(Dec. 24) Christmas Eve Vigil for Permanent Ceasefire & Repair
Call to Action
This is an invitation to all faiths, non-believers, and nationalities to join or organize peaceful, loving candlelight vigils on Christmas Eve to call for a lasting ceasefire and reparations in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, & Israel. We cannot celebrate the birth of Jesus, an apostle of peace in Bethlehem, as if the people of his home place and neighboring communities in the region were not bearing a catastrophe of violence, war, subjugation, and suffering. We can’t celebrate the Christmas spirit of Santa Claus’s generosity to the children of the world as if Israeli and Palestinian children were not waiting for the return of their parents who are held captive to return home and the surviving children of Gaza were not living through hell on earth.
We will gather to embrace in our hearts the humanity of all people in the region, mourning all those who have died and suffered, with a commitment to upholding international law and rejecting war including a shared condemnation of any and all war crimes by any party.
We say never again to the bombing of hospitals, schools, homes, mosques, & churches.
We say never again to the murder of civilians, doctors, journalists, humanitarian relief workers, UN employees, poets, teachers, and children.
We say never again towards genocide for anyone.
We call on the United Nations, United States of America, and all governments, to immediately cease military aid to all parties and use every diplomatic, legal, and financial lever to secure such a peaceful, democratic, and just resolution for the conflicts in and among these countries.
We call on the world to repair that which we helped destroy. We must surpass the funds that were mis-used for killing to be used now for repair and peace.
#CeasefireForChristmas #Peace&RepairForChristmas #peace&goodwilltoall
A growing team of leaders and groups is organizing candlelight vigils on Christmas Eve to embody the Christmas Spirit by calling for a permanent peace and reparations in Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.
There is a real chance to secure a ceasefire with attention to reparations before the year ends if public pressure in the US and worldwide continues to grow. We can help by creating opportunities for people to observe the Christmas holiday in a way that helps elevate the call for a ceasefire.
Can you or your organization endorse, help organize a vigil, recruit hosts, or promote the vigils to your members?
If you can endorse, help organize, recruit or promote email ceasefireforchristmasvigils@gmail.com and join our WhatsApp chat group.
Hosting and organizing a vigil is simple. Here are the basics:
Choose a public place where you can gather safely and easily and set a time around dusk
Invite people, including friends and family, and invite the local media (here is a template Canva graphic to adapt as a digital flyer for your vigil if you like)
Bring candles, electric and/or traditional, and a sign or a few that says “Ceasefire,” “Peace and Reparations,” or “Ceasefire for Christmas”
Offer the opportunity for faith leaders, local elected officials, citizen leaders, or community members to offer a prayer, song, or testimonial in support of a ceasefire or simply stand together in silence with your candles and signs
Take photos and video and share on social media with the hashtag #CeasefireForChristmas
You may wish to make use of FOSNA’s Preach Palestine Database or the Christ in the Rubble Toolkit
Vigils don’t need to be big or have a rich program to be successful and powerful. Even just a small group of people coming together in a small town for 30 minutes to hold candles and their signs matters. As long as the vigil is peaceful, welcoming, and clearly conveys our message of calling for a ceasefire in the loving spirit of Christmas it will be a powerful contribution.