PRAYER PILGRIMAGE
FOR THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
June 15 at 9 am
Columbus Circle to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
FOR THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
June 15 at 9 am
Columbus Circle to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
You can follow along with our prayer guide:
| prayer_pilgrimage_for_the_people_of_palestine_and_israel_.pdf |
WHAT: We are walking in prayerful solidarity with the people of Palestine and Israel. As we pray, we are calling for:
We are raising funds for the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. This includes sustaining the salaries of their staff, food and water for staff and patients as well as medical supplies and medicine. The Ahli staff who were displaced back in April, managed to identify a building in Rafa and open a medical clinic. They continue to partially function given their limited resources. Daily they receive approximately 300 emergency patients in addition to any in patients. The clinic in Rafa is miraculously still operational, despite the recent attacks.You can read about their work here and donate here.
WHERE: From 59th Street Columbus Circle to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. If it's too crowded to gather there, we'll move across the street to the Maine Monument, the gold statues at the southwest entrance of Central Park. We will walk NORTH on Broadway to 110th Street, go EAST to Amsterdam, then NORTH to the steps of the Cathedral (at 112th).
WHEN: Our walk will be on June 15, from 9 am to 12 pm.
Please check back here for updates, details and more information and make sure to RSVP so you can stay connected with us!
- An immediate and enduring ceasefire.
- Immediate flow of life saving humanitarian assistance.
- Release of all hostages, both Israeli and Palestinian.
- End of occupation.
We are raising funds for the Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. This includes sustaining the salaries of their staff, food and water for staff and patients as well as medical supplies and medicine. The Ahli staff who were displaced back in April, managed to identify a building in Rafa and open a medical clinic. They continue to partially function given their limited resources. Daily they receive approximately 300 emergency patients in addition to any in patients. The clinic in Rafa is miraculously still operational, despite the recent attacks.You can read about their work here and donate here.
WHERE: From 59th Street Columbus Circle to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. If it's too crowded to gather there, we'll move across the street to the Maine Monument, the gold statues at the southwest entrance of Central Park. We will walk NORTH on Broadway to 110th Street, go EAST to Amsterdam, then NORTH to the steps of the Cathedral (at 112th).
WHEN: Our walk will be on June 15, from 9 am to 12 pm.
- ATTIRE/SIGNS/FLAGS: You can feel free to wear keffiyehs, crosses, clergy attire. Signs are welcome but please know anything that indicates anti-Semitism or Islamophobia will not be tolerated. We will not demonize, scapegoat or dehumanize. Given the focus on our shared humanity, we ask that you do not display national flags. If you have a question about what is appropriate, please reach out to us.
- PRAYER WALKING: We will walk side by side in twos on the sidewalk in prayerful silence, except for the beginning when we gather and towards the very end at the Cathedral. WE will have a guide with suggested ways to pray and frame our pilgrimage as we walk.
- HECKLERS: There may be hecklers and people who try to engage you in a provocative way. Please do not engage with them. This is not the time for political arguments. If you feel you must say something, you can say, "I want peace for all people, for both Palestinians and Jews." Or you can pass the peace to them, which is simply an ancient greeting, "Peace be with you." You can pray for and bless the people we pass.
Please check back here for updates, details and more information and make sure to RSVP so you can stay connected with us!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Can I still come if I’m late?
YES! Just come to 59th street and Broadway and start walking NORTH on Broadway towards 60th Street. You may also follow or message @stpeterschelsea on Instagram and you can see where we are.
2. Can I bring family and friends?
YES! Everyone who aligns with the heart and spirit of this pilgrimage is welcome. This is a family-friendly event.
3. Do I have to be a Christian to come?
No, people of all backgrounds and beliefs are welcome to join us. We are Christians and there will be prayers and songs from within our tradition. If you are comfortable with that, we would love to have you join us.
4. What about bathrooms?
Since we are walking up Broadway, there are a few places that you may be able to use the bathroom. At 59th street you may use Whole Foods. Up Broadway, there are coffee shops at 66th, 72nd, etc. You can feel free duck into one of these places if you need to. I highly encourage you to use the bathroom before we begin!
5. What if it rains?
The latest update is sunny and high of 82!
6. I’ve never protested, what do I need to know?
Here is a rundown of how to protest peacefully and safely in NYC.
1. Can I still come if I’m late?
YES! Just come to 59th street and Broadway and start walking NORTH on Broadway towards 60th Street. You may also follow or message @stpeterschelsea on Instagram and you can see where we are.
2. Can I bring family and friends?
YES! Everyone who aligns with the heart and spirit of this pilgrimage is welcome. This is a family-friendly event.
