In a letter today to Secretary of State
Kerry, thirty Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders, including twenty present
and past heads of national denominations and faith organizations “voiced strong
support for his determined initiative for Israeli-Palestinian peace.” In similar letters, the leaders called on key
members of Congress “to support Secretary Kerry’s continuing urgent efforts for
peace.”
The religious leaders warmly welcomed
Secretary Kerry’s announcement a week ago of an agreement “that establishes the
basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians
and the Israelis.” Appreciating the progress made in earlier formal and informal
negotiations toward resolving final status issues, the religious leaders noted
that “while these talks have yet to yield a blueprint for peace, they have
identified ideas for addressing key issues that must be resolved in a manner
acceptable to both sides.”
The Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders
offered their prayers for Secretary Kerry’s efforts and pledged that they “are
prepared through the national organizations we represent to activate members of
synagogues, churches and mosques across the country to support bold American
leadership for peace.”
“We know the path to peace is complex
and challenging,” the leaders said, “but peace is possible.”
Full text of the letter
and a list of endorsers follows.
National
Interreligious Leadership Initiative
for
Peace in the Middle East
Website: www.nili-mideastpeace.org
E-Mail: usicpme@aol.com
July 26, 2013
Secretary of State John Kerry
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Secretary,
We write as members of the National
Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East (NILI),
including present and past heads of national denominations and faith organizations. We support the President’s commitment to make
Israeli-Palestinian peace a high priority of U.S. policy. Recognizing, as you
do, that the passage of time makes achieving a viable two-state solution
increasingly difficult, we have
voiced strong support for your determined initiative for peace.
We warmly welcome your announcement on
July 19 that agreement has been reached “that
establishes the basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the
Palestinians and the Israelis.” Looking
forward, we appreciate that over the
years there has been intermittent progress toward resolving final status issues
in both unofficial talks and formal negotiations. While these talks and negotiations have yet
to yield a blueprint for peace, they have identified ideas for addressing key
issues that must be resolved in a manner acceptable to both sides.
As Jewish, Christian and Muslim
religious leaders, we are committed to mobilizing broad public support for
active, fair and firm U.S. leadership for peace. We offer our prayers for your
efforts and we are prepared through the national organizations we represent to
activate members of synagogues, churches and mosques across the country to
support bold American leadership.
We know the path to peace is complex and
challenging, but peace is possible. We
pledge our support and request a meeting with you to discuss specific ways we
can help.
List of Endorsers follows.
Christian
Leaders:
Bishop
Richard E. Pates, D.D., Chairman, USCCB Committee on International Justice and
Peace
Theodore
Cardinal McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington
Bishop Denis J. Madden, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore
Archbishop
Vicken Aykasian, Director, Ecumenical Affairs,
Armenian Orthodox Church in America
Fr.
Mark Arey, Director, Office of Ecumenical Affairs, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese
of America
Kathryn Mary Lohre, President, National Council of Churches of Christ
USA
Bishop
Mark S. Hanson, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Most
Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate, Episcopal
Church
Reverend
Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Reverend
Geoffrey Black, General Minister & President, United Church of Christ
Reverend
Dr. Sharon Watkins, General Minister, President, Christian Churches (Disciples
of Christ)
Bishop
Mary Ann Swenson, Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church
Richard
Stearns, President, World Vision US
Reverend
Leighton Ford, President, Leighton Ford Ministries, Board Member, World Vision
US
David
Neff, Former Editorial Vice-President, Christianity Today
Jewish
Leaders:
Rabbi
Richard J. Jacobs, President, Union of Reform Judaism
Rabbi
Richard A. Block, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi
David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Rabbi
Elliot Dorff, Ph.D. Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, American
Jewish University
Rabbi
Burton L. Visotzky, Professor, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Rabbi
Peter Knobel, Past President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi
Amy Small, Past President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rabbi
Alvin M. Sugarman, Rabbi Emeritus, The Temple, Atlanta, Georgia
Muslim
Leaders:
Imam
Mohammed Magid, President, Islamic Society of North America
Dr.
Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, National Director, Islamic Society of North America
Naeem
Baig, President, Islamic Circle of North America
Imam
Yahya Hendi, Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University
Dawud
Assad, President Emeritus, Council of Mosques, USA
Eide
Alawan, Interfaith Office for Outreach, Islamic Center of America, Dearborn,
Michigan
Iftekhar
A. Hai, Founding Director, United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance
Organizations
for Identification Only
