Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage: Buffalo, NY

"The questions when we face injustice and suffering should not always be 'Where is God?' In the midst of suffering, many times the question should be 'Where was the church?'" -Rev. Munther Isaac, Pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Occupied Palestine

Where was the church? For over five months, the global church has been largely absent from the movement for a Ceasefire in Gaza. The Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage in Buffalo, NY is joining an international movement that offers one answer to that question. During Lent, when many Christians pilgrimage to or otherwise recognize the Via Dolorosa, or "Way of Suffering" that marks the path Jesus took to his crusifixion, this movement marks the suffering that Gazans endure everyday with a new pilgrimage.

What is a Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage?

Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage is a network of autonomous Christians groups with shared convictions who are engaging in a prayerful show of solidarity in cities around the world, where people during Lent will walk the length of the Gaza strip. Christians in over 145 cities across 18 countries are uniting for

1. Enduring and Sustained Ceasefire.

2. Immediate flow of life saving food, water, aid, fuel and humanitarian assistance.

3. Release of all hostages – both the Israeli hostages held by Hamas and the Palestinian hostages held in the Israeli prison system.

4. End of occupation so a just-peace can begin.

In addition to these four demands, the movement also has eight core convictions. Those convictions include nonviolent solidarity, standing against antisemitism and Islamophobia, a commitment against proselytisation, and repentence. For a full list of core convictions, see https://www.gazaceasefirepilgrimage.com/core-convictions

For more information on the Buffalo Pilgrimage, see https://gcpilgrimagebuff.weebly.com/

Where will the money go?

Funds raised by the Buffalo pilgrimage will be split between the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), Refugee Alliance International, and a local family trying to bring their loved ones out of Gaza here to Buffalo.

PCRF: https://www.pcrf.net/

PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine, delivering crucial and life-saving medical relief and humanitarian aid where it is needed most. Access to essential resources like food, clean water, and healthcare is severely limited. Urgent action is needed to ensure that the over one million children of Gaza receive the urgent care they need and deserve.

Refugee Alliance International: https://refugee-alliance.org/about

Refugee Alliance International is a community-led nonprofit which seeks to develop a sustainable future for refugees and survivors of trauma. They assist refugees and displaced people by providing humanitarian aid and emergency relief, and also support sustainable development projects like rooftop gardens. In the past they have supported residents of the Aida Refugee Camp in Bethlehem in the West Bank of Occupied Palestine, and are currently organizing to send aid into Gaza.

Hasan Abuolba's family

Hasan came to the US in 2014, originally living in the Rochester area until he moved to Buffalo about 3 years ago. He is now working hard to bring his mother, five sisters, and the surviving members of his aunt and uncle's family here as well. After raising enough money to bring his mother and sisters into Egypt, his sister Yara finally landed in the US in February. 1/3 of the proceeds of this fundraiser will go directly to Hasan, helping support Yara here, his other sisters and mother in Egypt, and his family still in Gaza.