​when Christians recall Jesus’ entry into the city of Jerusalem.  Many who cheered Jesus’ arrival were expecting a political/military leader who would help them drive out the Roman occupiers of the Holy City.  As the week progresses, it becomes clear that Jesus is committed to a spiritually transformative way of life we call “the Kingdom of God.”  On Friday of Holy Week, Christians remember with solemnity the crucifixion of Jesus and his burial in the tomb of a friend.  Most Christians believe that Jesus was executed because his message called for a radical reorientation of society, which is captured succinctly in his teaching that the “first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” 
After Jesus was buried, Christians believe that God raised him from the dead early on the Sunday following his execution.  While Christians disagree on exactly the form of Jesus’ resurrected body, all agree that the community which sprang from this event, the Church, changed the world. 
For Christians, Easter is a sign of God’s love for humanity, and God’s desire to bring renewal, growth, and life where there was no life.  Christians also believe that because Jesus lives, they too shall live with him forever.  All that God has done in and through Jesus Christ is because of God’s great love for the world.  Christians believe that nothing, not even death itself, is able to separate us from God’s love. 
Writing about twenty years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, Paul of Tarsus, an early Christian leader, wrote that there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love.  Love, he wrote, is the greatest.  This is the essential message of Christianity: that God is Love.

This post contains strong language including racial slurs suffered by the author.

​“I’d like to see the world for once all standing hand in hand and hear it echo through the hills for peace throughout the land.”
​
Dirty jew! Kike! Jewish big nose! Jew ‘em down! Kike ‘em down!  All horrible words...scarring words...shaming words.  I heard them all.  I was called some of these.  In fact, one day, when I was in 5th grade, my mom went chasing after a boy, another 5th grader from my class, who called me a dirty jew, in the grocery store.  At the time, I was a bit embarrassed by my mom.  But now I think that was a very cool, brave move on her part.  I learned to be ashamed of being jewish...all the way up through my adulthood.  There is still an underlying scar and shame of being jewish.  As much as we were on the receiving end of this hatred, my mom, especially, was very open to me exploring other religions.  I was a Sunday fixture, along with my best friend, Pat, at the Mercer Island Covenant Church. I loved Layman’s viewpoint, where the congregants shared things that they were struggling with and asked for prayers from the other members. I also attended my share of Sunday Mass services with my friends at St. Monica’s, the Catholic Church, on the island.
The security guards that Donald Trump spoke about?  We have those at our synagogue.  “Security” is actually a line item on our yearly dues bill.  It is too bad that our money that goes for that can’t be used for other things.  Every year when I attend the high holiday services with my parents, my son asks if I will be all right.  Will I get shot?  I try to reassure him that I will be fine.  But it definitely crosses my mind, too.  A while back, I don’t recall how many years ago, there was a pipe bomb found at the local jewish community center across the street from our Synagogue.  When I go to our High Holiday services, I size up the security guards every year.  Although they are there to “harden the target”, if someone came armed with an assault rifle or a bomb, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to overpower those guards.
Antisemitism is unfortunately alive and well in Issaquah, too.  We have had swastikas sprayed on Snake Hill, in Klahanie and various places around the community, in years past. Even one day, recently, my daughter and I went to get our toenails polished and on the other side of me was a man with a swastika tattoo.  I should have spoken about it with him but I was there with my daughter and we were there to relax.  I wish that I could have engaged him in a conversation about what that swastika meant to him.  I regret not being able to do that. There is a Hebrew saying: (Eem ain ani, me le? Eem ain auchshav, matai?), If I am not for me, who will be for me?  If not now, when? We need to speak up when we see acts of hatred and intolerance. It is time to practice and advocate for kindness, love and acceptance for everyone.
​
“Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”

I am writing this piece as a proud second-generation Yemeni-American who is educating herself on the current humanitarian crisis in Yemen and attempting to spread awareness and take action. I haven’t always been so aware of Yemen’s history and culture and in fact, had to often point out where Yemen was on the map to my neighbours and classmates, but I am now completing the second year of my Master’s in Middle Eastern International Relations and couldn’t be more inspired to learn about the beautiful country from which my dad’s side of the family originates. 

Growing up, my dad reminisced on his childhood in Aden, a coastal city in the south of Yemen. His stories were full of emotion and longing, and I desperately wished I could visit. Unfortunately, it has been the poorest country in the Gulf region for a while, partially due to rampant government corruption. Today, it is embroiled in a 4-year-long devastating civil war which has exacerbated poverty, corruption, violence, and hunger. 

