We, faith leaders in Milwaukee, as signed below, have joined together to bring a unified moral voice to the growing catastrophe in Gaza and increasing violence throughout Israel and Palestine. We are religious and lay leaders of the three Abrahamic Religions of the world (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) as well as Eastern religious traditions. We represent the voices of many who grieve the death of innocent human beings in a land called holy by our traditions. We mourn the decades of occupation and oppression, of terrorism and military violence. We are anguished by the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and by the brutal and ongoing death and destruction brought upon the people of Gaza and the West Bank by Israel. Time and again it has been demonstrated that there will be no military solution to this conflict.
This is what we know has occurred in the land that holds so many stories central to our understanding of our creator God:
● Tens of thousands of innocent civilians, the vast majority Palestinian, have been killed, including over 10,000 children.
● Over 2.3 million people in Gaza have been displaced from their homes, with no shelter, no safe place to flee, and the total destruction of their community, including entire neighborhoods, schools, houses of worship, cultural centers and even hospitals. All has been turned to rubble.
● The civilians of Gaza continue to suffer from lack of clean water, lack of food, lack of medical facilities and the lack of other basic human needs. With little shelter or clothing during cold winter months, many will freeze if they are not killed by bombs or they do not die of thirst, hunger or disease.
● Attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have also resulted in significant injury, displacement, and death. This includes actions by the IDF as well as by settlers who have been provided arms by the Israeli government.
As leaders of various faiths, we believe we must:
● Uplift the Torah value of t’selem Elohim, the Divine Image. Every human life is a reflection of God and has infinite value.
● Uplift the value of the agape’ love of Jesus. An active love that is built on justice for all of God’s children.
● Uplift the value of ‘adl, justice. The Quran calls upon us to “uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, parents or close relatives.”
As Jews, as rabbis, as Christians, pastors and priests, as Muslims, imams and lay leaders, as Buddhists, as human beings—we are pleading with our communities to rise through despair and grief to save valuable human lives on all sides of this conflict and to call for a complete ceasefire now, brokered by the United Nations.
● We call for an end to all bombing and ground war..
● We call for an end of settler and IDF violence in the Occupied West Bank.
● We call for the release of all Israeli and international hostages being held in Gaza and all civilian Palestinians being held by Israel.
● We call for the immediate flow of aid to Gaza for humanitarian relief.
● We call for immediate engagement by the international community toward a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine.
We place a great deal of blame for the current conflict on the international community’s failure to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict and their failure to implement international laws and conventions, with the U.S. government playing a very destructive role by vetoing scores of international resolutions meant to address or resolve the conflict.
As Americans, we call upon our leaders to stop supporting and enabling this nightmare. Ceasefire is the only way to prevent more death and destruction. We call on Senator Tammy Baldwin, Senator Ron Johnson and Representative Gwen Moore to reflect on the suffering of the victims of war, especially the children, and to change their stance from a temporary “pause” on the killings to a “ceasefire.”
We make a stand for a sustainable peace, now. This peace must include a fight against rising antisemitism and Islamophobia in our communities.
We invite all people of faith as well as others of good conscience to join us in this call for a complete ceasefire
NOW!
Signed (organizations listed for identification purposes only),
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah
Religious Director
ISM
Othman Atta, Executive Director
Islamic Society of Milwaukee
Rabbi Michal Woll
Congregation Shir hadash
Rev. Karen S. Hagen
PCUSA - retired
Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine
Rev. Jonathan Jacobs
Redeemer Lutheran Church - ELCA
Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine
Rev Barbara Rasmussen
ELCA - retired
Wisconsin Christians for Justice in Palestine
Janan Najeeb
Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition
Rev. Rachel Young Binter
ELCA
Lutheran Campus Ministry
Rev. Sarah Stobie
Bay Shore Lutheran
Rev. Dr. Kate Jones
Lead Pastor
Wauwatosa Ave United Methodist Church, Wauwatosa, WI
Father Thomas Mueller
Orthodox Church in America
St Maria of Paris Chapels Ministry
Rev. Joseph W. Ellwanger
Hephatha Lutheran Church
Rev. Michelle Townsend de López
Cross Ev. Lutheran-ELCA
Reverend Tory V. Topjian
Senior Minister
Milwaukee Metropolitan Community Church
Pastor Richard D. Shaw, D.Min.
