Hindu and Buddhist Activists Hold Interfaith Prayer Vigil at Gaza-Israel Border Seeking Immediate Ceasefire
- Representatives of several faith communities, including Hindus for Human Rights, gathered at the Kerem Shalom Crossing to demand an arms embargo, and a free Palestine.
Sunita Viswanath, co-founder and executive director of Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) was part of a group of interfaith leaders at a prayer vigil held today at the Kerem Shalom Crossing on the Gaza-Israel Border. She was among representatives from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and other faith communities who had gathered “to demand an immediate ceasefire, an arms embargo, and a free Palestine,” according to a Hindus for Human Rights press release.
The vigil was organized by an interfaith peace delegation led by Rabbis for Ceasefire and Christians for Ceasefire. It took place at the Rafah Crossing, on the Israel side, “amidst four audible air strikes across the border, and with tanks and other military vehicles passing by,” HfHR said. While “the crossing is the main route for humanitarian aid flowing into Gaza,” HfHR noted that the faith leaders at the crossing, who described the crossing as being “empty and bleak,” and “hardly” saw any UN trucks.
Holding a large banner — “Many Faiths for Gaza” — the faith leaders “stood together around a central altar laid down on a keffiyeh, adorned with symbols and offerings from the faiths,” HfHR said. The vigil began with a statement of purpose expressing collective grief and unity in their demand for an end to the conflict. It was followed by payers and reflections offered by representatives of each faith, “underscoring a shared commitment to peace, compassion, and solidarity with the people of Gaza.”
In her prayer, Viswanath drew on the wisdom of Lord Krishna, the God of Preservation, and Lord Shiva, the God of Destruction and Regeneration. “We pray to Lord Krishna to preserve what is left of our humanity and our goodness and to stop this atrocity,” she said. “Lord Shiva, the God of destruction, destroy the evil that is happening here today and regenerate what comes after destruction: love, peace, and justice. She concluded with a Vedic chant, the Mahamrityunjana Mantra, sung at the time of death:
“Om Tryambakam Yajamahe
Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam
Urvarukamiva Bandhanan
Mrityor Mukshiya Maamritat
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi.”
A Buddhist prayer by Maung Zarni, a Burmese human rights activist and genocide scholar, captured the deep sorrow and urgency felt by those witnessing the conflict, invoking the Buddhist principles of impermanence (Annica), suffering (Dhukka), and the practice of letting go (Anatta). “As a Burmese and a Buddhist, I cannot keep my mouth shut when Israel is perpetrating a fully-fledged textbook genocide in Gaza,” he said. “Seeing the tanks coming out of Gaza and hearing the airstrikes at this Rafah Crossing makes me feel I am standing in front of a mass grave. Gaza is a mass grave in the making.”
According to HfHR, the vigil was “a powerful testament to the strength of interfaith unity in the face of unimaginable suffering.” Through moments of silence, heartfelt prayers, and insuring songs, “participants reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to justice and peace.” They called on the global community “to act with urgency and compassion, to bear witness to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and to demand an immediate end to the violence,” the press release said.
The delegation urged people of all faiths and backgrounds “to refuse complicity in the face of injustice, to stand in solidarity with the oppressed, and to join their voices in a collective outcry for a ceasefire, an arms embargo, and a free Palestine,” HfHR said. “Their message was clear: in times of darkness, it is our shared humanity that must guide us toward a future of peace, dignity, and freedom for all.”