A week after the start of the war with Iran, SOG member Rabbi Sigal Asher organized an online interfaith prayer service, as part of her role as Interfaith Coordinator for Rabbis for Human Rights. The service was co-sponsored by Spirit of the Galilee, Rabbis for Human Rights, and Praying Together in Jerusalem.

Tragicallly, Jerusalem Day has been usurped by extremist Jewish right-wing groups who march in an official “Flag March” through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City with Israeli flags, singing songs about Jewish sovereignty, and some even chanting “Death to the Arabs!” and “Burn their villages!” There is violence and vandalism, and the residents of the Quarter feel under siege for the day.

This April, three different festivals converged, as the holy month of Ramadan came to a close: the Jewish celebration of Passover, the Christian celebration of Easter, and the Druze Festival of Nebi-Shweib.

On March 18, when the hostage-ceasefire agreement collapsed, we at Spirit of the Galilee issued the following statement:    Today the citizens of Israel and the region awoke to the disintegration of the ceasefire and the end to the hostages returning. We are worried and concerned, and call for negotiations and talks of agreements and an end to the fighting.

Our monthly SOG Spiritual Leaders meeting was held this month on a difficult day in Israeli society, when we heard the news about the four fallen hostages – Oded Lifshitz, Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas, and Kfir Bibas – who would be sent back to Israel the next day as part of the first phase of the hostage-ceasefire agreement. We spent the day in the Negev with the Interfaith Forum of Rabbis for Human Rights and the Negev Interfaith Initiative.

This year, the first night of Hanukkah and the first day of Christmas (except for the Greek Orthodox), coincided, which made for a beautiful opportunity to celebrate together. SOG members took advantage and organized interfaith events around the Galilee – amongst ourselves, within our separate communities, and connecting communities of different faiths.

A Message from Spirit of the Galilee God is with the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) This is a devastating time in the Holy Land. As we all...

Shana Tova! A May 30 gathering of Israeli sacred and spiritual music leaders at the HAVAYAH Center of Being could lead to a national...

Profile in leadership Rev. Azar Ajaj, pictured here on a recent trip to Norway, is an Evangelical Baptist minister who has worked with...

Spiritual network nexus Clerics lay groundwork for spiritual network following Jerusalem retreat With violence in Israel heating up, 40...

Music as living prayer A May 30 gathering of Israeli sacred and spiritual music leaders at the HAVAYAH Center of Being could lead to a...

Playing for peace Rabbi Or Zohar, director of the Spirit of the Galilee Association (SOG), performed at a peace rally Tuesday, May 9,...