Stop, listen to voices of peace

Seattle Times, October 23, 2023, by Naomi Ishisaka, Seattle Times Columnist

“In both the Muslim and Jewish faith traditions, there is a belief that taking one life is like killing all of humanity, and to save a life is to save all of humanity.

This foundational principle asks us to see one another as an interconnected human family, despite religious, political or ethnic differences.

But the events of the past two weeks have challenged that principle, as the brutal Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and Israel’s subsequent devastating bombing campaign and “complete siege” in Gaza have led to immeasurable suffering, pain, death and anguish. The anguish, in particular, is most acutely felt in Gaza and Israel but also deeply felt by people around the world, including here.”

Click to read the full article from The Seattle Times, published Oct. 23,  to understand more clearly what some local faith leaders – Jewish and Muslim – thought about how our polarized communities could find our way back to that belief in our shared humanity.