Palestinian and Jewish dialogue for Peace
Palestinians and Israelis share their personal stories through the narrative of The Lemon Tree. Sunday, April 27, 2025 Christ Lutheran Church, Natick, MA 00:00
- Welcome and opening remarks - Pastor Christephor Gilbert, Christ Lutheran Natick 04:25
- Pr. Gilbert reads welcome remarks from Shaheen Akhtar 11:05
- Synopsis of the Lemon Tree b y author Sandy Tolan 21:12
- Rev. Cindy Worthing-Berry, First Congregational Church Natick reading a message from Rabbi Raysh Weiss, Temple Israel of Natick 23:15
- Rabbi Tiferet Berenbaum, Temple Beth Zion Brookline 34:27
- Emma Khadra Ansari, M.D., Asst. Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School 53:33
- Hani Murad, PhD. Former Regional Ombudsman for the Middle East and North Africa 1:17:01 Michael Maria, Program Director Boston Palestine Film Festival 1:31:30
- Noam Shorech, Director of Computational Biology and Institute Scientist, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. 1:50:40
- Q & A 2:17:10 Closing remarks
Our Metrowest interfaith community advocating for ukraine
The Refugee Outreach Team of our Metrowest Interfaith Community is a way to bring the gifts and passion of our different faith communities practically to bear on the real problems of our community. We created the ROT to help refugee families find a new home in our community, our common faith value of hospitality to the stranger. Our work included Ukrainian families, among others.
With the shift in our government's concerns with the plight of Ukraine, we feel it is more important than ever to advocate for Ukraine with our elected officials. We want to share with you the work of the American Coalition for Ukraine and the tools they provide for us to continue our advocacy. Please look at the CALL TO ACTION on their website and send letters to your representatives.
CALL TO ACTION
The people of Ukraine have been sacrificing their lives to defend their country’s sovereignty and our shared values of freedom and justice throughout Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression.
Last month, the U.S.-Ukraine relationship experienced some turbulence, and we welcome today’s sign of renewed cooperation and realignment with our common values.
Contact your Congressional representatives right now and say that you appreciate that the U.S. has restored our working relationship with Ukraine and realigned with American values and against Russian aggression.
With the shift in our government's concerns with the plight of Ukraine, we feel it is more important than ever to advocate for Ukraine with our elected officials. We want to share with you the work of the American Coalition for Ukraine and the tools they provide for us to continue our advocacy. Please look at the CALL TO ACTION on their website and send letters to your representatives.
CALL TO ACTION
The people of Ukraine have been sacrificing their lives to defend their country’s sovereignty and our shared values of freedom and justice throughout Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression.
Last month, the U.S.-Ukraine relationship experienced some turbulence, and we welcome today’s sign of renewed cooperation and realignment with our common values.
Contact your Congressional representatives right now and say that you appreciate that the U.S. has restored our working relationship with Ukraine and realigned with American values and against Russian aggression.
Enjoy programs we already held
Interfaith Iftar at Fatima Shrine, March 22, 2025
On Saturday, March 22 we held an interfaith breaking of the fast of Ramadan, together with our friends at Peace Islands Institute of Boston. It was a delightful evening with talks of our common "hunger and hope" as we all fast in different ways and with different prayers. Talks by Siri Karm Singh Khalsa of the Sikh Community of Millis and Arthur Morgan were moments to understand more our deep connections with one another through our spiritual practices.
Palestinian and Israeli Conversations Continued at First Congregational Church in Holliston, March 2, 2025
Palestinian and Israeli Conversations at Temple Beth El in Sudbury, MA
A Palestinian American and Israeli come together with the interfaith community in Sudbury, MA to listen to each other, understand more deeply the crisis of the Middle East, it's deep connections in our communities, and what we may be able to do about it.
Memories of the Festival of Ridvan of the Baha'i Community at Fatima Shrine
On Sunday, April 28, 2024, more than seventy people gathered together with members of the Baha'i community in the Metrowest area to celebrate the must revered, Festival of Ridvan. The Festival of Ridván is a 12-day festival in the Bahá'í faith that celebrates the beginning of the faith in 1863. The festival commemorates the 12 days that Bahá'u'lláh spent in Baghdad in 1863, during which he announced that he was God's Messenger for a new age. The name "Ridván" means "paradise".
Meeting with Valarie Kaur, author of "see no stranger"
One of the hardest things we can do as humans is to love our enemies past the harm and hurt they have caused. Valarie Kaur , author, and member of the Sikh faith has given us a book that can help us to do this work and a compass that lays out the steps in doing this.
In See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Kaur provides us with a book that is part memoir and part how-to manual on how to practice what she describes as “revolutionary love”. She defines revolutionary love as the active decisions humans make to wonder about others, our opponents, and ourselves. This act of wonder, she says, will help make the world a better place. Failing to wonder ultimately leads to violence against people who we consider as the other.
In See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love, Kaur provides us with a book that is part memoir and part how-to manual on how to practice what she describes as “revolutionary love”. She defines revolutionary love as the active decisions humans make to wonder about others, our opponents, and ourselves. This act of wonder, she says, will help make the world a better place. Failing to wonder ultimately leads to violence against people who we consider as the other.
Interfaith Faith Candlelight Prayer for Peace in Israel, Palestine, and Here
On December 3, 2023, the Metrowest Interfaith Community and others gathered for a candlelight prayer and a shared meal together at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston. Our Jewish and Muslim neighbors, Christian, Baha'i, Sikh and others joined in as we brought together our sorrow and grief for so many uselessly killed, men, women, and children, of those still held captive, and so many others affected by this awful tragedy.
