Attendees:
Ron Abrams, Sam Beasley, Anthony Brummans (facilitator), Vic Compher, Edd Conboy, Nicole Diroff, Katy Figgle-Norton, Maria Hayashida-Knight, Peter Handler, Maria Hornung, Wilson Kratz, Lance Laver (recorder), Brenda Lazin, Ron Morgan, Jim McGovern, Doug Norton, Clarkson Palmer, Connie Pearlstein, Peter Pedemonti, Carole Roberti, Dom Roberti, Bruria Tal, Frank Toia, Linda Toia, Ayesha Weinberg, Pecki Witonsky, Renate Woessner, Aisha Yasin
Discussion:
Reflection: A. Brummans began the meeting by noting that trying to be a voice of peace in this world, as a Christian, is not an easy posture—balancing the prophetic teachings with those of Jesus—because even the apostles at critical moments were “asleep.” He feels blessed, he added, by this group and the work of its people and will continue to work to remain awake to what needs to be done. He concluded with a piece by John Deer, Litany of Non-Violence, that he heard at a Kirkridge retreat.
Peace Walk 2008 highlights: As part of the introductions, participants noted something that they felt was a highlight about this year’s Peace Walk (May 18, 2008), including the following comments:
–The rain did not wash us out, but brought a “torrent of blessings” and perseverance to complete the walk at Mishkan Shalom, where, instead of the expected handful of people, the Sanctuary was packed with over 400, which felt like we had made a pilgrimage…the highlight was walking to Mishkan.
–I was surprised by how good it all was again.
–Preparing with the youth interfaith group at TAB, including the planning conference call and then walking with the youth and the conversations along the way.
–This was my first time. It was beautiful. I enjoyed walking in the rain.
–Having the youth at the beginning and the explanation of the walk set the right tone. The program committee did a great job—the speakers really kept to their allotted (3-4 minute) times! I wasn’t present at much of the walk, because my focus was on the food at the end, which felt like giving a party.
–I was highly inspired by [Jafar and Nasim’s] tree planting at the synagogue at the end of the Walk.
–It was a profound experience to work with the people in this group who gave of their time and energy to make the Walk happen. I was afraid of the rain torrents, but Katy welcomed me under her umbrella.
–I missed the walk, as I was in Petra, Jordan, but was thinking of you. At the same time, there was a protest in Northern Gaza, asking for peace.
–The music was really beautiful.
–I was impressed by a woman I met from a Unitarian church in West Chester, who came alone to this, her first, Walk.
–The women kneeling on the earth/the tarp during Salat evening prayers behind the Unitarian church.
–It was my second walk. It was better than the first, especially the hospitality. The food was special.
–It was also my second walk, but first as a planner. The rain was a ritual washing. When I heard the music, I felt like I was floating, not walking.
–The insights of people from their various religious faiths.
–The start at Masjid Muhammad reminded me of the smells of Mecca during my pilgrimage…it was like the center of the universe with people turning inside, to their deepest parts. Arriving at Mishkan Shalom was special.
–Linda’s idea, two weeks ago, to fly Jarar and Nasim here for the Walk, for 2-3 minutes!—at first I thought was crazy, but I’m really grateful for the suggestion and their presence. They telephoned us on Mother’s and Father’s Day, which meant a lot to us.
–The rain was the high point for me.
–The program at Masjid Muhammad…seeing and hearing the Imam recite from the Qu’ran in front of the Torah at Mishkan…planting the tree at the end.
–High spirits…all the “hard core” followers and the newcomers…the music, especially the gospel choir.
–It was all so beautiful.
–I was blessed to meet a Muslim man in the rain I knew only by e-mail—and to walk and talk with him under his umbrella…the timing worked out pretty well—within a half hour or so of the planned duration, even with the rain.
–There were no major impediments…the Walk had a very natural flow.
–Once again, the police were very helpful in crowd (and safety) control.
–Having Nasim and Jafar (bikers for peace from Iran) and their international presence was important.
–Being in the mosque for those prayers felt very sacred to me…great job with the buses this year.
Challenges: Participants noted the following challenges to consider in planning the next Peace Walk:
–The Walk was long…all very good, but having a shorter Walk may allow more people to participate for the entire time [although a longer walk allows people to plug in when they can during the day].
–We started an hour later to be more inclusive of the African-American churches, whose Sunday services run later. But, although the gesture was important, it’s not clear that many more people from this community came. We need to find other ways to include Christian and Muslim African-American churches and people in future Walks.
