PASCACK VALLEY—As people of faith, we are called to be for each other. That requires our commitment to speaking up and engaging in actions that promote our care for one another. We are committed to strengthening our relationships through mutual dialogue and support. We are committed to showing up for each other when hate incidents appear. We are committed to practices that deescalate the toxic atmosphere in our towns. And we are committed to being the good neighbors our religious traditions teach us to be.
We write this statement with that sacred commitment at heart. These days are holy for members of the Abrahamic faiths; Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Ramadan has begun for our Muslim brothers and sisters. Soon our Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters will celebrate Easter and Passover.
We, religious leaders from throughout Northern New Jersey, are committed to ending antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, discrimination, and violence in our community.
In the days and months following Oct. 7, we have witnessed a proliferation of actions and behaviors impacting the freedom, safety, and integrity of our wider community. These incidents include students finding swastika graffiti in classrooms and other school areas while family members and parents engage in an ever-escalating cycle of intimidation through words shared in person and online. We have seen friendships built over a lifetime split apart under the strain of the current crisis.
While we are strong and mutually supportive of one another, the kinds of relationships we have worked to foster in our communities since the Upper Pascack Valley Clergy Council’s first interfaith Thanksgiving service in 1969 have frayed over the last few months. These ongoing incidents are unacceptable and run counter to the values of our religious traditions and the respect, inclusion, and understanding we strive to cultivate throughout Northern New Jersey.
Each of our faith traditions values the life and dignity of each person. We cannot stand idly by when human life is at stake. No one should fear for their lives and safety because of their religious or cultural identity. Children should be able to focus on their learning without worry or anxiety. Adults, neighbors, and all who call the Pascack Valley and Northern New Jersey home should feel supported and valued.
We will not always agree, or see eye to eye, but even when we disagree we can choose to love one another. May our words and actions embody the hope at the center of our Ramadan, Easter and Passover celebrations.
Signed,
- Rev. Marc A. Stutzel, Christ Lutheran Church, Woodcliff Lake; Chair of the Upper Pascack Valley Clergy Council;
- Cantor Emeritus Mark Biddleman, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, Woodcliff Lake ;
- Rev. Vincent D’Agostino, Our Lady of Mercy Church, Park Ridge;
- Rajinder P. Gandhi, Chair, Board of Trustees Vedic Temple, Park Ridge;
- Rev. Dr. Sam Goertz, Montvale Free Evangelical Church, Montvale;
- Pastor Sharon Gross, Pascack Reformed Church, Park Ridge;
- Rabbi Loren Monosov, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, Woodcliff Lake;
- Rabbi Debra Orenstein, Congregation B’nai Israel, Emerson;
- Rabbi Daniel Pernick, Beth Am Temple, Pearl River, N.Y.;
- Rabbi Ilana Schwartzman, Beth Haverim Shir Shalom, Mahwah;
- Cantor Alan Sokoloff, Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, Woodcliff Lake;
- Rev. Dr. Mark Suriano, First Congregational Church, Park Ridge;
- Esra Tozan, Peace Islands Institute
- Rev. Heeyoung (Lucas) Lim, Westwood United Methodist Church;
- Rev. Andrée Cornelia Mol, Central Unitarian Church, Westwood;
- Rev. Anthony Puca Jr., Grace Episcopal Church, Westwood; Chair of the Westwood Clergy;
- Rev. Thomas Pranschke, Zion Lutheran Church, Westwood
- Rev. Rodney Haveman, Parkside Community Church, Westwood.