The Human Rays of Hope for Lasting Peace in Gaza

It has long been my faith that peace anywhere in the world depends on the courageous efforts of average people who want the cycles of violence to end. I do not need to enumerate here the painful stories of how so many civilians – especially children – have been harmed in the latest violence that has taken place in Gaza. Can there be hope for peace in this war-torn region? In my search for an answer, I have been heartened by the numerous efforts that thousands of individuals on all sides of the conflict have been making to build lasting relationships with each other, which are vital to turning these difficult days of blood into days of hope.

Below I note some of the many groups forging these important human bridges of reconciliation, to build permanent structures of peace. These people embody what Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed when he said, “Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.”

If you know of other efforts we should be aware of, please list them in the Comments.

An Interfaith Declaration for Peace. On Tuesday, January 13, 2009 around 300 members of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities gathered in the Boston Commons for a silent vigil calling for an end to the violence in Gaza. Boston-area religious leaders from all Abrahamic religions jointly wrote a statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. This is one of the best frameworks for peace I have seen and the full statement is provided at the end of this article.
http://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/206691/index.php

All Nation’s Café. Since December 2003, the All Nations Cafe has been a fertile ground for innovative projects which allow people from warring nations to meet each other even at the worst of times. Their motto is “transforming checkpoints into meeting-points. Significantly, the All Nation’s Café is physical place on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, located in a buffer zone between the Israeli Army checkpoint and the Palestinian Authority. The All Nations Café is easily reached by Palestinians from East Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and the villages and refugee camps that surround them. It is also a safe place for Israelis from Jerusalem, from the Galilee and from the West Bank settlement block of Gush Etzion to come. Internationals reach it from both the Israeli and Palestinian sides. More than a coffee shop, they put on many programs and meet in each other’s homes besides at the café.
http://www.allnationscafe.org/index.php

OneVoice Movement to End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The OneVoice Movement is an international mainstream grassroots movement with over 640,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and 1,800 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence, and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.
http://www.onevoicemovement.org/

Pieces for Peace. More than 150 Palestinian and Israeli youth have met over 3 years to create a 330 square feet of mosaic dedicated to a joint vision for peace.
http://www.mideastweb.org/pieces4peace.htm

Soccer for Peace. This is a non-profit organization aiming to unite children of war-torn nations in their shared love of soccer. Though conflict exists in every corner of the world, so too does soccer - the most watched and played sport on earth. United in their love of the game, participants in their programs form organic relationships, implicit in which are the trust and respect necessary for constructive dialogue. Soccer for Peace believes that sport can serve as both a metaphor and vehicle for peace in our time.
http://www.soccerforpeace.com/

Gaza and Israel: An Interfaith Convocation of Prayers for Peace and Conversation. The St. Paul Interfaith Network (SPIN) invites the community to an opportunity for sharing prayers and conversation in response to the current crisis in Israel and Gaza and more generally to the urgent need for an alternative to violence throughout the world.
When: Martin Luther King Day, January 19, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
Where: Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 700 Snelling Avenue South, St. Paul, MN 55116

Directories of Israeli-Palestinian peace groups:
http://www.mideastweb.org/mewgroups.htm
http://traubman.igc.org/peace2.htm


AN INTERFAITH DECLARATION FOR PEACE

We, members and leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in Greater Boston - all having deep and symbolic ties to the land and peoples of the Middle East - are anguished by the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza. Recognizing the legitimate needs of all peoples, including all those living in the Middle East , for dignity, peace, safety and security –- regardless of religion, race, or national origin -- we issue this joint statement with the hope and belief that our interfaith voices will be heard clearly, above the din of war.

As guiding principles,

We acknowledge the long, complex, and painful history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
We acknowledge the wide range of deeply-held beliefs, and intensely-felt narratives on all sides
We acknowledge that all sides are capable of assigning blame to others, and asserting justification for their cause
We observe that violence by any side begets more violence, hatred, and retaliation
We deplore any invocation of religion as a justification for violence against others, or the deprivation of the rights of others
We decry any use of inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes the other and is intended, or is likely, to promote hatred and disrespect
We believe the conflict can be resolved only through a political and diplomatic solution and not a military one.