If you're from a country where the world has idly stood by while war, famine, humanitarian crises, human rights violations, genocide, etc. have ravaged your country, you will hopefully understand where I'm coming from with what I'm about to say.
I'm grateful the world is FINALLY waking up to the horrific atrocities that are being committed in Yemen. However, it has taken far too long and we have not only ignored Yemen, but we have actively taken a part in the blockade of food, medicine, and resources as well as the incessant air strikes through arms sales and political support of the Saudi-led coalition.
If you're asking, "What can I do to help?" there are a number of ways to get involved:
​

1. Educate yourself. Research the causes of the current situation and why it is so difficult to get food and medicine into the country and accurate information out. I can't count the number of ignorant and insensitive comments I've read, especially with the photo the New York Times posted of the Yemeni girl who was essentially skin and bones and has since passed, such as "why aren't mothers feeding their children?" (Hint: food prices have risen inextricably and the Saudi blockade has prevented food and aid from coming into the country). 14 million people, or 50% of the population, are on the brink of famine. This means they are already dying from starvation and there are reports of families eating leaves to survive. Understand how dire the situation is and that is necessary to act now.
2. Pressure your lawmakers to take action and end arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The US and the UK are especially complicit in this trade. Stop asking "why aren't the surrounding Gulf Arab countries helping?" We've seen how this logic has failed in past humanitarian crises and in this case, they are fully complicit in the crisis. It doesn't take long to call or email them.
3. Find organisations to support. I am currently fundraising for Yemen Aid, who provide medical, water sanitation, and food care. UNICEF, the International Committee for the Red Cross, CARE International, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, and the International Rescue Committee are all great NGOs to learn more about Yemen and to support financially. There are great organisations that work to end arms trade as well.

To be honest, I'm frustrated with how it has taken years to wake up and acknowledge how grave of a problem this is. I can't sleep at night knowing that my tax dollars are going to support a regime which bombs entire villages, school buses full of children, and actively prevents civilians from getting medical aid for the worst cholera outbreak in a century.

I spent the summer in Amman, Jordan, and met so many incredible Yemenis who longed to return to their country one day and for it to be as stable, beautiful, and full of life as it once was. We must take action to hold those accountable for creating and sustaining this war and humanitarian crisis and do everything in our power to help the Yemenis. 

With love, 
Yasmin Luqman

​Dear Jennifer Matheiu,
                The first time I heard the word “feminist” I was in 8th grade, and we were watching an old YouTube video of Emma Watson’s HeforShe speech as the ambassador for UN Women. She proclaimed herself a feminist confidently, and spoke fervently about equality between genders. I decided that day that I too was a feminist. I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but I agreed with everything that Emma Watson was saying she believed, so I just went with it.
                Feminism (noun): the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.
                I’m now in 10th grade, and I still call myself a feminist, but I do it with a little more meaning thanks to a couple of different experiences. In January 2017, I participated in the Women’s March in Seattle. Because of some political events of 2016, I was starting to pay more attention to the injustice in our country – but more than that, I was looking at the injustice done to women. So I got on my pussy hat, grabbed my sign, and marched with my mom, grandma, and millions of other women around the globe. Also, in my honors humanities class in 9th grade, we had to make a documentary with a group about a problem facing our world today. My group’s topic was women’s rights, and we decided to focus on the pay gap in the United States. For five months, we researched facts, interviewed women (including a gender equity specialist), watched documentaries, and read books to be able to understand the problem. I loved and hated it. To see the evidence of such injustice in our country was hard, but I thrived on collecting new information, and I felt like I was making a (small) difference. I was discovering a love for social justice issues, and I proudly proclaimed it.
                However, I sometimes get confused about the way others my age see things. When I told one girl I was a feminist, she said that she wasn’t sure she wanted equality if it would stop boys from holding open doors for her or paying for dinners on dates. I told one boy about my gender pay gap documentary, and he told me women needed to stop settling for jobs that pay less money, and that there was no such thing as a gender pay gap. Another boy in my class told me that the women’s rights movement had already ended. At times I would feel I was the only one my age with my eyes open, and the only one who wanted to try to do something about it.
                I got your book Moxie for Christmas this year. I love to read, so I always ask for about 20 books for Christmas each year, but I didn’t recognize this title as one I asked for, or even had heard of. The cover of the book drew me in: a teenage girl, pumping her fist, with bright pink letters spelling out “Moxie”, and a little inscription below saying, “Moxie girls fight back”. I was immediately intrigued, and started the book the very next day. I smiled and laughed, and I raged and teared up. I finished the book 24 hours after starting it.
                All of your characters inspired me and gave me hope. I know of many Claudias in my school; girls who are maybe a little scared to call themselves feminists and join the fight for equality, but they do it nonetheless. I’m sure there are even more Emmas out there; girls too afraid to speak out against the injustices done to them. I know my own Lucy, a girl who started an ACLU club at my school with the goal of changing the community. And I know there are many Seths out there, guys who believe in gender equality, because I worked with one to make the pay gap documentary, and one joined me in a debate about the whether the gender pay gap was real or not. However, my favorite character was Viv Carter. I felt like I’ve lived part of her story – and not just because we are both 16-year-old girls in public high schools. I felt her rage and anger at the inequality, and I also felt her hope at the small victories won. She was confident in her movement, and she seemed not to care if what she said made others a little uncomfortable. I strive to be like that. I now place Viv among the ranks of my role models.
                Viv’s story did teach me something new. Everyone has heard a phrase along the lines of “it only takes one person to change the world”. I am someone who wants to change the world – I want to make it better for everybody, no matter race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. I have always told myself I could do that if I became a social justice lawyer. When I grew up, I would make a difference by fighting for the rights of everybody. But then I read Moxie. Viv didn’t wait to grow up. She saw how the girls in her school were being treated, and she changed it immediately. At the age of 16, she started a feminist movement in her school, one that united all the girls, no matter race, sexual orientation, age, or popularity level. She took her school and its rules (tacit and written) and shook them up, whether it was by organizing a “bathrobe brigade” against the school dress code or by getting girls to tag the lockers or other property of boys who had sexually harassed them. It ended in a victory for all the moxie girls when they got the rules changed.
                My story is a little different – I’m not dealing with a sexist school, so I don’t have to start a feminist movement to change anything yet. But I do look at the world a little differently. I’m trying to think less of “I’ll change the world when I’m older” and more of “what can I do or get involved in to change it now”. I have joined the newly-formed ACLU club at my school, in hopes that I, along with the other members, will have a chance at changing our school or community for the better. I’m talking a little louder about feminism, though some people are quick to make a subject change when I bring it up. On January 20, I will be marching in Seattle again. I’ll have my pussy hat on, along with my new pussy hat earrings, nasty woman necklace, and feminist socks. I’ll be holding the same sign again, but I’ll be holding it a little higher, and chanting a little louder. And I’ll be marching with many women again, including my mom and sister, but I also know that Viv will be there alongside me because we are moxie girls, and moxie girls fight back.
                Thanks for introducing me to the moxie girls-
                Bridget Wilson