St. Matthew C.M.E. Church
Bishop Paul Erickson
Greater Milwaukee Synod, ELCA
Rev. Jane B. Anderson,
Associate Conference Minister
Wisconsin Conference UCC
Rev. Lisa S. Heckman
Presbyterian Church (USA) Pastor
Rev. Reirin Gumbel
Milwaukee Zen Center
Reverend Christine Wilke
Evangelical & Reformed United Church of Christ, Waukesha
Rev. Mindi Welton-Mitchell
Executive Minister, American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin
Dean Daniels
Retired Director of the Office for Worship
Former Director of the Office for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Rev. Karl-John Stone
Mount Pleasant, WI
Jon M. Sweeney
Codirector, The Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at
Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology
Rev. Christie Melby-Gibbons
Moravian Church Western District
Tricklebee Cafe
Teresa Howell-Smith, Pastor
United Church of Christ
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom
Senior Minister
First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Rev. Dena McPhetres
Unitarian Universalist
First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Rev. Dr Ebenezer K. Insor, Southeast DS
Wisconsin United Methodist Conference
Rose Stietz, OP
Catholic
Member of Racine Dominicans
Rev. Dennis Jacobsen
Hephatha Lutheran Church
Rev. Alexander M. Jacobs
ELCA
Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Gaulke
ELCA
Rev. Mary Martha Kannass
ELCA
Hephatha Lutheran Church
Rev. Erik David Carlson
Unitarian Universalist
Bradford UU, Kenosha, WI
Rev. Claire Beutler-Cruise
United Church of Christ
Eleanor Harris (Rep to MICAH)
Milwaukee Friends Meeting
Rev. David Rebey
Breaking the Chains Church, Milwaukee and Kenosha
Rev. Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson, Minister of Religious Education
First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee
Lisa Hart, Associate Conference Minister
Wisconsin Conference UCC
Rev. Dr. Steven W. Hecky
Retired Minister United Church of Christ
Rev. J. Eric Kirkegaard
Peace United Church of Christ, Kewaskum
Rev. Shelby Perez
United Church of Christ
UW Health--Trauma Chaplain
Rev. David J Gaeth
Greendale Community Church United Church of Christ
Rev John C Helt
Retired Pastor United Church of Christ
Rev. Tara L. Tetzlaff
Christ Church, UCC - Bayview, Milwaukee
Pastor Bridget Hill
United Church of Christ
Rev Nikkeya Berryhill
Bethel Bethany UCC
Rev. Leanne Rose
UCC
Rev. Meredith Anderson
UCC
Bethel-Bethany Milwaukee
Rev. Meredith Anderson
UCC
Bethel-Bethany Milwaukee
Rev. Emma Landowski, BCC
United Church of Christ
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's - Ozaukee, Hospital Chaplain
Carly Gaeth, Licensed Minister
New Hope UCC & Faith UCC
Rev. Kelsey Peterson Beebe
United Church of Christ
Jill Haberman, Peace and Justice
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
Rev. Glenn A. Danz
United Church of Christ
Rev. Dr. Bob Gross, OCC
United Church of Christ
Rev. Rachel Bauman
Associate Conference Minister
Wisconsin Conference United Church of Christ
Rev. Deborah A Payden
Retired clergy - United Church of Christ
Mark Peters
ParishConsultant (retired)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Rev. Dale Stohre, retired
UCC
Rev. Kelly R. Fowl
United Methodist Shared Ministry Pastor
Our Lord’s and Caldwell United Methodist Churches
Rev. Jennifer C.M. Dawson
Retired clergy - United Church of Christ
Rev. James F.D. Martin
Retired clergy - United Church of Christ
Michael Whiteley, Moderator
First Congregational Church of Genesee - UCC
Rev. Dr. Bobbie Groth
Unitarian Universalist Congregations of SE WI
Pastor James Phillips
Blessed Deliverance Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Ashley Nolte, Pastor
Pilgrim United Church of Christ
Pastor Brian Hooper
ELCA
Br. David Hirt, OFM Cap
Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order
Rev. Dr. John A Jones IV
Associate Regional Minister-Education
American Baptist Churches of Wisconsin
Rev. Marty Coons
PC(USA) - Retired
Miriam Brown, OP
Catholic
Sinsinawa Dominican
Rev. Dr. Lisa Bates-Froiland
ELCA
Nicole Blanks
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Pastor Andrew Oren
UCC (retired)
Annemarie Adsen(rep to IFCGM)
Milwaukee Friends Meeting
Rev. Gail Brodersen-Heins
ELCA
Sent to WNPJ 1/17/2024 by Jerry Folk of the member group: Interfaith Peace Working Group https://www.interfaithpeacewg.org/
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