FREE VIGIL AND PRAYER SPACE
Prayer Vigil & Ritual for Palestine / Israel
with Omid Safi, Rae Abileah, and Daniel Foor
Since October 7, more than 10,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have been killed. As we write this, bombs continue to drop on Gaza where over 240 Israelis are being held hostage (while over 7,000 Palestinian political prisoners are behind bars). This horrific violence is the most recent manifestation of 75 years of occupation of Palestine by the State of Israel and allied powers.
In addition to tangible forms of activism and peace work, allowing space to feel the fullness of our experience is also critical. In this spirit, we invite you to join this free, public ritual to receive and extend support, and to gather in prayer and heart-centered ritual.
Ritual co-leaders will invite participants to find resource in supportive community and in their direct connection with the Sacred. In addition to intending a space for recharge, we’ll extend prayer to the living, to the dead, and to the greater web of relations impacted by human violence. There will be opportunity to participate in one of three break-out spaces anchored by Jewish (Rae), Muslim (Omid), and general leadership (Daniel), all within the larger intent to remain centered and effective in service to the struggle for collective liberation.
At Ancestral Medicine, we hold that systemic change, spiritual practice, and personal wellness are inseparable. Please read the FAQ below to know if this event is right for you. We aim to hold inclusive spaces, rooted in core values, that allow for a wide range of ancestral and life experiences.
In lieu of a fee for us, please consider donating to any of the reputable organizations listed below.
Match our $1500 donation (you’re welcome to spread the donations across several orgs) and we’re pleased to offer free access to one online course at any time, now or in the future. Just email your receipts that total $1500 or more to info@ancestralmedicine.org, and we’ll make it so.
Audio
Our presenters were kind enough to share ample resources to be in action, to educate ourselves, and for support in prayer.
TO BE IN ACTION
- BDS Movement: the Palestinian call for nonviolent economic activism.
- Resources from our friends at SAND for sending aid to Gaza, and for therapists wanting to offer trauma counseling
- A list of creative action tools from the org Rae is affiliated with, Beautiful Trouble.
- Jewish Voice for Peace
- A piece on Shomeret Shalom (non violent Judaism) from Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and another piece from her on Jews against genocide.
- Ceasefire toolkit from US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
- Find a protest in the US
FOR SUPPORT IN PRAYER
From Rae, Arabic and Hebrew Chants and Songs of Counter-Oppressive Devotion
IMPORTANT READS
- The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017 by Rashid Khalidi
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine by Ilan Pappé
- And this long list of free E-Books
Ancestral Medicine supports the international call for a ceasefire.
Presenters
Omid Safi
Omid Safi is a teacher in the Islamic mystical tradition of Radical Love, and serves as a professor of Islamic studies at Duke University. His passion for teaching has been recognized through his ten-time nomination for professor of the year. Memories of Muhammad is his award-winning biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His most recent book is Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition. His next books are forthcoming from Yale University Press on the Persian Sufi Kharaqani, and from Princeton University Press on Rumi’s Masnavi. Omid is committed to the intersection of spirituality and liberation. He often appears as an expert on Islam in the New York Times, Newsweek, Al-Jazeera, PBS, NPR, and other outlets. He has a podcast (“Sufi Heart”) and teaches online courses through Illuminated Courses. He also offers spiritually oriented contemplative journeys and retreats which have brought more than 1,200 friends from over twenty countries. Illuminated Tours.
Rae Abileah
Rae Abileah (she/her) is a Kohenet Jewish clergy person, social change strategist, writer, and workshop facilitator. She is a trainer at Beautiful Trouble, an international network of artist-activist-trainers helping grassroots movements become more creative and effective, and is the co-creator of the global Climate Ribbon art ritual. Rae is a contributing author to books including Beyond Tribal Loyalties: Personal Stories of Jewish Peace Activists. She’s a first-generation American, and her Dutch, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Israeli ancestry informs her work toward dismantling white supremacy. Rae is based on Unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land, Half Moon Bay, CA, US. Learn more: www.createwell.io | @raeabileah
Daniel Foor
Daniel is a doctor of psychology, animist, experienced ritualist, and the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. He is an initiate in the Òrìṣà tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa and has learned from Mahayana Buddhism and the older ways of his English and German ancestors. Daniel is a US Fulbright scholar (Cairo, 2000), a student of Arabic and Islamic histories, and an (again) practicing Muslim who now lives with his wife and two daughters near Granada, Spain. Learn More
Frequently Asked Questions
At Ancestral Medicine we stand firmly behind Palestinians’ right to freedom, safety, and human rights.
We oppose Zionism just as we oppose antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of racism and bigotry. We affirm all that is holy and life-affirming about diverse faith traditions. We seek to embody our core values with nuance and kindness, and in this moment that means centering the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the atrocities unfolding for the two million residents of Gaza.
Any participant engagement in these gatherings that includes bigotry toward Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, Israelis, etc will be contained and the person bringing that energy will be removed from the call. These gatherings are primarily rituals/prayer vigils and a time to gather, from the heart, in community ritual in support of a ceasefire and lasting peace.
Yes, this event will be recorded, and we’ll share the link for free following the event with all who registered.
This depends on what constitutes safety for you. There is no need to speak in group or to identify with any position to attend. You don’t have to be on video and you can change your Zoom screen name to Peace-Loving Introvert, no problem.
Although the chat on Zoom will be off, we may allow space for some participants to share from the heart and it’s entirely possible they express something that is difficult to hear and/or the co-anchors respond to a share differently than you would prefer. If that possibility feels unsafe, then this may not be a fit for you.
Our organizational position, as clarified in the FAQ above, is one of calling for a ceasefire and of general solidarity with Palestinian peoples. We, at the same time, denounce antisemitism and seek to uplift diverse Jewish-led organizations, both within and outside of Israel, who are calling for a ceasefire and for meaningful steps to address the occupation.
All that said, the focus of this gathering is not primarily political but more about receiving and extending support through shared spiritual practice. Of course if the space isn’t a match for you, it’s also always easeful to leave the call.
These events directly address vulnerable topics related to ongoing violence and harm in the world. The material may stir complicated emotions for some participants on both personal and ancestral levels. Support may be helpful as this gathering is not a replacement for personal therapy or spiritual care.
Please consider reaching out to your trusted support network if needed. You may also consider contacting someone in the Ancestral Medicine Practitioner Network for one-on-one support and guidance. Most are available for private individualized sessions, and many are willing to provide low-cost sessions to support financial accessibility needs.
We’d be happy to help with additional questions. Reach out to info@ancestralmedicine.org and someone from our team will be in touch, usually within one or two business days.
In the context of this event in particular, please know that our customer support team is not available to debate our organizational stance on these topics. See FAQ above for more on that if needed, and it’s OK to disagree.
