This land, essential to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, has suffered millennia of conflict

“It was a good learning environment, the kids looked happy, and, for me, it was a chance to be with beautiful Arab women, powerful women.”

Despite underlying tensions, people continue with their lives. They may be manipulated to fear the ‘other’, but, as we discovered, community-by-community, ordinary people are doing their bit to promote peaceful relations.

At the Tur’an Elementary School, the teachers are integrating education with the local community. Not only are they celebrating their Arab cultural roots, but, through an art project, are collaborating with the nearby Jewish and Christian schools. Striving for coexistence, multicultural discourse and universal values.

“All the children ran to be in the photograph with the Palestinian and Israeli flags – peace in their land is really important to them.”

The children joined in our Flag Ceremony. Each took a flag and, continent-by-continent, they came to the centre of the circle and we appealed for peace in each country of the world, ending with the Middle East

The Ein Shemer Kibbutz, two hours north of Tel Avi

At The Ein Shemer Kibbutz, two hours north of Tel Aviv, we met “Seeds of Peace”, motivated and influential Israelis working for conflict resolution, not just in Israel-Palestine, but also around the world.

“We had a one-hour Soul of WoMen (SoWM) workshop. We talked about the Fuji Declaration and the need for balance in our societies, that we don’t know what the outcomes should be, but SoWM offers a ‘think tank’, and we’re developing ‘tools’ for people to use everyday.”

How were these Israelis inspired by Soul of WoMen? Some of their thoughts were: Mother Earth. Giving hands. Soul. Harmony. Accept each other. Love. Hope. Communities. Smile. Acknowledge the other. Empathy. Peace.

“We had a one-hour Soul of WoMen (SoWM) workshop. We talked about the Fuji Declaration and the need for balance in our societies, that we don’t know what the outcomes should be, but SoWM offers a ‘think tank’, and we’re developing ‘tools’ for people to use everyday.”

How were these Israelis inspired by Soul of WoMen? Some of their thoughts were: Mother Earth. Giving hands. Soul. Harmony. Accept each other. Love. Hope. Communities. Smile. Acknowledge the other. Empathy. Peace.

“Together we planted a Peace Pole, and, in support of the peace march: “Women Wage Peace”, happening in Israel whilst we were there, we sang “We Shall Overcome” at the end.”

Peace Pole planting at Ein Shemer Kibbutz with Seeds of Peace

Our last visit was to Kafr Qasem, a village that suffered a huge massacre of women and children, in 1056. We held a Symphony of Peace Prayers with Sheikh Raed Badir, representing the Islamic community and Eran Dubovi representing Jewish communities sharing prayers from each religious community.

Flag Ceremony at Kafr Qasim

At the following Flag Ceremony, Eran Dubovi held the Palestinian flag and Sheikh Raed badir held the Israeli flag.

The Kafr Qasim Massacre occurred on October 29, 1956. The tensions between Israel and Palestine are still apparent, the significance of this Flag Ceremony with shown flags held together gives hope for the future.

“Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary progress towards permanent peace.”

News, Events and Photos Credited to Liz Maclay

Allanton Peace Sanctuary

Dumfries, Scotland.

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Jude Currivan at the UN

The World Peace Prayer Society joined hands with New Innergy, The Source of Synergy Foundation and United Religions Initiative to present cosmologist and author Dr. Jude Currivan at the Church Center for the United Nations on May 9th. Partnering were UN colleagues: Global Movement for The Culture of Peace, the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values & Global Concerns-NY, the UNSRC Enlightenment Society, and We, The World.

Presenters

Dr. Currivan spoke from the heart about her new book, The Cosmic Hologram, which offers a new perspective on the unified nature of reality that could transform our lives, our work and the work of the United Nations. Three responders appreciated her profound insights and offered their expertise: Dr. Kurt Johnson on science, Myra Jackson on the Sustainable Development Goals, and Amb. Anwarul K. Chowdhury on the future of the United Nations. In addition, Kristin Hoffman performed the song she wrote for the book, “Univer-Soul,” and Rachel Baird offered an original poem.

Amb Chowdhury

Kristin Hoffmann

Amb. Chowdhury spoke about the major themes of his current work to encourage a worldwide culture of peace. He cited the spiritual dimension as key to the future and mentioned the importance of the Fuji Declaration, launched in 2015 by Ervin Laszlo with Masami and Hiroo Saionji.

