San Francisco Bay Area Religious Leaders Condemn the Killing of George Floyd and Structural Racism As religious leaders of diverse traditions we understand human life to be the greatest and most sacred gift endowed by our Creator. Inherent in that gift is the inalienable right to live freely and not in fear. The May 25, 2020 [...]
May 29, 2020 The murdering of George Floyd by the police on the streets of Minnesota reveals, in a most horrific way, the systemic racism that has infected our Nation from its inception. This is not an isolated incident but the latest eruption of a festering disease that demands treatment. Each and every person living [...]
Dear Colleagues, Greetings from the chaplain team at John Muir Health! I hope and pray that this note finds you well. You might have heard that John Muir Health along with other healthcare systems in the region has limited visitors to the hospitals in an effort to contain the spread of Covid-19. Currently, only pediatric, [...]
An idea for working for the reunification of families separated at the border is a letter campaign begun by Judy Feins at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. Here's a draft letter you can send to your elected leaders. letter to faith groups re children-final Dear _______________: We are writing to you on behalf of a growing [...]
August 27, 2019 Dear Friends, The rhetoric of the President of the United States cannot be tolerated any longer. The reference to Jews as being "disloyal" if they vote freely is not acceptable regardless of partisan beliefs or convictions. The language of the President is simply and clearly anti-Semitic. This dangerous language compromises the safety [...]
A statement from the Interfaith Peace Project on the Virginia Beach shooting. The Violence Continues June 4, 2019 Dear Friends, The latest killings of twelve people in Virginia Beach continues the unfortunate saga of violence that now characterizes life in the United States. The muted responses to this outrageous attack on innocent people and the [...]
URI, the United Religions Initiative, is pleased to announce that the 2019 Bowes Award will be given to the URI Interfaith Councils of the Bay Area and the Interfaith Center at the Presidio. At a time of rising tensions and increased division among people of different beliefs, the URI Interfaith Councils of the Bay Area and the Interfaith Center at the Presidio are beacons [...]
We'd like to introduce the community to our new Interfaith Juvenile Chaplain, Rev. Julius Van Hook, now serving at the Martinez Juvenile Detention Center and the Orin Allen Boy's Ranch in Byron. Rev. Van Hook previously served as Supervising Chaplain at the Alameda County Probation Department. Rev. Julius is ordained by the Church of God [...]
Jew, Christian, Muslim: 'See the Beloved everywhere' Jun 26, 2018 by Kathy Coffey (reprinted here with permission – original publication: https://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/soul-seeing/jew-christian-muslim-see-beloved-everywhere) (Dreamstime/Vladimir Melnik) Nothing in my uber-Catholic background (weekly Mass and confession, memorizing the Baltimore Catechism, strict nun teachers) could have prepared me to participate in a zikr at which Muslim, Jewish and Christian people chanted the name [...]
Bay Area Muslims Take on Hunger in Ramadan Despite all the advances of modernity, hunger is still widespread in the world. Eleven percent of the world’s population, a total of 830 million people, suffer from hunger. Although the U.S. is among the most affluent countries on the planet, the hunger rate here is actually higher [...]
