On the 40th Anniversary of the Juneteenth Festival in Santa Clara County, the Silicon Valley Interreligius Council (SiVIC) Board of Directors and Affiliates congratulate African American Community Service Agency for celebrating 158 years of freedom of African Americans from slavery. This year the festival takes place over seven days from June 13 to June 19 both In-person events and virtual getherings. The festival includes wide variety of food, artwork, retailers, community services and local businesses have been a major draw for event attendees.  Please visit: “https://www.sjaacsa.org/juneteenth/home” for more detials and schedule. You need to register for the events.

The Festival celebrates African American heritage and is an opportunity to educate the community on topics ranging from health to educational and financial literacy. This year, as the community is re-emerging after a long year of struggle, celebrating our resilience together will be especially meaningful. For more infoon each event, please click: “http://sivicouncil.org/events” .

Yet another tragedy struck by the hands of a gunman. This was right here in our city. How do we once again mourn the loss of nine people, along with many wounded? Sending thoughts and prayers is good, but not enough. Not enough to truly assuage the grief of the loved ones. May we find a way for people of all stripes, all beliefs, to come together to help prevent another such tragedy.

The Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) Board and Affiliates, are deeply saddened to learn of the mass shooting at VTA Light-rail yard early this morning. We extend our prayers and our support to the entire VTA family for this horofic loss. We pray for the speedy and full recovery of those injured in the incident. Our prayers are with the families of the deceased.

The Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (SiVIC) wishes to express sorrow and condolences to our Jewish friends for their loss of friends & family while attending a pilgrimage in Israel. We extend our prayers and our support to the Jewish community everywhere. We pray for the speedy and full recovery of those injured in the incident. Our prayers are with the families of the deceased.

A stampede at a religious festival attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel has killed at least 44 people and injured about 150 early Friday. May they rest in peace.