Deborah Moldow and Monica Willard hosted the event. They closed by leading the enthusiastic crowd in “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

Deborah and Monica

“As our awareness expands we become ever more consciously connected and progressively resonate with the wholeness of the Cosmos.” – The Cosmic Hologram

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On October 28, 2016, the Sacred and Transcendental Arts Working Group brought together representatives of NGOs, CSOs, UN Agencies and Missions along with performers of sacred and secular music in a program called, “Opening to the Spirit of the U.N.: Music, Meditation and Mindfulness.” This program focused on how the sacred arts of music, meditation and mindfulness can be vehicles for support of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Promote Just, Peaceful and Inclusive Societies). The event featured ceremony, inspiring speakers and a variety of music.

Rev. Deborah Muldow (front) with Yanni Maniates, Ben Bowler, Sean and Rastas

This event was sponsored by The Sacred and Transcendental Arts Working Group of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns-New York (“CSVGC”) as a closing to the 2016 Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns.

Tom W. Q. Jiang, co-chairman of the Global Peace Messengers Alliance, a Chinese peace NGO

Deborah Moldow, the Representative to the United Nations for the World Peace Prayer Society, helped to organize the event. She offered a Call to Purpose that included the prayer, “May Peace Prevail on Earth” – and the more than 100 people gathered all responded by spontaneously repeating the prayer. Deborah suggested that Sustainable Development Goal #16 would serve as a bridge to a culture of peace that would draw forth the Divine Spark in all humanity, as stated in the Fuji Declaration.

Jake Blackbear Singer

A small Peace Pole graced the altar through the opening indigenous prayer songs by Jake “Blackbear” Singer and inspiring speakers Dr. Kurt Johnson, Ben Bowler of 1God.com, Dr. Andrew Vidich, and Sharon Hamilton-Getz. Drs. J.J. and Desiree Hurtak offered a meditation with stunning visuals on the large screen, including a shot from the WPPS event in the UN General Assembly and one showing Deborah with a large Peace Pole. There were numerous performances, including a rousing Reggae finale by Pato Banton and Antoinette.

Pato Banton

Ras I Ray

Later, Jake Blackbear told Deborah that he was headed to Washington, DC to offer a Pipe Ceremony inside the courtyard of the Pentagon on Nov. 4-5 with only 19 others invited. Deborah offered him the desktop Peace Pole to bring along, in alignment with the large Peace Pole inside the Pentagon chaplain’s chapel.

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Mrs. Saionji joined other distinguished government and U.N. speakers, religious, and heads of international organizations to discuss the importance of interfaith solidarity in ensuring the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The event was organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in partnership with the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations.

The heart of her speech was the introduction of the Fuji Declaration, launched in May 2015. She encouraged people in all fields to be part of the Fuji Declaration, to bring forth the divine spark that links all people in unity while encouraging our diversity to shine through.

As one of the organizers of the event, The High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations, H.E. Mr. Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, invited Mrs. Saionji to join other distinguished speakers to offer innovative approaches to developing a spirit of partnerships among religious communities and the United Nations.

The first of two panels addressed interfaith harmony as key to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Remarks were offered by representatives from the Permanent Mission of Jordan, the Observer Mission of the Holy See, UNESCO, American Jewish World Service, and the Ifa Heritage Institute in Nigeria. These speakers offered diverse cultural perspectives, setting the stage for Mrs. Saionji, introduced as the Chairperson of three organizations: The World Peace Prayer Society, Byakko Shinko Kai and The Goi Peace Foundation.

To open her remarks, Mrs. Saionji called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development “a roadmap to a new civilization.” The slides accompanying her presentation showed activities at Fuji Sanctuary in Japan and the planting of Peace Poles around the world. She spoke about the annual Symphony of Peace Prayers organized at Fuji Sanctuary since 2005 which hosted the launch program for the Fuji Declaration in 2015.

The highlight of her talk focused on the Fuji Declaration encouraging people in all fields to recognize and awaken to the ‘divine spark’ which exists within the human heart for a more sustainable world community. She asked, “What would relationships between religions or governments look like if we all understood that every individual has this divine spark? Could this understanding open the door to a new era of unity in diversity that empowers the work of the United Nations?”

L-R: Deborah Moldow- UN Rep for WPPS, Masami Saionji-Chairperson of WPPS, Victor Kazanjian-Executive Director of URI, Maki Saionji Kawamura-WPPS, Fumi Johns-Stewart-Executive Director of WPPS

May Peace Prevail On Earth!

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