The last six months, since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th and the incredible violence, loss of life, and devastation in Gaza that followed, have been heartbreaking. Many of the clergy in Evanston have been collaboratively working to support those impacted and grieving. We are also working to create opportunities for listening and learning across difference and we are committed to staying in relationship as we join our voices for peace and justice.
Many of you have participated in the events organized by the Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders group, including lectures with Dr. Hussein Ibish and Dr. David Myers on the historic and present-day conflict and an interfaith book discussion on Apeirogon. There have been events with leaders of MedGlobal, the Parents Circle and Standing Together, and efforts to deepen our relationships with all of our neighbors and siblings across faith traditions.
For the past six months, we have voiced our opposition to the violence and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as well as to the dehumanization, Islamophobia and antisemitism that is rising here. As a clergy group, we have chosen to invest our energies into fostering dialogue across difference, caring for those who are in our congregations, and centering the humanity of all.
We also know the collective voice of the interfaith clergy in Evanston holds significant influence. We have a moral obligation to speak the truth with clarity, nuance, sensitivity, and inclusivity. We have worked hard to be in covenantal and respectful conversation with each other, with the community, and within our congregations as we drafted a statement to share with the city council, our legislators, and with the Evanston Roundtable. A copy of the letter that was published this week and sent to our representatives in local and national government is below.
Rev. Susan and I hope this statement will inform the conversations our congregation will be having, beginning this Sunday, regarding a UCE Ceasefire Resolution that will be voted upon at our annual meeting in May. We cannot know for sure the impact a resolution will have, but we do know that how we are in relationship with one another as we share our experiences and thoughts that inform the resolution is of utmost importance.
We share this statement from the Evanston clergy with gratitude for the relationships of trust that are deepening among our wise and dedicated colleagues. We hope you will receive it with the love, care, and conviction with which it was written.
EVANSTON INTERFAITH CLERGY AND LEADERS RESPOND TO THE CRISIS IN ISRAEL/GAZA AND ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA IN OUR COMMUNITY
We refuse to harden our hearts to the suffering of Israelis or Palestinians. And we raise our voices loud and clear against the indiscriminate harming of all civilians, both in Gaza and Israel.
This conflict deeply impacts our Evanston community where antisemitism and Islamophobia are being emboldened and are explicitly targeting members of our community. Only through recognizing that our lives are shared with one another in an interdependent web can we begin to co-create the world for which we so desperately long.
We are horrified by Hamas’s crimes against innocent civilians on October 7, including murder, rape, mutilation, and the taking of hostages. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been displaced from their homes near the Gaza border, and more than a hundred people are still being held captive in Gaza.
We are also horrified by Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza in which tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed and nearly two million have been made homeless. Ordinary Gazans lack adequate food, water, shelter, and medicine, and are trapped in a dire humanitarian crisis.
We call for an immediate end to the bombardment of civilians in Gaza and in Israel.
We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas.
We call for humanitarian aid to reach civilian populations in Gaza.
We call for immediate protection of medical facilities and places of refuge in Gaza, that they might be safeguarded from military use by Hamas and military attack by Israel.
We call for immediate restoration of vital resources such as water and electricity in Gaza.
We call on the U.S. administration to use every diplomatic means at its disposal, and with utmost urgency, to pave a path toward a political solution — one that ensures freedom, safety, and human rights for everyone. Just as Israel now exists as an independent state, we advocate for equal self-determination for the Palestinian people as well. This plan cannot permit the re-occupation of the Gaza Strip by Israel or a militarized Hamas remaining in power. It must ensure the human rights and long-term flourishing of Palestinians and Israelis.
We call on interfaith coalitions and partnerships in the United States and throughout the world to join their collective voices to express horror and join us in our steps for immediate action. Join us in supporting peace, dignity, and human flourishing, which are foundational tenets of our faith traditions.
Ultimately, we know that freedom of Palestinians and Israelis cannot be achieved through oppression and violence and that neither one can live in peace and security without ensuring the same for the other. In the words of Sally Abed, a leading Palestinian community organizer in Israel, “Palestinian liberation necessitates Jewish safety and vice versa.” I say [this] to both sides. You’re pro-Israel? You need to liberate Palestinians. You’re pro-Palestinian? You need to talk about Jewish safety.”
The only way to lasting peace and security is through diplomatic means that advance toward a just future for all. And the only way to create a loving, hate-free society here at home is by standing together against hatred and building a caring and supportive community. We, as people of faith, pledge to continue to create opportunities for respectful dialogue across our community that upholds the dignity of all, and unites us in the shared mission of protecting the rights of everyone everywhere.
Rev. Kathryn Banakis, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Evanston
Rev. Kurt Condra, Unity on the North Shore
Rev. Jason W. Coulter – Senior Minister of First Congregational Church of Evanston (UCC)
The Rev. Charles A. de Kay, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Susan Frances, Assistant Minister, Unitarian Church of Evanston
Rev. Jessica Gregory, Associate Pastor Northminster Presbyterian
Rev. Luke Harris-Ferree, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church- Evanston, IL (ELCA)
Oblate James Holzhauer-Chuckas, ObSB (United Catholic Youth Ministries)
Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Hopp-Peters, Northminster Presbyterian Church
Rev. Asayo Horibe Buddhist Council of the Midwest
Rev. Dr. Joellen Hosler, Presbyterian
Rev. Grace Imathiu – Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church
Rev. Michael D. Kirby, Northminster Presbyterian Church PC(USA)
Rev Jean-Philippe Lokpo
Rabbi Andrea London, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
Rev. Greg Millikin, Rector St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Terri J. Morrissey, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Rev. Nehan Myoshin Tricia Teater, Udumbara Zen Sangha
Rev. Dr. Michael C.R. Nabors, Pastor of Second Baptist Church
Rev. Ann Ohlrogge Johnson, Northminster Presbyterian
Joey Rodger, Evanston Friends Meeting (Quaker)
Rev. Deborah Y. Scott, Ebenezer AME Church
Rev. Mark E. Sloss, Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Evanston, IL (ELCA)
Javier Viera, President, Garrett Seminary
Rabbi Rachel S. Weiss, Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
Rev. Eileen Wiviott, Senior Minister Unitarian Church of Evanston
Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, Lake Street Church of Evanston
Practicing Beloved Community at UCE 