In the face of many competing narratives, we recognize that the overriding common need of the peoples of the region is the prompt implementation of a just and lasting peace. Toward that end, and particularly in response to the current hostilities,

We call upon the United States and the international community immediately to intercede to help reestablish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, toward the goal of a permanent cessation of hostilities
We call upon Hamas immediately to end all rocket attacks on Israel , and upon Israel immediately to end its military campaign in Gaza
We call for an immediate end to all strikes on civilian centers and citizens, both Israeli and Palestinian
We call for lifting of the blockade on Gaza as to all non-military goods, for an immediate and significant increase in humanitarian aid to address the needs of the people of Gaza , and for all parties involved to join in taking responsibility to address those human needs
We call on all parties involved in the conflict to work sincerely and vigorously toward a just and lasting peace that addresses and promotes the national aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples
We call on President-elect Obama to make clear that as President he will urgently assert US leadership to achieve a comprehensive diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts

Through this joint statement we affirm our commitment to engage with one another, even, and especially, during times of great stress. We also affirm our common humanity and our common belief – as Jews, Muslims and Christians - that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must cease, that there is no military or violent solution, that all human life is valued, and that all parties must cooperate to make the peace – a just and lasting peace desperately needed and deserved by all the peoples of the region.

Signed:

Salwa Abd-Allah, Executive Council, Muslim American Society of Boston (MAS Boston ), Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC)
Tariq Ali, President, Harvard Islamic Society
Hossam AlJabri, President, MAS Boston-ISBCC; Trustee, Interreligious Center for Public Life (ICPL)
Rev. Dr. Jim Antal, President, United Church of Christ Mass. Conference
Abdul Cader Asmal, Past President, Islamic Council of New England and Islamic Center of Boston ; Trustee ICPL
Rabbi Al Axelrad, Hillel Director Emeritus, Brandeis University
Diane Balser, Executive Director, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom
Dorothy C. Buck, Ph.D., Director, Badaliya
Rev. Nick Carter, Ph.D., President, Andover Newton Theological School
Dris Djermoun, President, Islamic Center of Boston (Wayland)
Diana L. Eck, Professor, Harvard University
Imam Talal Eid, Islamic Institute of Boston ; Chaplain Brandeis University
Ashraf Elkerm, Board Chairman, Islamic Center of Greater Worcester
Rev. Dr. Terasa G. Cooley, Unitarian Universalist Mass. Bay District Executive
Mercedes S. Evans, Esq., Committee on Contemporary Spiritual & Public Concerns (CSPC Committee) (Civil Rights)
Imam Abdullah Faruuq, Imam, Mosque for the Praising of Allah (Roxbury)
Michael Felsen, President, Boston Workmen's Circle
Lisa Gallatin, Executive Director, Boston Workmen's Circle
Zekeriyya Gemici, President, MIT Muslim Students Association
Rabbi David Gordis
Rabbi Arthur Green, Rector, Rabbinical School, Hebrew College , Newton
Rev. Raymond G. Helmick, S.J., Instructor, Conflict Resolution, Boston College
Arnold Hiatt
Rev. Jack Johnson, Executive Director, MCC
M. Bilal Kaleem, Executive Director, MAS Boston-ISBCC
Anwar Kazmi, Executive Council, MAS Boston-ISBCC
Alexander Kern, Executive Director, Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries
Nabeel Khudairi, Past President, Islamic Council of New England
Idit Klein, Executive Director, Keshet
Margie Klein, Co-Director, Moishe/Kavod House
Mary Lahaj, Muslim Chaplain, Simmons College
Geoffrey Lewis
Imam Taalib Mahdee, Imam, Masjid Al-Quran, ( Dorchester )
Rev. Bert Marshall, Church World Service, New England Director
Jerome D. Maryon, Esq., President, CSPC Committee
Michael J. Moran, Pax Christi Massachusetts
Sister Jane Morrissey, SSJ, Pax Christi Massachusetts
Merrie Najimy, President, American Arab Anti-discrimination Committee, MA
Imam Khalid Nasr, Imam, ICNE-Quincy
Imam Basyouni Nehela, Imam, Islamic Society of Boston
Rashid Noor, President, Islamic Center of New England
Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow
Rabbi Barbara Penzner, Temple Hillel B'nai Torah
Rev. Rodney L. Petersen, Ph.D., Executive Director, Boston Theological Institute
Dr Asif Rizvi, President-Elect, Islamic Council of New England
Rabbi Victor Reinstein, Nehar Shalom
Rev. Anne Robertson, Executive Director, Massachusetts Bible Society
Qasim Salimi, President, Boston University Muslim Students Association
Robert M. Sarly, Trustee, ICPL
Rev. Mikel E. Satcher, Ph.D., Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church
Professor Adam Seligman, Boston University
Rabbi Sanford Seltzer, Chair, ICPL
Enid Shapiro, Trustee, ICPL
Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Episcopal Bishop, Diocese of Massachusetts
Alan Solomont
Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Congregation Dorshei Tzedek
Rev. John K. Stendahl, Pastor, Lutheran Church of the Newtons
Sidney Topol
Rabbi Andrew Vogel, Temple Sinai
Peter D. Weaver, Bishop, United Methodist Church , Boston Area
(Organizational affiliations for identification purposes only)