Together We Stand Unity Service Program

TOGETHER WE STAND

Interfaith Gathering for
Unity, Love and Mutual Respect

March 26, 2017
4:00 P.M.

Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries
Hollywood Hills, CA

We Stand Together
Rabbis, Imams, Ministers, Pastors, Hindu,
Buddhist, Sikh priests, and Native American Elders,
Elected officials (City, County, and State), and
community leaders: together representing the
intricate tapestry of beautiful Los Angeles

SPONSORED BY:
The Theodore Bikel Legacy Project
Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries



TOGETHER WE STAND

Interfaith Gathering for
Unity, Love and Mutual Respect

March 26, 2017
4:00 P.M.

Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries
Hollywood Hills, CA

We Stand Together

Rabbis, Imams, Ministers, Pastors, Hindu,
Buddhist, Sikh priests, and Native American Elders,

Elected officials (City, County, and State), and
community leaders: together representing the

intricate tapestry of beautiful Los Angeles

SPONSORED BY:
The Theodore Bikel Legacy Project
Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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COME GATHER

"Hineh Ma Tov (How good it is)"
Traditional

Melody by Hillel Tigay
Hineh ma tov, u’ma na’im
shevet acheem gam yachad:
hineh ma tov, u’man na’im
shevet ach-yot gam yachad.

How good, and how pleasant,
When brethren sit together

Welcome

AIMEE GINSBURG BIKEL
Director, Theodore Bikel Legacy Project
LEN LAWRENCE
General Manager, Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries
LAURA FRIEDMAN
Assemblymember representing the 43rd District

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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CALL TO PRAYER

"Holy Ground"
Lyrics and melody by Craig Taubman

Every second, every minute, every hour, every day
Everything, everyone, every place, every way
Where you walk, where you stand, where you love, where you pray
All of life is holy ground
Every he, every she, everyone, every who
It’s in her, it’s in them, it’s in me, and it’s in you
In the bitter, in the sweet, in the calm, in the storm
All of life is holy ground
So walk as if it’s holy ground.
Breathe as if it’s all around
Talk and make a holy sound
Take your shoes off; you’re on holy ground
When you hurt, when you heal, when you laugh, when you pray
When you hold and when you keep, when you give it away
Every second, every minute, every hour, every day
All of life is holy ground
So walk as if it’s holy ground
Breathe as if it’s all around
Talk and make a holy sound
Take your shoes off; you’re on holy ground
We are one journey, one story, one tapestry we weave
One people, one glory, one legacy we leave
Every second, every minute, every hour, every day
Everything, everyone, every place, every way
Where you walk, where you stand, where you love and where you pray
All of life is holy ground
Can you feel the holy ground
Take your shoes off you’re on holy ground

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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JOIN HEARTS

RABBI CHAIM SEIDLER-FELLER
Director Emeritus UCLA Hillel

"We Are Standing Here Together"
(Please read responsively)
First God created the Light; by God’s power God created all
people equal. From One Light came the entire universe. So who
is good, and who is bad.

—GURU GRANTH SAHIB

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings
endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality
helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the
tormentor, never the tormented.

—ELIE WIESEL

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Intolerance lies at the core of evil. Not the intolerance that results
from any threat or danger. But intolerance of another being who
dares to exist. Intolerance without cause. It is so deep within us….
Our only way out is to learn compassion without cause. To care
for each other simply because that ‘other’ exists”

—RABBI MENACHEM MENDEL SCHNEERSON,
THE LUBAVITCHER REBBE’

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I
wish we may be permitted to pursue it.

—THOMAS JEFFERSON

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to
suppress religious freedom, or to use religion as a pretext for
hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the
various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance,
and respect for the dignity and rights of others.

—POPE FRANCIS

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
And hold fast, all together, by the rope which God (stretches out
for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember
with gratitude God’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and
He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became
brethren

—THE QURAN 3:103

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread
within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All
things are bound together. All things connect.

—CHIEF SEATTLE, DUWAMISH

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
And if a man from another country is living in your land with you,
do not make life hard for him; Let him be to you as one of your
countrymen and have love for him as for yourself; for you were
living in a strange land, in the land of Egypt: I am the YHVH your
God.

—LEVITICUS, 19:33-34

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every
human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every
human being and see God within them- that moment I am free
from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free

—SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

—MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is a rainbow- red,
yellow, brown, black and white- and we’re all precious in God’s
sight.

—JESSE JACKSON

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things; but
with compassion, you must do what you can to stop them — for
they are harming themselves, as well as those who suffer from
their actions.

