Srebrenica Memorial Week Erev Shabbat Service

It was a privilege to mark Remembering Srebrenica Memorial Week at West London Synagogue by lighting a memorial candle at the beginning of their special Srebrenica Memorial Week Erev Shabbat Service. 'Srebrenica Mother' Fudila Effendic was guest of honour, sharing about the unspeakable loss of her husband and son and her resolve not to harbour hate or revenge.

West London Synagogue aims to keep awareness alive, despite the lessons of the Shoah, of the threat of race hate and genocide. Over the past few years, they have actively and proudly participated in Srebrenica Memorial Week, honouring the memory of the 8,372 mainly men and boys who were murdered in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1995, purely because they were Muslims. Unbelievably, this horror took place on European soil just 50 years after the end of World War ll and the cry of 'Never Again!'

We also saw 'tito's picnic' - an exhibition by Lejla Kevric, reflecting hope for a shared society - “This is a vision of optimism. It is an invitation to an idea. Thinking about the future. Ordinary people talking together.” 

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Aida Čorbadžić and Elvir Solak.

The Prophet and the Losses: Relating to Islam and Islamists

This evening the Revd Dr Sam Wells preached on The Prophet and the Losses: Relating to Islam and Islamists. The sermon will be available to read shortly by clicking here. My thoughts on British Shared Values and Faith, which have some synergies with this sermon, can be read here.

The intercessions I prepared to complement this sermon follow:

Eternal God, one God, living and subsisting in yourself; merciful and all-powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, we adore you for you have spoken to us; every nation and tribe and language and people. You did not abandon either Ishmael or Isaac and we therefore pray in trust for your continued care of the faith communities which have grown from their seed. We stand in awe and gratitude for your persistent love towards each and all of your children: Christian, Jew, Muslim, as well as those with other faiths. As Christians, Jews or Muslims may we remember, and profoundly affirm, what we share as children of Abraham, people of our Books and as monotheists. Strengthen our resolve to share common ground by living face to face and side by side in peace with one another.

Jesus, whose death is a fundamental statement of the centrality of nonviolence, you experienced in person torture and death as a prisoner of conscience. You were beaten and flogged and sentenced to an agonizing death though you had done no wrong. Be now with prisoners of conscience throughout the world. Be with them in their fear and loneliness, in the agony of physical and mental torture, and in the face of execution and death. Stretch out your hands in power to break their chains. Bless all those, like Amnesty International, trying to secure their release. May the ways of peace and diplomacy prevail over acts of violence and aggression. Be merciful to the oppressor and the torturer, and place a new heart within them. Forgive all injustice in our lives, and transform us to be instruments of your peace, for by your wounds we are healed.

Holy Spirit, who makes Christ and his benefits present to us now and who is therefore active in bringing many from East and West to sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God, we pray for all who are working for peace in the tangled conflicts of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and other nations today. For international leaders holding a thread of control, for the politicians holding a thread of power, for the religious leaders holding a thread of authority, for the fighters holding a thread of influence, and the citizens clinging to a thread of hope. We pray particularly for refugees like the Rohingya caught up in issues beyond their community and unable to fi8nd a place to lay their head. Give to them a home and to us: understanding that puts an end to strife; mercy that quenches hatred; forgiveness that overcomes vengeance; the strength it takes to listen rather than to judge; growth in trust rather than fear of the other; the courage and persistence to try again and again to make peace even when peace eludes us.

Holy Trinity, within whom love is constantly exchanged and shared, may we experience the extension of that exchange in shared conversation and action with those of other faiths. In the spirit of that exchange we pray using words from the Sufi poet Rumi, asking for a world in which through love all that is bitter will be sweet, all that is copper will be gold, all dregs will turn to purest wine, all pain will turn to medicine. That through Love the dead will all become alive and the king turn into a slave. We also share in the Shabbat prayer crying out for rest from pain and turmoil and hard service. May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease; when a great peace will embrace the whole world. Then nation shall not threaten nation and humankind will not again know war. For all who live on earth shall realize we have not come into being to hate or destroy. We have come into being to praise, to labour and to love. Compassionate God, bless all the leaders of all nations with the power of compassion. Fulfil the promise conveyed in Scripture: "I will bring peace to the land, and you shall lie down and no one shall terrify you. I will rid the land of vicious beasts and it shall not be ravaged by war." Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream. Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea.

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Eric Whitacre - Hope, Faith, Life, Love.

East London Three Faiths Forum trip to the Holy Land (6)

Today we began by seeing the Roman Catholic Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. This is a modern design which incorporates a 4th century and a Crusader building, as well as having much modern art. We also visited the Old City with its markets, plus the Anglican Church and the Synagogue Church.

From Nazareth we went to Acco, which was a major Crusader port. There we had lunch at the port, saw the Crusader halls and Turkish baths, as well as visiting the Al-Jazaar Mosque. After our evening meal in the hotel, we had an enjoyable session of singing Shabbat songs led by our guide, Eli Rockowitz.

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Sheva - Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu.

East London Three Faiths Forum trip to the Holy Land (2)

Yesterday we began the first full day of the East London Three Faiths Forum trip to the Holy Land with a visit to the Garden Tomb before going up to Mount Scopus for views across the whole of Jerusalem. We then went into the Old City via the Jaffa Gate to have lunch before going to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We, therefore, heard the respective claims for that church and the Garden Tomb as sites for the crucifixion and resurrection without being able to solve the dilemma ourselves! Rev Simon Hill led Morning Prayer at the Garden Tomb while I spoke about the resurrection.

The Muslim members of our group went to Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock before joining us for lunch and our visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

At dusk it was time for us all to go to the Western Wall for the beginning of Shabbat where there was lots of singing and dancing as well as prayers. There was more singing by the Jewish families celebrating Shabbat at our hotel during our evening meal.

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Mosh Ben Ari - Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu.