Interfaith, intercultural leaders stand with Fresno mayor in show of unity

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A show of solidarity and love at Fresno City Hall, as Jewish, Palestinian, and Muslim leaders gathered behind Mayor Jerry Dyer to share the message that as war rages on in the Middle East, they stand as "One Fresno."

"You know, across this country the past two and a half months, we have experienced a lot of rallies, protests, and a great deal of division and not just in America, but across the world," said Mayor Dyer.

As war has raged on between Israel and Hamas, supporters of Israel and Palestine have gathered across the country and right here in Fresno. At one point, an Israeli flag was raised by the Mayor.

After protests and calls for support for Palestine, a Palestinian flag was raised weeks later by Council Member Miguel Arias.

On Thursday, the mayor gathered with leaders from the local Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian communities to stand together in a united front.

"All of us together believe in the promise of 'One Fresno,'" said Mayor Dyer. "We stand unified and believe there is only one side in Fresno, and that is the side of peace, unity, and non-violence."

Over the last several weeks, the group has gathered in private and said they came to find they had a shared desire for peace and coexistence and recognize their influence in Fresno.

"We cannot change the politics of the Middle East, but we can be the example for them as living together," said AJ Rassamni, a Palestinian leader.

"So, we don't want the politics, but want the humanity, and that's what we're working on, that's what we did."

"We all want all of the hostility to end, there are of course political sticking points that are not in our realm to affect, so one of the things we all agreed on was here in Fresno, it's best for us to stay out that, especially for out local politicians to stay out of that," said Rabbi Rick Winer, Temple Beth Israel.

The Fresno leaders say they understand the passion of those who are affected by and feel strongly about the war and support everyone standing up to speak their mind, but they wanted to model the ability to stand together across faiths and cultures.

"People think there is the animosity between Muslim and Jewish, and that is not the fact," said Abdul Jawad, Sierra Community Center. "Muslim and Jewish, we got along just fine, and we wanted to express to everybody that we, Muslims or Jewish, we don't have animosities, and we can live along with each other just fine."

As he wrapped up at the podium, the mayor turned to the group standing with him and apologized for any of his actions or words that may have harmed any of them in the past.

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