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SILENT PEACE WALK TO BRING NEW YORKERS TOGETHER AT CENTRAL PARK TO PROMOTE
CHANGE AND PEACE IN MIDDLE EAST
Rabbis, Imams, Sheiks and people of all backgrounds
to participate in a large and beautiful Silent Peace
Walk
on October 7
New York -
Amidst
growing turmoil in the Middle East, a diverse group of
volunteers from around the world will come together to
participate in a large and moving
Silent Peace Walk
on Sunday, October 7th around Central Park.
People of all nationalities, faiths and backgrounds will
walk quietly and single-filed, without flags or signage, in
an event of mutual respect and solidarity for peace in the Middle East and across the globe.
Large, silent peace walks have become popular in Israel
and Palestine
over the last 10 years.
A large walk for
peace and reconciliation will occur during the same weekend
in Bethlehem
that will include Israeli Arabs, Israeli Jews, and
Palestinians.
" With
an increasingly tense situation in the Middle East and so
much attention focusing on what divides us, it's seems
fitting to have this peace walk in a place where people of
all backgrounds live side by side in harmony," said Gal
Romano, an Israeli organizing committee volunteer for the
Peace Walk. "These silent walks demonstrate the reality of
respect and co-existence. The Peace Walk will be an
expression and reminder of the goodwill among us, and
walking proof that peace is very much possible."
With over 8 million people living in New York City, it is one
of the most densely populated and ethnically and religiously
diverse cities in the world. Home to over 100 ethnic groups,
including several million Muslims and Jews, the walk is
intended to demonstrate that people of all faiths and
origins can live peacefully side by side.
" We
encourage everyone to join us in this very moving, powerful
event and the first walk of its kind in the U.S.,"
said Omar Hassan, a Muslim organizing committee volunteer
for the Peace Walk. "Whether people stay for a short time or
throughout the whole event, all communities are welcome."
The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 3PM at the
New York Academy of Science, with opening speeches by
community leaders including Jack Kornfield, one of the leading
Buddhist teachers in America, and Dr. Stephen Fulder,
Israeli founder of Middleway, a Palestinian Israeli peace
organization that has been organizing large silent peace
walks in Israel and Palestine for more than 10 years.
Registration
is required for the ceremony.
Following the opening speeches, the Peace Walk will move
around Central Park starting at 4PM (at 5th
Avenue and 103rd Street), allowing participants
to join-in along the way. At the conclusion of the walk,
experienced facilitators will guide closing listening
circles. The event is free and open to the public.
For more
information about the New York Silent Peace walk, visit
http://www.nypeacewalk.org/
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