Dear Friends,

This past Friday, I joined a group of interfaith clergy and other members of our various faith communities at a rally at the Idris Mosque in Northgate, to stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters in light of the hateful and xenophobic rhetoric that we have been hearing from some who have the national spotlight. We also stood with them as some Muslims here and around the country have been targets of hate crimes.

Five clergy spoke, and I was honored to be one of them. My remarks follow. You can find the statement that we read, as well as the other statements at the following site: http://fanwa.org/fans-interfaith-leaders-council-statement

There are also photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/faithactionnetwork.

In the meantime, please know that I am working with Muslim and other faith and civic leaders to see how we can continue to be of support as we face these difficult times. I will be sharing more information about things that we can do in the coming days and weeks.

Tonight, as we light our last candle, I hope and pray that we will all remember the true meaning of Chanukah: The right for all people to live and celebrate their religious practices in freedom and respect.

L’zedek V’shalom (toward justice and peace),

Rabbi Zari