—DALAI LAMA

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground,
mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery,
unique and not to be judged

—RUMI

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
All the nations and peoples are too closely knit together for any
one of them to imagine that it can live apart. Peace has been said
to be indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity, and so also is
disaster in this one world that can no longer be split into isolated
fragments.

—JAWAHARLAL NERHU

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
I see a time of Seven Generations when all the colors of humanity
will gather under the Sacred Tree of Life and the whole Earth
will become one circle again...I salute the light within your eyes
where the whole Universe dwells. For when you are at that
center within you and I am that place within me, we shall be one.

—CRAZY HORSE, OGLALA LAKOTA SIOUX

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and
the hope of the slave. I rise, I rise, I rise.

—MAYA ANGELOU

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)
It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because
they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep
them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people
are really good at heart.

—ANNE FRANK

(“We are Standing Here. We Are Standing Here Together.”)

WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR EACH OTHER

RABBI ED FEINSTEIN
Valley Beth Shalom

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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…AND BLESS

Candle Lighting and Blessing ceremony:

GRANDMOTHER GLORIA ARELLANES
Tongva Tribe Elder
MAHOMED KHAN
King Fahad Mosque
PASTOR AND MRS. BOYD
FAME church
RABBI NAOMI LEVY
Nashuva
PANDIT VINOD DAVE'
Hindu priest and community leader
GESHE TENZIN TSETHER
GESHE THUPTEN GYALTSEN
ANNIE MCCORMICK
Tibetan Buddhist Center
RT. REVEREND ALEXEI SMITH
Roman Catholic Archdiocese, LA
DR. ROSE ASLAN
Islamic Center of the West Valley
GRANTHI ANGAD SINGH
Sikh chaplain, USC
ANI ZONNEVELD
President, Muslims for Progressive Values
REVEREND SUSAN WEBSTER KLEIN
Rector, St Alben’s Episcopal Church
RABBI KEN CHASEN
Leo Baeck Temple

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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…AND LOVE

"One Voice" written by Barry Manillow
Sung by The Life Choir (Love Inspiration Faith Everlasting)
Just One Voice, Singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice,
Singing so they hear what’s on your mind,
And when you look around you’ll find
There’s more than One Voice.
Singing in the darkness, Joining with your One Voice,
Each and every note another octave,
Hands are joined and fears unlocked,
If only One Voice would start it on its own
We need just One Voice facing the unknown,
And that One Voice would never be alone
It takes that One Voice.
Just One Voice singing in the darkness,
All it takes is One Voice, shout it out and let it ring.
Just One Voice,
It takes that One Voice,
And everyone will sing!

…AND OUR COMMUNITY

Community Address:
THE HONORABLE ERIC GARCETTI
Mayor City of Los Angeles

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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AS WE SING TOGETHER

"America The Beautiful"
Traditional Lyrics: Katherine Lee Bates

Additional Lyrics: Noel Stookey.
Music: Samuel A Ward

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
Oh, nation of the immigrant the slave and native son
Whose loyal families labor still that we may live as one
America, America, renew thy founder’s call
Let liberty and justice be the right of one and all
Oh bountiful of forest green, of lake and fertile lands
Where seeds of hope are tended
by thy sons and daughters hands
America, America the earth still calls to thee
Where human life and nature strive to live in harmony
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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"We Shall Overcome"
Lyrics (adapted): Charles Albert Tindley

We shall overcome, we shall overcome
We shall overcome someday…
And deep in our hearts, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday
We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand
We’ll walk hand in hand, someday…
We shall all be free, we shall all be free,
We shall all be free someday….
We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday….
We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are not afraid TODAY…
We are not alone, we are not alone,
We are not alone TODAY…
The whole wide world around, the whole wide world around,
The whole wide world around someday
Oh deep in my heart, I do believe
We shall overcome someday

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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IN MEMORY OF OUR ANCESTORS

