Dear fellow congregants,
The recent events in the Middle East have created alarm and anxiety as we listen to the reports of violence.
Our UUA President, The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt said this, “We as a people of faith can condemn violence against civilians while at the same time engaging the full legacies and histories of oppression that shape such devastating conflict. As a faith tradition, Unitarian Universalists have long worked for peace, and our principles and values call for the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. At the same time, we have not engaged the tangled issues surrounding Israel/Palestine in community since 2018, and our last engagement resulted in severed relationships, and deep pain.”
“I pray for the people of Israel and Palestine. I pray for leaders around the globe who must respond to this latest flare of violence and the untenable ethical considerations that abound. I pray for Muslim and Jewish UUs who experience the impact of this long strife acutely. I pray that those of us less likely to know the trauma of unending brutality and harm will not turn away from generational loss, from the devastating realities and their root causes, or from the relentless tragedy of war and occupation. Be gentle with yourselves when you need to be, but do not turn away unless you must. We are one global family living tenuously on the same human-impacted Earth. Let us center ourselves in justice as we call for peace.”
Below are some resources cited by our UU leaders that you might find helpful. Let us remember our church covenant as we talk about the emotions evoked by the conflict, and hold each other in care and love as we help each other be supported by this community.
- https://cfpeace.org/ Combatants for Peace is a joint Palestinian/Israeli organization devoted to peace and non-violence.
- https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ Jewish Voice for Peace
- https://www.ifnotnowmovement.org/ If Not Now
- DRUUMM.org an organization that supports BIPOC UUs and is providing Chaplain support to affected BIPOC UUs in this time.
With hopes for peace,
Jennie Stone
President, on behalf of the Board of Trustees