Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) builds interreligious harmony and understanding to promote a just and compassionate society in Silicon Valley.
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Santa Clara County Becomes Compassionate Community!
SiVIC Board Chair Rev. Andrew Kille, Treasurer Girish Shah, and Secretary Rev. Joy-Ellen Lipsky spoke at the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, April 25 in favor of a resolution to make Santa Clara County a Compassionate Community and to sign the Charter for Compassion. The vote of the Board of Supervisors was unanimous in favor of the resolution. This was a significant step in our Compassionate Silicon Valley Project.
For video and documentation of the Compassionate Community Resolution by the County Board of Supervisors, click here. You can find the specific location by clicking item #15 in the Agenda (it’s at about 3:04:19 in the video proceedings).
As part of the resolution, SiVIC has been charged with creating a Stewardship Group with other supportive people to “partner with local public and private entities to create a shared vision that will enhance positive change, civic engagement, and establish the County of Santa Clara as a model ‘Compassionate Community.'”
Now we need to others to join us in getting the mayors of the 15 cities of Santa Clara County to sign the Charter for Compassion.
We have taken a big first step in this program and can move forward towards the goal of Compassionate Silicon Valley!
Bay Area Religious Leaders Denounce Massacre of Coptic Christians
Following the deadly attacks on Coptic Christians in Egypt on Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Christian Holy Week, many religious leaders, groups and organizations have spoken out to express their outrage and affirm their fundamental religious commitment to peacemaking. In addition to the statement below, both ING and the Evergreen Islamic Center have spoken out.
At the threshold of this sacred and holy season, when our Christian and Jewish sisters and brothers observe and celebrate the hope of new life and liberation from oppression, we are reminded that terrorism takes no holiday.
Gruesome images of torturous atrocities committed by Islamist militants (so-called ISIS) against Coptic Christians in Egypt, praying on Palm Sunday in their sacred sanctuaries, justifiably haunt the consciences of those who live in lands where the freedom to practice religion is enshrined in and protected by the laws by which they are governed.
As San Francisco Bay Area religious leaders, we speak out with a unified voice to decry these acts of horror and denounce all expressions and acts of religious persecution. We pray for those who have perished and all who have suffered as the result of these crimes against humanity.
Interfaith leaders speak out against travel ban
SiVIC Board Members Kate Chance, Diane Fisher, and Andrew Kille joined ING Director Maha ElGenaidi at a press conference on March 6, responding to the Administration’s renewal of the immigration and refugee ban.