It was 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and about 200 people had gathered at the César Chávez Park in Berkeley. Cold and windy, it soon began to rain. But people of all faiths, and no faith, came to participate in an Interfaith Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage, one of thousands held across the world on March 23.
Reverend Deborah Lee of Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity (IM4HI) spoke about the goals of the pilgrimage. “We hope it’s a spiritually powerful time for all who participate in it and that it sends a message to the elected officials, Senator Padilla and Senator Butler, that the Interfaith community is speaking, with very large numbers, that we walk during this holy season, whether it’s Ramadan for Muslims, Lent for Christians, or Purim for Jews, that we’re choosing to walk as part of our spiritual reflection for this year. It’s very hard to go about business as usual with our holidays, knowing about the devastation, the starvation, the destruction, and the ongoing harm that’s being committed each day. We cannot ignore it. So, we’re choosing to center it.”
In the East Bay, well over 1,000 people of all ages walked all or part of the 22-mile pilgrimage, from Berkeley, through Oakland, and ending in Alameda, a distance that mirrors the miles from Gaza City in the north to the Rafah crossing refugee camp in the south of Gaza. Many people carried olive branches, which represent the place that the olive tree holds for Palestinians, as a symbol of peace, resiliency, and self-sufficiency.
The symbolic pilgrimage called for an enduring ceasefire in Gaza, the opening of food, water, and fuel as humanitarian assistance, the release of all hostages – both Israeli hostages held by Hamas and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons – and an end to Israeli occupation of Palestine. Oakland Voices spoke with some of the people participating in the action over the weekend.
Gabe Ayala
Gabe drove in from Vacaville.
“This is probably the best thing I can do. I feel like it’s basic humanity when you see dead children, children dying every day, to use your voice to do anything you can to spread awareness to other people. To lend your voice, your body. The olive branch is a symbol of Palestine. I know the settlers and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) are uprooting and burning olive trees in the West Bank.”
Towela McMahon, Wen, Nefertiti, Reverend Kelvin Sauls, and Colin Cook Miller
This group of five arrived together, having just met on the 5.3-mile leg of the walk from Berkeley to St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland. The pilgrimage made them feel like fast friends. They spoke about why they had come on the pilgrimage.
Towela McMahon: “I’m a mom. I have two little girls that are five and seven and I’ve been watching and been horrified at the treatment of children. I don’t know what we can say about this earth when children are slaughtered in this way. So, I’m here to think about them, to remember them, and to grieve for them.”
Wen: “I came to express solidarity with the people of Palestine and let them know that they are not alone and we’re here with them and we will continue to walk in prayer with them.”
Reverend Kelvin Sauls: “I was born and raised in South Africa, so I was compelled to be here, in the streets, while my country continued to be in the courts, challenging the apartheid Israel government. Nelson Mandela was clear when he said that South Africans will be free, completely free, only when Palestinians are free. I am here in that spirit of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, saying ‘No,’ to settler colonization, military occupation, economic exploitation, and environmental degradation. And, ceasefire for us is merely a port of entry towards an end to the occupation.”
Prava
“I’m here in support of Palestine and a ceasefire. I’ve reached out to members of Congress, but I wanted to do something to physically show my actions, in the streets.”
Julie McDevitt
“I was surprised at how many people got there at 7 o’clock in the morning. There was a pastor from San Leandro and a Christian Palestinian pastor that spoke. It was so powerful. Their words, just grounding people, the intention of walking. People seemed excited to be there. I come from a Catholic tradition and have walked pilgrimages before, so that idea of praying with your feet resonated with me. I just love the idea of mapping the geography of Gaza onto the East Bay because I think that, when you walk it, it gives you such a different perspective on it. Like, what is it to walk 20 miles, which is the distance many people have had to flee in search of safety, even though leaving their homes and traveling so far, they cannot escape the danger.”
Hulissa Aguilar and Yamilet Deniz
Both 18 years old and high school seniors, Hulissa and Yamilet completed the entire 22-mile pilgrimage and seemed proud of and energized by their accomplishment, when Oakland Voices spoke with them at the end of the pilgrimage at the Islamic Center of Alameda.
Hulissa: “I’m the youth leader and social media coordinator with Interfaith Movement 4 Human Integrity, which is one of the organizations that hosted this pilgrimage. I just wanted to come because with everything that’s happening, I need to take action. I can’t continue to just watch as genocide happens before our eyes. I try to get involved in any way I can, whether it’s attending a protest or calling my elected officials. I think this is a perfect opportunity to see what it’s like to be someone in Gaza. It really feels like a dream. To see the physical, the emotional, the mental part.”
Yamilet: “We definitely got a new perspective. I found out about it through Hulissa and her work. Not everybody advocates with their voice. I know I’m able-bodied and I know I have the capacity to do it. So to me, making that sacrifice is really valuable and it’s an opportunity for me to walk for those who can’t. And you’re able to participate in things that other people don’t have the chance to. This is my first event. But, it’s not my last.”
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Note: Some people requested to use their first names only.
Katharine Davies Samway has lived in Oakland for over 35 years. She is a long-term educator — a teacher, a researcher, a teacher educator, a professor of education.
Katharine, you did a beautiful job capturing the spirit of the pilgrimage and the diversity of participants. It was an. Amazing event. Thank you for reporting so well. Judy Luce