On Saturday, March 23, as many as 2,000 people walked 22 miles from Berkeley to Alameda—the distance from Gaza City to the Rafah crossing refugee camp—as part of a global initiative of solidarity pilgrimages calling for a sustained ceasefire in Gaza. The daylong event began at 7 a.m. in Berkeley’s Cesar Chavez Park and ended at Maya Lin School in Alameda.
Similar pilgrimages took place in 173 cities in 19 countries, calling for four basic demands—an enduring and sustained ceasefire; immediate food, water, aid, fuel, and humanitarian assistance; a release of all hostages held by both Hamas and the Israeli prison system; and an end of occupation.
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity Executive Director Reverend Deborah Lee estimates between 1,800-2,000 people participated in the walk from Berkeley to Alameda throughout the day.
“The Pilgrimage was an outpouring of the faith community’s heartbrokenness and horror at the killing, bombing and starvation being enacted on Gaza and Palestinians,” Lee told the Alameda Post. “It was a call for an immediate end to violence and a permanent ceasefire to begin the process of lasting peace, which cannot be achieved through violence. We walked many miles and prayed together across our traditions as we contemplated what the Bay Area would look like if it were Gaza, with 70% of homes destroyed, infrastructure ruined, and 80% of the population displaced.”
Lee said she visualized Rafah when she arrived in Alameda. “We imagined what it would be like for 80% of the population of Berkeley and Oakland to be displaced onto the island of Alameda, which would be Rafah City on the map,” she said. “The population of Rafah City before October 7 was 275,000. Now it has close to 1.4 million people looking for clean water and their daily food while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to invade Rafah.”
Along the journey, participants carried ceasefire banners and wore prayer scarves in addition to carrying two prominent symbols—olive branches, a symbol of peace and the people of Palestine, and a letter to Senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler requesting a meeting and their commitment to the four demands of the pilgrimage.
The day included scheduled stops for prayer, liturgy, and ritual at St. Columba Catholic Church in Oakland, Buddhist Church of Oakland, First Congregational Church of Oakland, Lake Merritt United Methodist Church in Oakland, and Buena Vista United Methodist Church in Alameda. These stops also provided participants the opportunity to only take part in portions of the walk as they saw fit.
While many pilgrimage participants filtered in and out of the group throughout the day, popping in at different stops and walking as long as they were able, there was a dedicated core group of individuals who walked the entire 22 miles.
“I was heartened by the outpouring of participation in prayer and commitment to action for a lasting ceasefire,” Reverend Dr. Allison Tanner of Oakland’s Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church told the Post. “This is a reminder of the interfaith community’s shared commitment to the sacredness of all life and the need to join together when anyone is being treated inhumanely. This pilgrimage is a profound way to collectively put our multiple faiths in action.”
Alameda resident and artist Marcy Voyevod participated in the last leg of the walk. Lately she has been painting war-inspired pieces. A member of Alameda Friends and Families for Ceasefire, she has attended several City Council meetings to show her support for Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft’s letter to federal officials regarding a ceasefire in Gaza. “Today was wonderful,” Voyevod told the Post. “I talked to so many great people. Just everybody gathering together is nice.”
As the artist walked, she thought about peace. “I’m not thinking about who’s right or who’s wrong or who did what to who,” she said. “I cannot deal with all this horrible, cruel, crazy sh*t. So I just keep thinking about peace.”
Numerous congregations participated in the pilgrimage, including Albany/El Cerrito 4 Ceasefire, All Souls Episcopal, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Berkeley Methodist United Church, Bethel Community Presbyterian, Beyt Tikkun Synagogue, Church Without Walls Berkeley, Clergy for Black Lives, College Avenue Presbyterian, First Congregational Church of Alameda, First Congregational Oakland, First Presbyterian Church of Hayward, First Unitarian Church Oakland, Freely in Hope, Haven Berkeley, If Not Now-Bay Area, Imani Community Church, Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California, Jewish Voice for Peace, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Lighthouse Mosque, Middle East Children’s Alliance, Montclair Presbyterian Church, New Hope Covenant Church, NorCal Sabeel, Oak Life Church, Palestinian Christians for Justice, Plymouth United Church of Christ, Rabbis for Ceasefire, Sacred Heart Oakland, Sama Sama Cooperative, Save West Berkeley Shellmound, Shomeret Shalom Community, Sojourner Truth Presbyterian, Strawberry Creek Friends Meeting, Twin Towers United Methodist Church, and Zen Peacemakers.
Kelsey Goeres is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Kelsey-Goeres.
