LOS ANGELES and COLLEYVILLE - The LA Civil Rights Faith Leaders Roundtable convened a gathering of faith leaders from Los Angeles and Texas today to host a Virtual Unity Prayer, promoting healing & solidarity following a harrowing attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas earlier this month.
Speakers, including LA Civil Rights Executive Director Capri Maddox, Rabbi Joshua Hoffman of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, Rabbi Andrew Paley of Temple Shalom in Dallas, and Aziza Hasan of NewGround, prayed for healing in Colleyville and across the nation. Speakers and attendees from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and Buddhist faiths were in attendance to show their solidarity with the Jewish community and multi-faith unity. Watch the Unity Prayer below:
Many speakers cited that an attack on one house of worship was an attack on all people of faith.
"We will never, ever waver from our belief that being rodef shalom, pursuers of peace and wholeness, is our calling and our mandate," said Rabbi Paley of Temple Shalom.
"To build the world we truly want for ourselves and for one another, we can begin with this simple insight: We are all connected," shared Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director Aspen Institute, Religion & Society.
Full list of speakers and faith leaders in attendance:
- Joumana Silyan-Saba, Director of Discrimination Enforcement, LA Civil Rights (moderator)
- Capri Maddox, Executive Director, LA Civil Rights
- David Price, Director of Racial Equity, LA Civil Rights and Youth Pastor, First AME Church of Los Angeles
- Aziza Hasan, Executive Director NewGround and Commissioner on the LA City Commission of Civil Rights
- Rev. John Cager, Pastor at Ward AME Church and President of the Council of Religious Leaders
- Rabbi Joshua Hoffman, Valley Beth Shalom and Vice President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California
- Rabbi Andrew Paley, Temple Shalom of Dallas
- Simran Jeet Singh, Executive Director Aspen Institute, Religion & Society
- Father Alexei Smith, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Officer of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Father Higgins, Good Shepherd Catholic Community of Colleyville, Texas
- Varun Soni, USC Dean of Religious Life
- Hedab Tarifi, Islamic Center of Southern California
- Umar Hakim-Dey, Founder of the ILM Foundation and INKERIJ
- Alisa Finsten, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
- Salam Al-Marayati, Muslim Public Affairs Council
- Nirinjian Khalsa, Executive Director, California Sikh Council
- Jeffrey Abrams, Anti-Defamation League of Los Angeles
- Rev. Dr. Najuma Smith Pollard, USC's Cecil Murray Center for Community Engagement
- Bob Williams, Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
Thank you to all of our faith leaders, speakers and attendees for joining us.