3. Do I have to be a Christian to come?
No, people of all backgrounds and beliefs are welcome to join us. We are Christians and there will be prayers and songs from within our tradition. If you are comfortable with that, we would love to have you join us.
4. What about bathrooms?
Since we are walking up Broadway, there are a few places that you may be able to use the bathroom. At 59th street you may use Whole Foods. Up Broadway, there are coffee shops at 66th, 72nd, etc. You can feel free duck into one of these places if you need to. I highly encourage you to use the bathroom before we begin!
5. What if it rains?
The latest update is sunny and high of 82!
6. I’ve never protested, what do I need to know?
Here is a rundown of how to protest peacefully and safely in NYC.
MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions or concerns,
please email Christine Lee at [email protected]
MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions or concerns,
please email Christine Lee at [email protected]
Holy Trinity Church Inwood, in partnership with Clutch Productions and Creative Women New York, is proud to present two staged reading performances of Palestine by Najla Saïd on the same day, June 15 at 2 pm and 7 pm. All proceeds and donations from the performances will benefit humanitarian aid to the children of Gaza. See more information below and to purchase $25 tickets.
When:
Saturday, June 15, 2024
2:00pm & 7:00pm
A Q&A will follow each performance in addition to a reception after the evening performance. The run time is approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes including the performance and Q&A.
Where:
Holy Trinity Church Inwood
20 Cumming Street
New York City
The venue is fully ADA accessible!
Saturday, June 15, 2024
2:00pm & 7:00pm
A Q&A will follow each performance in addition to a reception after the evening performance. The run time is approximately 2 hours, 10 minutes including the performance and Q&A.
Where:
Holy Trinity Church Inwood
20 Cumming Street
New York City
The venue is fully ADA accessible!
About the Play
In Palestine, actor/playwright Najla Saïd provides a unique passage into one of the most volatile and historic corners of the earth. With compassion, humor, and honesty she makes a case for Palestinian and Arab points of view in ways that truly allow them to be heard. Raised in privilege on New York City's Upper West Side (where many of her best friends were Jewish) Najla was forced as a teenager to take a family trip to the Middle East to visit her father's homeland. Anorexic and depressed, obsessed with boys and the beach, her experiences nevertheless kindled a life-long exploration of what it means to be both Arab and American. Najla takes audiences on a whirlwind tour from kissing Jewish boys to “the stench of Gaza,” through two wars, the horrors of 9/11, encounters with world figures including Yasser Arafat, and life with her beloved father. Edward Saïd, was a professor at Columbia University and, until his death in 2003, a worldwide spokesman for Palestine and the Middle East.
Palestine was originally produced in 2010 by Twilight Theatre Company in association with New York Theatre Workshop. The eight-week Off-Broadway run at the Fourth Street Theater was sold-out. In 2012 Palestine was subsequently produced by InterAct Theatre as part of their Outside the Frame Festival in Philadelphia. Najla has performed a concert version of the play all over the country with performances at Harvard, Brown, Boston College, Franklin and Marshall, University of Michigan, University of Alabama, Middlebury, among dozens of others.
In 2013 Najla expanded the play into a memoir published by Penguin Books under the title Looking for Palestine. She went on a nationwide book tour sometimes performing the concert version of the play in lieu of book readings.
In Palestine, actor/playwright Najla Saïd provides a unique passage into one of the most volatile and historic corners of the earth. With compassion, humor, and honesty she makes a case for Palestinian and Arab points of view in ways that truly allow them to be heard. Raised in privilege on New York City's Upper West Side (where many of her best friends were Jewish) Najla was forced as a teenager to take a family trip to the Middle East to visit her father's homeland. Anorexic and depressed, obsessed with boys and the beach, her experiences nevertheless kindled a life-long exploration of what it means to be both Arab and American. Najla takes audiences on a whirlwind tour from kissing Jewish boys to “the stench of Gaza,” through two wars, the horrors of 9/11, encounters with world figures including Yasser Arafat, and life with her beloved father. Edward Saïd, was a professor at Columbia University and, until his death in 2003, a worldwide spokesman for Palestine and the Middle East.
Palestine was originally produced in 2010 by Twilight Theatre Company in association with New York Theatre Workshop. The eight-week Off-Broadway run at the Fourth Street Theater was sold-out. In 2012 Palestine was subsequently produced by InterAct Theatre as part of their Outside the Frame Festival in Philadelphia. Najla has performed a concert version of the play all over the country with performances at Harvard, Brown, Boston College, Franklin and Marshall, University of Michigan, University of Alabama, Middlebury, among dozens of others.
In 2013 Najla expanded the play into a memoir published by Penguin Books under the title Looking for Palestine. She went on a nationwide book tour sometimes performing the concert version of the play in lieu of book readings.