–Although we have youth participation in the program, we should involve children more in the planning and walk activities. Some youngsters were very interested in being users (and wearing the associated armbands).
–Why was the Walk in the Northwest again [for the second year] and not in center city? We may have more participants in center city. [The Walk was in center city the first few years and, with NIM’s help, in the Northwest the past two years. The plan is to move to different neighborhoods on a two-year cycle, and we are considering West Philadelphia for the 2009 Walk.]
Planning for the 2009 Peace Walk: L. Toia reported on options under consideration for next year’s Walk with the intention to make firm decisions by the July meeting. Key points follow:
–We would like to involve more youth, particularly college students. This year’s date [5/18/08), though earlier than that of 2007, still conflicted with college finals and graduation weeks.
–The following spring dates are under consideration: April 19 (but Easter orthodox celebration day); April 26 (but National Day of Interfaith Youth Service day), May 3 (possible conflict with Kuba Institute celebration) or dates in October (10/18 or 10/25). Check calendars and e-mail L. Toia with any known conflicts.
–We will be sure to check all religious calendars to avoid conflicts with any major religious or cultural observances.
–Send suggestions to L. Toia for synagogues, mosques or churches in the West Phila. area.
–The group also will consider a suggestion for a Saturday Walk, in lieu of Sunday (although this would conflict with Jewish Sabbath observance).
(Post-meeting note: L. Toia has invited Captain William Fisher of Phila. Civil Affairs (through P. Coyne) to the July meeting to discuss logistical issues relating to spring vs. fall, Saturday vs. Sunday and West Philadelphia as a potential location.)
Interfaith Education and Dialogue Group: B. Lazin and M. Hornung described plans for a fall series of interfaith dialogues for Peace Walk participants, called Encountering Other Faiths. There would be five (5) or possibly seven (7) sessions, each with a different focus. Dates and times TBD. M. Hornung of the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, would facilitate the dialogues. M. Hornung, who has significant experience leading these types of dialogues, noted that they are most successful when 1) there are friendships among the interfaith participants; 2) people have shared services and worship moments; 3) they have a common cause; and 4) they have had discussions about major issues. The Peace Walk group has already been involved in all these modalities through its organic history, forming an excellent base for future dialogues, which might cover:
1) Gleanings from the Peace Walk experience;
2), 3) and 4) Discussing each of the three Abrahamic religion’s primary teachings (with presentations and discussions, one (Islam, Judaism and Christianity) at each session; and
5) How has our vision grown?
The sessions would be 2-2½ hours each, say from 7:00 to 9:30 PM and would need a minimum of eight (8) people (to a maximum of 25). The cost would be ~$25/person to cover IF workbooks and facilitator’s time.
Note: After some discussion, over 20 attendees at this meeting then expressed an interest in participating in these sessions, so the planners will continue to work out details. There was also a suggestion for another day-long retreat—and a way to include those from other than Abrahamic faith traditions in the dialogues—e.g., Sikhs, Buddhists, Bah’ais, secular humanists.
Non-Violent Peace Force:
C. Palmer from the Swarthmore Friends Meeting discussed the Non-Violent Peace Force and its Gandhian approach to peacemaking. He is a retired public health physician, who became involved in starting a local chapter (in 2002) of this international group, which tries to help in acute stages of conflict by its presence as a civilian, unarmed peacekeeping contingent. The group’s principles include:
–Must be invited by the group(s) in conflict;
–Must be an area where visas are granted;
–Impartiality—no favoritism;
–Acting internationally;
–Maintaining an inter-ethnic group (i.e., men and women from north and south), ages from early ‘20’s on;
–Must be in good health to travel overseas.
Seventy (70) countries have member organizations (e.g., Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Catholic Peace Fellowship) of well-trained peacekeepers (including 3-week in-country training). The group was started before the Kosovo war by one person who went from Philadelphia to help out there. The group now have been endorsed by seven (7) Nobel Peace laureates. Its first conference was in India, and there are now 40 staffers in the field. Part of the group’s work is to provide accompaniment to mothers of child soldiers. In one case, the mothers kept going to the rebel leaders’ areas and asking for their children. Finally, the leaders said, “OK, take your kids.” Most financial support is from individual donors.
