On May 14th, the Trump Administration will formally move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This decision poses a major setback to the goal of a shared Jerusalem, by acknowledging the importance of Jerusalem to Israelis while neglecting the Palestinian history of the city. May 14th also coincides with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence and the Palestinian commemoration of the Nakba. While it is a day marking the end of the tragic history of the Jews as a stateless people, we must not forget that it is toward this very same hope that Palestinians are striving. We refuse to let our religions become political weapons for perpetuating policies that jeopardize human life. Let us gather to pray that all people of faith will take action to prevent further tragedy.
Please join us for a prayer vigil for peace in Israel and Palestine on Tuesday May 15th in Lafayette Square, 1600 H St NW, Washington, DC 20006, United States near the White House along Pennsylvania Ave.
If you are unable to make the DC vigil, use these guidelines to organize your own vigil for Israelis and Palestinians and for Jews, Christians, and Muslims that live in the Holy Land. We encourage you to gather a group of people around you for prayer. If you are unable to find a group, we encourage you to pray on your own and share your experience on social media using #pray4jerusalem and #pray4gaza.
You can find prayer suggestions here: http://cmep.org/prayer-vigil-2-peoples-3-faiths/