We continue to play whack-a-mole in resisting the infinite cruelties of U.S Imperialism.

From Minneapolis to Caracas to Gaza, it’s all connected. “The circle of impunity is widening,” says UUJME President Dana Ashrawi. “BIPOC and other targeted communities in the United States have always experienced state violence with zero to little consequence. The violence is expanding, and echoes the experience of Palestinians in the West Bank and the lack of accountability of the State of Israel and its global north enablers.”

U.S. imperialism is doing what it has always done, pillaging the wealth of other nations, harming those most at risk, and choosing profit over people. It is trying to create as many crises as possible for the people in the United States - and beyond -  its actions doing double duty as both cruel oppressions and ways to keep people busy and in despair. The  impacts are the most devastating in historically marginalized communities - trans people, LGBTQ people, immigrants, the Black, Indigenous, People of Color community, women, people with disabilities, and people in lands overseas where the resources and strategic locations are more valuable than the lives ended in service of profit. 

We mourn the killing of Renee Good, a trained observer of ICE activities, in Minneapolis. This murderous shooting by an ICE agent was less than a mile from where George Floyd was suffocated by the knee of a police officer in 2020. It occurred in the same state as the largest mass execution in U.S. history, in 1862 when 38 Dakota men were hanged. 

We mourn the loss of life and the torpedoing of international law in Caracas, Venezuela, as the tools of Empire were deployed to extract the president of Venezuela and his spouse claiming rights to control Venezuelan oil and the affairs of the country itself. 

We continue to mourn the loss of life in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and other sites around the region, where deprivation and death continue unabated, with Israel and the United States ever more brazen in their cruelties. The demand of Empire to impose its will for control of resources continues to take a deadly toll. In our country we see the rolling tide of fascist operations. But we also see the opposing tide of the people’s popular resistance.

This is the time to reach for each other – in congregations and beyond. Side with Love, to name but one UU organization, continues regular offerings to connect, refresh, and direct us back to the work of the world. Board member Rev. DL Helfer says, “I was taught long ago, and have always found it so, that when I am at my most despairing, being in service to others – whatever that looks like - shifts my perspective. So whether you are out marching or answering a defense line or feeding the unhoused, do that work. Every bit of each and every thing we do will help weave our work more strongly. As always, we are powerful when we act together.” 

We lift up all the statements issued by so many of our justice partners - including but not limited to  statements by the UUA, the UUSC, Side with Love, DRUUMM, Church of the Larger Fellowship, and beyond. We lift up UURISE, which passed an Action of Immediate Witness in 2018 calling to abolish ICE. We lift up those who are present to witness today, including  the UUJME sponsored delegation of seminarians and religious professionals witnessing Israel’s illegal settlements, apartheid, and brutal treatment of Palestinians right now. 

The harms continue, here and beyond. So too does our faith in action. Rest when you need, find courage, beloveds, and do not let the intentional overwhelm deter you. Love is, and always will be, stronger than hate. With collective action, a better world will be born.

A Diverse Coalition of Christian and Allied Organizations Speak Out in Solidiarity with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
2025-11-25

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
The Ninth Commandment | Deuteronomy 5:20

As a diverse coalition of Christian and allied organizations spanning multiple denominational, geographic, and social backgrounds, we find ourselves compelled to speak out in support of our friends, colleagues, and neighbors at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

In a brazen act of bearing false witness, Texas governor Greg Abbott designated CAIR a “terrorist organization,” accusing it of supporting “terrorism across the globe and subvert(ing) our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment” (source | source). In reality, this is politically motivated scapegoating and bigoted harassment by the governor.

We therefore demand that the governor’s office rescind its denunciation of CAIR, an organization whose mission is “to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims” (source). CAIR has responded to Governor Abbott’s accusations with a letter rejecting the governor’s claims and by filing a lawsuit against Abbott on November 20. Contrary to Governor Abbott’s claim, CAIR works diligently and courageously through the US legal system against violence, intimidation, and harassment of American citizens.

CAIR has made explicit statements against terrorism, especially against the terrorism being committed against Palestinians, both in the US and in the Middle East. Additionally, CAIR regularly issues statements condemning attacks and bigotry against people of other faiths, including Jews and Christians. A large number of Americans who oppose genocide and the terrorism being committed against Palestinians are Muslim, and government agencies continue to persecute American Muslim communities, including the harrassment and attempted deportation of students Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk. We support our Muslim neighbors who are detained without legal charges; we support CAIR in their work for holding violators of US laws, and our core values of truth, justice, and liberty, to account.