He asked that the Peace Walk group spread the work about the Non-Violent Peace Force and passed around a sign-up sheet to get on the mailing list, for a brochure or to request a speaker. The Peace Walk group will look at ways of employing these methods in Philadelphia peace training. For more information, see the group’s website: www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org.
Role of Youth in Peace Walk Activities and Planning throughout the year:
N. Diroff of the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia, who organized the Walking the Walk youth participation in this year’s Peace Walk, noted the opportunity for mutual growth and understanding for youth to participate during the year in the Peace Walk group’s activities and planning. It is her dream, she added, for youth to be part of the planning process, including mentoring by older members and inviting Walking the Walk graduates to participate. Logistical issue include transportation to and from the meeting and safety—we’d need to be clear about who takes responsibility for the youth during these periods. If interested in helping out, contact Nicole directly at: ndd@interfaithcenterpa.org.
Volunteer work and other summer actions:
L. Laver described the upcoming Interfaith Community Building Group’s work week at Al Aqsa to help rebuild the Pre-K and Kindergarten section of the school (adjacent to the conference room where the Peace Walk meetings take place). In addition to the work days, the ICBG and Al Aqsa community will engage in evening dialogue sessions with presentations and discussions on the following topics on various evenings:
1) Religion 101—core tenets of Judaism, Islam and Christianity (facilitator: Bonnie queen; speakers: Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Mishkan Shalom; Rev. Richard Rock, St. Vincent de Paul Church; Dr. Mohammad Almashhadani, Al Aqsa).
2) Gender and Faith in the Abrahamic traditions (facilitator: Frank Hollick; speakers: Rabbi Linda Holtzman; Bud Bretschneider, St. Vincent’s; Sophia Ali-Khan, CAIR-PA).
3) Good Works—Commandments and Choices (facilitator: Dale Mezzacappa; speakers: Lance Laver, Mishkan Shalom; Vic Compher, TAB; Iftekhar Hussain, CAIR-PA).
4) Community Dialogues (facilitator: Rabbi Yael Levy, Mishkan Shalom). Round-table discussion topics include:
–Forgiveness (Iftekhar Hussain);
–Stereotypes and discrimination (Rabbi Linda Holtzman; Miriam Abuawadeh, Al Aqsa).
–Spirituality, Holiness and Grace (Rabbi Yael Levy).
–Rituals and Beliefs around Health Care (Lillie Rizack, Mishkan Shalom, midwife).
–On the Fence (Cara Smith).
Other summer activities include:
–A possible workday at New Jerusalem Now (2011 W. Norris Street, Philadelphia).
–Mothers In Charge – Mentoring youth, promoting gun violence control, building relationships
Financial report:
V. Compher reported that we collected approximately $1,500 during the Peace Walk and, after expenses, have a balance of $2,182. There are a few Peace Walk t-shirts left. The group agreed to give a “love gift” to Bill Rich, TAB’s treasurer, for administering the fund there.
New Sanctuary Movement:
P. Pedemonti reported that a new Philadelphia chapter of the New Sanctuary Movement has started with a goal of immigrant reform and support for undocumented immigrants in the city. This support includes education, advocacy for families, accompaniment to hearings, visits to detention centers, raid responses and connecting local community and religious groups with immigrant families (and may also include sanctuary) The group’s work is modeled after the ‘80’s Sanctuary movement that assisted Central American refugees, primarily from El Salvador and Guatemala, who fled the wars in their countries that were supported by U.S. monetary and military assistance. The current Sanctuary group formed after passage of the Sensenbrenner bill dealing with criminal penalties for immigrants. Locally, there have been raids on and break-ups of immigrant families. The next New Sanctuary Movement meeting will be at the Catholic Worker House at 1824 E. Lehigh Avenue on Thursday, July 17 at 7:00 PM. All are invited to attend. For more information, to request a speaker or to have your congregation join the movement, contact the New Sanctuary Movement at nsmphiladelphia@gmail.com.
Peace Cranes:
M. Hayashida-Knight described an ongoing project at Central Baptist Church in Wayne to make origami Peace Cranes to memorialize a young girl who died in Japan after the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings and as an offering for peace. (This effort is being undertaken by a number of congregations throughout the U.S. and world.) Some folks stayed after the meeting to learn more about the project and to help in making the peace cranes.
Next Peace Walk meetings:
–Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at Al Aqsa (facilitator: Aisha Yasin).
–Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at Al Aqsa (facilitator: TBD).
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