Boston Vigil Led by Interfaith Clergy Calls for Ceasefire in Gaza and Israel

The vigil took place on the steps of the Boston Public Library, where Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) joined an interfaith coalition of clergy and faith leaders. The gathering mourned the tens of thousands of Palestinians, Israelis, and other civilians killed since October 7 and renewed calls for a ceasefire to save lives, return all hostages, and deliver humanitarian aid to the region. The source describes the vigil as the largest public gathering of clergy and faith leaders for a ceasefire in Greater Boston since the Hamas attack on October 7.

Speakers and participants included Rev. Carrie Ballenger, University Lutheran and Lutheran Chaplain at Harvard; Rabbi Rebecca Hornstein, Executive Director of the Boston Workers Circle; Imam Ahmad Barry of the Islamic Institute of Boston; Rev. Darrell Hamilton of the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain; Hadar Ahuvia, a rabbinical student at Hebrew College; Rev. Willie Bodrick II of the Twelfth Baptist Church; Rabbi Becky Silverstein; Rev. Otto Concannon of First Parish Malden; and Rev. Elizabeth Carrier-Ladd of First Parish Dorchester. Hundreds of faith leaders and community members from across Greater Boston also attended.

Pressley described the event as “incredibly powerful” because of its “collective, multi-faith prayers for peace.” She said she stood with the coalition to mourn the lives lost, “turn our grief into action,” and repeat calls for an indefinite, lasting ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the swift delivery of humanitarian aid. “As God’s children and for the sake of our shared humanity, we must never be silent in the face of injustice,” she said.

Rabbi Rebecca Hornstein drew on Muslim and Jewish tradition in her remarks. “One life lost is a whole world lost, one life saved is a whole world saved,” she said. “We have lost over 25,000 worlds, and each day that goes on without a ceasefire, we will lose more and more.”

Rev. Darrell Hamilton spoke of grief for the deaths of civilians, including mothers, children, journalists, doctors, ministers, and service workers, killed in the violence. He said he grieved for “individuals and families, Jewish, Christian and Muslim,” who had suffered from the policies and actions of their nations. He also said the Church had been complicit in racism, capitalism, militarism, and settler colonialism, and added, “I grieve because Jesus grieves.”

Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations – Massachusetts, said people by nature lean toward peace, justice, and hope, and expressed the wish that leaders would feel the support of the community behind them as they make difficult decisions. Rev. Willie Bodrick II said he remained hopeful because of the Gospel of Matthew’s teaching on peacemakers, a call to pursue peace in public life (Matthew 5:9). He urged an immediate ceasefire and said the community had “a moral obligation and a collective righteous mandate to save lives right now.”

Hadar Ahuvia, a rabbinical student and member of Rabbis for Ceasefire, said she had been listening to Israeli survivors of the October 7 massacre, some of whose relatives remain in Gaza. According to Ahuvia, those survivors asked that the memories and lives of their loved ones not be used to justify revenge, and instead be honored in a blessing for peace. She said she joined the gathering and Pressley in “praying and acting for a just peace beginning with a ceasefire now.”

Last week, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Pressley and more than 100 clergy and faith leaders issued a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The source describes Pressley as a vocal and consistent advocate of diplomacy, de-escalation, and saving lives throughout the conflict.

Source: Read the original report