A peace vigil was held on the steps of the First Church Meetinghouse tonight in response to the fighting in the Gaza Strip.About ten people, including several high school students, braved the snow to hold candles and reflect on the violence taking place there.
What it comes down to,” said organizer Milo Carpenter, a senior at Dedham High, “is the loss of life.This isn’t about who is right or wrong.”
Rev. Rali Weaver, the minister of the church, said last month a guest minister gave a sermon and a presentation on the conflict that has generated a lot of discussion and emotion among parishioners.When Carpenter approached her with the idea she thought it was just what was needed.
“It’s a chance to open our hearts to the problem,” Weaver said, “and focus on sending all our love over there.”
Others brought a more personal perspective to the conflict.Tyler Carpenter recently visited the region with the Jewish Voice for Peace and said he was struck by the children there who were living in poverty and yet were still so friendly.Other said it was the deaths of the children of the region who brought them out in the below-freezing temperatures.
Rani Aljondi, also a Dedham High senior, said his extended family was still living in Syria and he feared the fighting in the region could harm them.He said he felt it was his “duty as a human being to uphold the standard of human decency” and that “we should not accept savagery as any part of our existence.”
Several participants spoke of their hope that President-elect Barack Obama’s new administration would be able to resolve the conflict.
“I’m hoping that some of the good energy that will be exerted in the next few days will carry forth and we will be able to find a peaceful, nonviolent resolution,” said Tam Johnson.
This evening Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced that Israeli troops had begun to leave Gaza “as fast as possible.”Hamas militants also announced an end to hostilities which has left over 1,000 Palestinians, about half civilian and over 300 of them children, and 13 Israelis dead.
Milo Carpenter said that while the numbers in Dedham were small, he was comforted in knowing that around the world there were others like them hoping and praying for peace.
“In the end it’s humanity we should support,” Carpenter said.“Human life is precious.”