From the Qur'an, teachings of the Baha'i, Christian and Hebrew scriptures, from poetry, music and reflection, we raised up all our hopes for a peace that just not ceases the violence, but a provides a future full of hope for everyone. See also the Building Bridges Blog
From the Qur'an, teachings of the Baha'i, Christian and Hebrew scriptures, from poetry, music and reflection, we raised up all our hopes for a peace that just not ceases the violence, but a provides a future full of hope for everyone. See also the Building Bridges Blog
Second Project of the Interfaith Refugee Committee
Our Interfaith Refugee Committee enthusiastically took on a second project to help a Ukrainian mother and her adult son into an apartment in Framingham. We are grateful to all our donors for furniture and houseware needs. Contact us if you would like to volunteer or have items you wish to donate at [email protected].
Pictured in the middle are Svetlana and her son Sasha who we helped house in an apartment in Framingham. They are here on a special refugee program from the Ukraine. Also pictured on the left is Dianne Evans, Jess McGuire in the foreground, and Fr. Carl Chudy on the right, members of the Interfaith Refugee Committee.
The Humanity of Muhammad: Christian Views
Tea with Swami T:
Interfaith conversatons with Swami Tyagananda
On Sunday, October 15 a group of us from the Metrowest Interfaith Community met with Swami Tyagananda, head of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, popularly known as the Hindu community. With tea and snacks generously provided by Swami, we entered into a fascinating conversation about Hinduism, faith and the search for spirituality. You can see more at their website here
Statement of the MetroWest Interfaith Community on Recent Antisemitic Incident
The Holliston Public Schools sent this statement recently: Linked is a press release from the town administrator regarding some small paper swastikas found on Damigella Field in Holliston recently. While this field is used after hours by the community for evening and weekend sports, it is concerning that this is happening adjacent to the schools.
In light of this, we have authored a collective statement of our Metrowest Interfaith Community that we would like to share with you. Please forward this to your communities and friends.
In light of this, we have authored a collective statement of our Metrowest Interfaith Community that we would like to share with you. Please forward this to your communities and friends.
What Spiritual Story Will You Write
We wanted to share the work of Katie Gordon, who is doing interesting things in the nontraditional dialogue of spirituality across and within the borders of religion, a real challenge for traditional faiths and one we do well to be part of. Check out her latest on Tiny Letters.
Pope francis and the spiritual and moral commitment to the cosmos
From the Catholic Church, The Season of Creation is an interfaith celebration of God's creation. It starts on September 1, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on October 4, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology.
This year's theme is "Listen to the voice of creation." The Season of Creation is a special time for all peoples to pray and work together to care for our common home. Pope Francis' first document on this is Care for Our Common Home. A follow-up document to consider contemporary climate issues is addressed to "all people of good will on the climate crisis."
Download Care for our Common Home
Download Further Moral Reflections on the Climate Crisis
Ways We Can Help Ukraine
We come together as peoples of different faiths and secular points of view to protest, pray, and act in justice over the blatant and unjustified invasion of Russian troops into the sovereign nation of Ukraine. As we gather in prayer, we also would suggest other ways we may help the people of Ukraine. Below are a few possibilities.
Charity organizations are offering a wide range of support for those affected by the war. Here are a few that have received high marks (three to four stars) from Charity Navigator, which assesses groups’ efficiency, transparency and other factors.
Charity organizations are offering a wide range of support for those affected by the war. Here are a few that have received high marks (three to four stars) from Charity Navigator, which assesses groups’ efficiency, transparency and other factors.
- Donations through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eastern Europe Crisis Response.
- Donations the Catholic Relief Service.
- Global Giving supports non-profits around the world through crowdfunding. Its Ukrainian crisis relief fund is working toward a goal of $7m to provide food, water, shelter and other assistance to refugees.
- Direct Relief is working to fulfill a list of medical needs provided to the organization by Ukraine’s health ministry.
- For local media in Ukraine, you can support the English-language Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine directly. There is also a GoFundMe page to support Ukrainian media more broadly as journalists risk their safety.
- An array of Resources to help Ukrainian refugees, especially those who cross the Polish border.
- Nova Poshta Global launches the Humanitarian Nova Poshta project — to help the Ukrainian defenders and people in need. We collect humanitarian aid from international organizations and volunteers all around the world.
- Download the Peace in Ukraine Dove below, designed by Russian designer Natasha Alimova. She created this icon of peace using shapes from the national symbol of Ukraine. The logo is free to use for any purpose. It can be posted on windows, reproduced on t-shirts, and many more uses.
| peacetoukraine.png |
Here are some pics from our Candlelight Vigil for Ukraine. More resources for helping Ukraine will be posted as more efforts are organized on the ground. Let's continue our prayer, action, and advocacy.
Download below a Ukrainian prayer used during our prayer vigil and an interfaith compilation of prayers for peace.
| ukraineprayer.docx |
| interfaith-prayers-of-peace.pdf |
Conversations on the Middle East Crisis through the Lens of the Book, The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
Gathering at Temple Beth Torah in Holliston, our dialogue partners from the synagogue, the Islamic Center of Boston, the Islamic Society of Greater Milford, as well as Sikh, Baha'i, and Christians gathered to share perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and their impacts on our families, our communities and the wider world. More can found at our Building Bridges Blog. See more of our interfaith community at https://hollistoninterfaith.org. A shorter highlighted version can be found here.
Interfaith Gathering on the Six Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of his Time
Our Refugee Team Completes Another Home for a New Refugee Family in the Area
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101 Summer Street Holliston, MA 01746 [email protected] hollistoninterfaith.org 862-264-7000 |
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