El Maleh Rachamim: God, Filled with Compassion
Traditional Jewish Funeral prayer

Sung by Hazzan Mike Stein, Temple Aliyah
Yiddish Translation by Miri Koral

Eyl Ma-ley ra-cha-mim sho-cheyn bam-ro-mim. Ham-tzey m’nu-
cha n’cho-na ta-chat kan-fey hash-chi-na im k’do-shim ut’ho-rim
k’zo har ha-ra-ki-a maz-hi-rim l’nish-mot ya-ki-rey-nu sh’hal-chu
l’o-la-mam. Ba’al ha-ra-cha-mim yas-ti-reym b-sey-ter k’na-fav
l’o-la-min, v’yitz-ror bitz-ror ha-cha-yim et nish-ma-tam. Adonai
Hu na-cha-la-tam. V’ya-nu-chu b’sha-lom al mish-ka-vam.
V’no-mar amen.
EL MALEI RACHAMIM
(© Translation by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels)
We are but a tiny and precious part of a Grand Oneness that
is filled with the potential for mercy in moments great and
seemingly small—in high places, low places and all places.
At this moment and in this place, may the Oneness-of-Everything
feel like sheltering wings for us, and for the living energies of all
whom we remember.
Today and always may we feel them woven into the fabric of our
lives, urging us to create times and places of peace.
May we become one with these feelings as we all say together:
Amen.

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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REFLECTING ON THE KADDISH
(© Translation by Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels)
Let our lives become one for the sake of a world filled with
blessing, at this time and always.
Let us dedicate every action and every word to the creation of
respect and honor for every one and every thing, because we
share a Oneness that cannot be captured in all the songs and
poems that we might say or sing.
For us and for all who dwell on earth, may the blessing of peace
and the promise of life come true.
Let us envision Peace in all places so that we create Peace
among us here today and for all the world.
 

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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AND ACT TOGETHER

Declaration of Commitment to Unity and Mutual Respect
• Whereas, the county of Los Angeles, CA is comprised of

a multitude of races, ethnicities, spiritual beliefs, and life
preferences.
• Whereas, these characteristics make up a beautiful cultural
and linguistic diversity of which we are all proud,
• Whereas, we all revere our sacred sites, including our
cemeteries, our sacred grounds and our places of worship,
• Whereas, we have seen, in other places, acts of violence and
desecration of sacred sites targeting certain people because
of intolerance, prejudice and blind hatred for “the other”
• Whereas, we reject in the strongest possible way such acts
and crimes of hatred,
• Whereas, we believe that we are indeed our brother’s and
sister’s keeper
• We, the People, do hereby adopt and affirm the following
pledge of unity, an act of oneness in the face of those who
would turn us against each other, destroying our respect,
our love for each other and our vision of a caring, mutually
supportive, peace, loving society.

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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UNITY PLEDGE

We hereby declare that we will always act with compassion and
respect for all in our community: all races, ethnicities, spiritual
beliefs, and life preferences.
We will confront hatred, racism, prejudice and xenophobia, by
speaking out loudly whenever and wherever they occur.
We will resist, denounce, and speak out against, any policy or
action motivated by prejudice and hate.
We will live in peace with our brothers and sisters!
Today, together we pledge that we will only support programs,
policies and legislation that are motivated by and embody
compassion, love, and mutual respect, and that elevate all people
toward a common vision of equality.
We celebrate our commitment to improve interfaith and inter-
community relations and, by this means, we pledge to live
peacefully together—sharing active concern for one another.
Together we declare that everyone’s sacred places are sacred to
us all and that we will rise to the defense of any and all sacred
sites when/if they are under threat or subjected to hate-filled
attacks.
This is our sacred bond. We, The People, located in Los Angeles
County, California, do hereby adopt this Unity Pledge.
Remarks by:
SENATOR BEN ALLEN
California State Senator, 26th District

MOUNT SINAI MEMORIAL PARKS AND MORTUARIES

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FINAL PRAYER

(Read Together)
As we leave this place, a holy place, a place of memory and
respect.
We acknowledge our humanity, our frailties.
How difficult it is for us to keep our promises.
But we also feel our strength.
Our ability to do what is good and right.
Not just for one but for all.
Good and right not just for one part of the planet.
But for all the planets and the stars and the galaxies known and
unknown.
We feel our strength Because we have stood today with each
other And for each other.
A part of each of each of us will remain with all of us to be
shared with everyone we meet from this day forward.

“Shalom… Salaam… Om Shanti…
Tashi Delek… Aho… Let it be.”

THE THEODORE BIKEL LEGACY PROJECT

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EVENT ORGANIZED AND SERVICE WRITTEN BY
Aimee Ginsburg Bikel, Rabbi Neil Comess—Daniels,

and Hazzan Mike Stein under the auspices of
The Theodore Bikel Legacy Project.
SPONSORED BY

Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries.
SPECIAL THANKS TO

The Honorable Ron Galperin, City Controller
Graphic Visions Commercial Printing, Burbank CA
Holly Goldsmith—Designed the Declaration of Unity

800-600-0076
www.mountsinaiparks.org

Hollywood Hills FD 1010
5950 Forest Lawn Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Dedicated to the community as
a service of Sinai Temple of Los Angeles.