● As Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Christians, we proclaim the foundational theological truths that all have been created in the image of God with inherent dignity and worth (Genesis 1:26-27); that whatever we wish for ourselves, we must do for others (Matthew 7:12); and, that how we treat the vulnerable and marginalized is exactly the way we treat Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 25:40).

● As Quakers, we recognize the inner light of the divine within everyone and thus proclaim the equality and inherent dignity of all persons.

● As Unitarian Universalists, we uphold the fundamental value of love, and bear witness to the imperative of justice in society.

● Finally, as Americans, we hold it to be a self-evident truth that all are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.

So, we speak out at this critical moment for the values of equality, freedom, and human rights and thereby stand in solidarity with our Muslim neighbors, to demand that the governor’s office rescind its baseless and inflammatory denunciation of CAIR.

Endorsed By

Christians for a Free Palestine (CFP)
CFP is an ecumenical, grassroots, nonviolent movement dedicated to mobilizing Christians across the U.S. to take action in solidarity with Palestinians. Collectively, CFP seeks to end the genocide in Gaza and ensure a long-lasting, just, and sustainable peace for Palestinians and
Israelis.

Episcopal Peace Fellowship—Palestine Justice Network (EPF PJN)
EPF PJN is committed to the principle of just peace in Palestine and Israel that includes full human rights, self-determination, and dignity for every Palestinian. EPF PJN is grounded in the Episcopal faith tradition and exists organizationally as a network within the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA)
As a Christian Voice for Palestine, FOSNA is an interdenominational Christian organization seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land through education, advocacy, and nonviolent action. FOSNA promotes the vision of Sabeel Jerusalem, an ecumenical liberation theology movement founded by Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land.

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace (ICMEP)
ICMEP is a voice of conscience for peace, justice, human rights, and intercultural understanding. To achieve its mission ICMEP works to: break down stereotypes, provide critical analysis, promote nonviolence, and support Palestinians.

Kairos USA
Kairos USA is a movement of U.S. Christians who believe the time is right for decisive action to end the crisis in Israel and Palestine. They work to unify and mobilize American Christians – lay, academic and clergy – to take a prophetic stance for a just peace, heeding the call of Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers to stand with them in their struggle for freedom.

Nonviolence International (NVI)
NVI seeks a world of justice, peace, and environmental sanity where the worth and dignity of all people is fully realized and conflicts are resolved without resorting to violence. NVI advocates for active nonviolence and supports creative constructive nonviolent campaigns worldwide.

Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP)
PCAP is a non-sectarian, ecumenical alliance of Palestinian American Christians seeking to provide a clear voice and presence in faith-based communities in the United States. Its
inspiration stems from the Kairos Palestine document and from all faith-based communities working for peace through justice in Palestine and Israel.

Palestine Justice Network (PJN) of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Bay Area
PJN PCUSA covenants to engage, consolidate, nourish, and channel the energy in the Presbyterian Church (USA) toward the goal of a just peace by facilitating education, promoting
partnerships, and coordinating advocacy.

Peace & Justice Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago
The Peace and Justice Committee works on the root causes of oppression and violence
seeking systemic change. We are involved in advocacy and education with a special focus on refugee work, gun violence, economic justice, the Middle East, immigration reform, anti-racism work, support for the Standing Rock reservation, and LGBTQ issues.

Quaker Palestine Israel Network (QPIN)
QPIN consists of members and attenders of Quaker meetings throughout the US and across the world who share best practices and resources, learn from each other, and build solidarity for human rights, equality and freedom in Israel-Palestine.

Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME)
UUJME works to educate and mobilize individuals, congregations and denominational leaders to greater understanding and action for a just peace in Palestine/Israel, to recognize and counter inequality and injustice in Palestine/Israel, and to support allies in the global justice and anti-oppression movements.

United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)
UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis. UMKR's advocacy has several areas of focus: divestment and boycott, political action, responsible tourism, and education about the history and current conditions.

United Church of Christ Movement for Palestinian Solidarity (UCC MPS)
UCC MPS is a grassroots movement within the United Church of Christ, dedicated to advocating for a just peace in Palestine and Israel. It educates churches, supports Palestinian partners, and takes action guided by the UCC's General Synod resolutions and the Kairos Palestine Document.

UUJME Statement on the Ceasefire

It has been joyous to see clips of Palestinians in Gaza dancing in the street, with relief, with at least the hope, that Israeli bombs will stop raining down. That this “ceasefire” will hold.

And, Israel has already violated the terms of the ceasefire.

