The Words of the Heller Family

Supporting The Jerusalem Rally For Peace

Jorg Heller
December 19, 2003

To: Jim Flynn
Cc: Nacon ; Margaret Herbers
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 10:26 AM
Subject: [NACON] Fw: Supporting the Jerusalem rally for peace

Middle East Peace Initiative: Lighting Candles for Peace Around the World

Thank you for all of your efforts in support of the Middle East Peace Initiative (MEPI). There has been a great response from around America for this initiative of reconciliation and peace in the Holy Lands. It was quite inspiring to see all who gathered for the charter flight which departed for Israel on Tuesday, December 16.

In the few days remaining before the rally in Jerusalem, we want to ask you to turn your attention to supporting MEPI in your local area. We realize that the time is very short, but please consider the following:

Light a Candle / Pray for Peace in the Middle East

1) As part of the rally in Jerusalem on December 22nd, special candles will be lit to signify the hope and commitment to peace in the hearts of all people of faith. True Parents have sent a specially blessed "seed candle" to Jerusalem for this purpose, and will have a simultaneous candle ceremony in Korea at exactly the same time as the rally ceremony in Jerusalem.

a) An important way to support this initiative is by joining in with the rally in Jerusalem by lighting a candle for peace on December 22nd. The candle ceremony will be at approximately 4:00 PM Jerusalem time, which is 9:00 AM Eastern time. At the appointed hour, please gather together with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues to light a candle and pray for peace.

b) The International Candle Lighting for Peace will be available via webcast. Please check with the Heart to Heart for Peace website at www.peacerally.info for updates on how to connect to the webcast. You will also find updates there on the rally schedule and content.

c) It is not essential that any events or activities you organize be simultaneous to the rally in Jerusalem. However, we do encourage as many as possible to join in at the time of the rally to lend your prayers and spiritual support along with the lighting of candles for peace. If you are uncertain about the time in your corresponding time zone, you can find useful information at http://timeanddate.com/worldclock/.

2) Starting from the rally in Jerusalem, the Heart to Heart for Peace goal is to send a "wave" of light around the world with the lighting of millions of candles. To make this possible, we want to organize events and gatherings from December 22nd until the end of the year.

a) Local events should be organized in the same spirit as the Jerusalem event. Please connect with your local Ambassadors for Peace network as a natural base of support. Resource materials are include in the attached "organizer's kit", and will also be available at www.peacerally.info.

b) Because of significant time zone differences, you may want to organize an event on the evening of the 21st or 22nd, local time. Or you may want to take advantage of previously planned holiday gatherings and add in a segment on Heart to Heart for Peace. Clearly this initiative can be a way to enrich and deepen the experience of many during this special time of year.

c) You may also want to consider having a special event when your "peace delegation" returns from the Holy Lands. This would provide a wonderful opportunity for those who went to share their experiences, and to bring the spirit and inspiration back to the local community. You could then include the sharing of candles that have come to your community from the rally in Jerusalem.

3) To assist your planning and preparations for local activities, we have prepared some resource materials for your use as an "organizer's kit". (Special thanks to Bento Leal for putting together these materials for us). Included in the organizer's kit are:

a) An outline of issues to consider in preparing for your event or activity.

b) A sample program for a local event.

c) Sample press release if your local organizing committee would like to promote your efforts in the media.

d) A sample proclamation that could be secured from state or local officials.

To provide a basic overview and description of this initiative, please read the following explanation prepared by the Heart to Heart for Peace Task Force office in Jerusalem:

Light a Candle for Peace in the Middle East

During this Holy Season for Muslims, Christians and Jews we proclaim that the time for peace is long overdue. Our campaign, Heart to Heart for Peace was developed to focus the attention of the world on the urgency of working for peace. Already this year, hundreds of Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders have committed to work together to find solutions to the underlying problems that have blocked the peace process until now. They understand that people of faith must work together to fight the problems that face our communities, and not each other. The political process which is underway will succeed when the peoples of Israel, supported by the world community, create bonds of mutual cooperation.

When Christian, Muslim and Jew embrace each other as children of the same God and descendants of the same ancestors, then peace becomes possible. For this reason hundreds of "Ambassadors for Peace" from America, Europe, and Asia are coming to Israel to join hands with their Jewish and Palestinian brothers and sisters to work for peace.

On December 22 at 2:00 p.m. in Independence Park these Ambassadors from around the world, along with their brothers and sisters from Israel, will hold a peace rally and candle lighting ceremony. In this holy season we will light a candle together to symbolize the hope for peace that burns in all our hearts. These thousands will be joined by millions of people all around the world, holding corresponding events and vigils for peace in their own cities and participating in the Jerusalem rally via the Internet.

The hopes and dreams of the world are focused on Jerusalem. Despite the long history of struggle and disappointments of the past, there is no road to take but the one that leads to peace.

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