St. Hilda’s Anglican Church is holding an interfaith service on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. to “remember the lives lost in the ongoing struggles in Israel and Palestine.”
Attending will be Palestinian and Jewish musicians, a speaker from Gaza, choirs and faith leaders of several traditions. There will also be a pre-recorded message from Canada’s representative to Palestine.
The event is to be “non-partisan” said Rev. Steve Black of St. Hilda’s. “It's hard because people have very, very strong feelings,” he said. “We're trying to steer a middle ground where we're focusing on just the loss of life, not the Jewish loss of life or the Palestinian loss of life, but just period, loss of life.
“It’s a chance for people to get together and express their anger, frustration and grief,” he said. “I'm not sure we're gonna come up with any solutions, but it's a chance for us to be together as a community and not be alone in our dark feelings about what's going on over there.”
Co-organizer Katryn Harris has been organizing events on the Coast since the violence in the region escalated to war in early October, and since which more than 27,000 people have died, according to Al Jazeera.
Harris was supposed to leave for a trip to Palestine in October. “This all blew up just as we were getting ready to leave and I was devastated. And I started joining groups online,” she said. She’s been connecting with people in the region. “The people over there, both Palestinians and Jewish people, have so much hope it just amazes me. They're devastated by what's happening, but absolutely determined to hold on to hope. And so I think that's been my big thing is trying to create events that show that there is hope. There is light, even in this great darkness.”
The day before the service, on Feb. 5, Nabil and Ilham, Palestinians from Gaza, will give a presentation at the Davis Bay Community Hall at 7:15 p.m.
Visit growfromhere.com/upcoming-events for more information about these events and more.