We know that this agreement was not written for the freedom or self-determination of the Palestinian people. The agreement is rife with imperialism; the post-governing body includes the US and Israel, but not Palestinians, at the table. The plan does not guarantee the end of genocide, as Trump has endorsed “finishing the job” if the agreement collapses. And Israel continues its annexation of the West Bank. Thousands are still imprisoned, and much more.

Perhaps most notably, there is no clear answer for the Palestinians – how can those left rebuild after this horror? Will they receive an adequate flow of medicine and food? How can they mourn the hundreds of thousands killed? How can they go on, let alone rebuild?

We are concerned that this US-brokered “plan” is little more than intent to “develop” Gaza in capitalist splendor, to “rebuild” it as Trump’s “Mediterranean Riviera,” or something akin. This plan holds nobody accountable for the genocide, the starvation, the destruction of a people and the entirety of their infrastructure. It does not change the essential subjugation of the Palestinians, their forced removal, imprisonment and killing, back to 1948. It does not recognize their right of return to ancestral villages.

Meanwhile, our hearts pray for the Palestinian people, hoping against hope that their dignity and freedom might be restored, that even this moment of joy might fill them with enough sustenance for continued survival.

The struggle continues. We have been and will be clear: our role is solidarity with Palestinians, now and going forward. We will follow the lead of our civil-society Palestinian partners, strive to end U.S. support for the violence against Palestinians, and move forward with the continued commitment to their freedom and self-determination.

In solidarity and resistance,

UUJME

Photo: 2025 cup decorated with keffiyeh pattern and QR code to actions list;
2024 Water Ceremony with Empty Cups for Gaza, Theodore Parker Church, Roxbury, MA

In summer of 2024, our national co-organizer India Wood initiated the Empty Cups for Gaza ritual of witness. This was intended for implementation during Ingathering and Water worship and ceremonies for Unitarian Universalist congregations that take place in August and September. The ritual was honored to be included in the UUA's Worship Web. At least 50 congregations participated, and many shared photos with us. View the Instagram reel for inspiration.

Originally named Water Communion, and now more commonly known as Water Ceremony, this worship service celebrates the interconnectedness of people and the planet. Often people bring a bit of water from their favorite waterway or from home, and the ceremony consists of people commingling the water in a communal vase or pitcher near the altar. 

Because the Palestinians in Gaza have been systematically deprived of food and water, the Empty Cups for Gaza ritual bears witness to the deprivation. To participate in this national observance, bring an empty cup or glass decorated with paper bearing the words Empty Cup for Gaza, or simply for Gaza, and place it beside the communal water vessel. Provide a sign-up sheet to collect names and contact information of congregants who would like to gather to take action in community; you or your congregation can plan a Zoom meeting for this in the coming days and weeks. Contact us for more ideas at [email protected]. 

We are providing an updated printable for you to tape or glue to your empty cup. It includes a QR code to our Actions list so that people can scan, visit, and choose an action to take to stop the starvation and the bombing. Find the printables at this link.

Take a photo of your congregation's empty cups and share with us at [email protected] to be included in this year's Instagram reel. Post your photos on social media and use the tags #EmptyCupsforGaza, #uujme, #UUIngathering, #UUWaterCeremony, and #UnitarianUniversalist. You can include these words in your social media post:

UUs across the country are taking this prayerful action in sympathy with the 2 million Palestinians in Gaza who are denied potable water by Israel, a war crime that is enabled by the United States. These people are dying of starvation, thirst, preventable disease, and weapons of war.

The intention is to augment and expand the traditional water ceremony, not to replace the existing ritual. This is not to alienate us from our traditions but to start or continue a conversation about an additional ritual element.

This silent yet powerful symbolic ritual will be only the beginning of continued conversations within each congregation as the violence in Gaza continues with no sign of a ceasefire. UUJME provides materials to help you figure out what format of conversations or actions your congregation should take next based on the needs of your unique community. 

If you would like to learn more about how to get started with Empty Cups for Gaza, please check out the recorded information session video at Empty Cup for Gaza Ingathering Ritual Q&A on Vimeo. Please discuss the idea with your local minister, other staff, and congregational leadership and bring your curiosity about how this ritual can be included. Invite them to view this ritual suggestion as bringing another seat to the table for an attitude of abundant space for ritual.

Read last year's blog post about the ritual.

Other actions you can take:

Connect with our organizer to find out more about how to gather local UUs to take action: [email protected]

Check back on our Calendar and the Side with Love Action center for our next national gathering of UUs on Zoom.