thrive. We cannot let the darkness of despair envelop us. We have work to do.

Today, let us lament. Let us mourn. But tomorrow, let’s hold on to hope and use our collective moral power to resist violence and pursue nonviolent action to build a future of freedom and dignity for all.

 --Jeanne Lewis, CEO, Faith in Public Life Action

Interfaith Leader from Sikh Tradition  

Together we will alchemize our pain and grief into courage and energy and action. We will build worlds of love and protection among each other. We will be one another’s refuge. We will refuse to relinquish our humanity. We will harness our rage. We will organize and innovate. We will keep our ancestors at our back, and the children we are laboring for in front of our eyes. We will practice joy. We will summon our deepest wisdom to hold the light and be the light — until there is another chance at rebirth. We will practice the world we want in the space between us. We will make love our compass.

And in our hardest moments we will remember: In every turn through the cycle of human history, people have been thrown in the darkness. And they have a choice — we have a choice: Do I succumb to my despair, or dare lift my gaze and sing a song of love? Do I free only myself, or do I refuse to leave anyone behind?

This is not a 4 year campaign. This is a 40 year vision. The only way we will birth the world we dream is through a shift in culture and consciousness — a way of being, a way of seeing, that leaves no one outside our circle of care.

-- Valarie Kaur, activist, faith leader and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project