​Americans, especially teenagers, have done so much these past couple of months to push for gun control legislation. Now that the nationwide events are over, how can we keep up the momentum?
Real grassroots change in policy is like a successful work out. We work really hard until our muscles start straining, and then we keep going, and that’s when real change is made. It’s tiring, and you will feel like you’ve done enough, but nothing will actually change until we’ve done more, pushed harder, and passed out from exhaustion (not literally).
​
What have we already done? (Nationwide)​
On March 1st, we boycotted companies who partnered with the NRA. Subsequently, Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L. Bean Inc., Walmart, Kroger, Delta Air Lines, Met Life, Hertz, United Airlines, Enterprise Holdings, REI, and many other companies made changes in their policies such as raising the buying age to 21, discontinuing NRA member benefits, and/or discontinuing the sale of assault rifles.
On March 14th, we walked out of school at 10 AM for 17 minutes. There were more than a million students, in more than 3000 schools, in all 50 states, who chose to take this action to show lawmakers that if they want to stay in office, things need to change. I organized the walk out at my high school with a friend, and the response we received was enormous. Here’s the video: 

On March 24th, more than 2 million Americans (many of them first time protestors) participated in March for Our Lives, which featured speakers such as Emma Gonzalez and Martin Luther King’s granddaughter. 90% of the protestors were of voting age.
On April 20th, a couple days ago, students around the nation walked out again at 10 AM, either for 13 minutes or for the rest of the day. Some students will be staying home until new gun control legislation is passed.
After the Douglas shooting, we sent posters and letters of support and encouragement to the students of Douglas High School to show them that they are not alone in this fight.

Why did we participate in making change, and why should we continue? (Student Voices)
“I did the walk out because I want to feel safe. Too many innocent people’s lives are being lost to gun violence. Growing up, I always felt I was lucky to not live in a third world country, in a country that was peaceful, not at a war, and mostly inclusive of everybody. Instead, I find myself trying to understand why so many people are being killed and why it's so easy to get those weapons at all. I'm disappointed in the fact that there is even a necessity to make a show of protest against such horrific weapons. The cause for the death of so many lives should not be something that has to be advocated against... it should be obvious. Whether people have the right to be safe or not should not be something that is put into question. We, as the future of America, need to do something and this is why we walk out.” – Ananya
“I’m participating in the walkout at Mission Vista High because my whole life I have been surrounded by school shootings and I’m sick of it. The shootings in the last few years have made my anxiety so bad that sometimes I can’t go outside for days. I want to feel safe in my learning environment and not have school shootings be a regular occurrence.” – Elizabeth
 “A significant reason for my decision to participate in the walkout is that I would never want to see my friends be massacred because the country I live in refuses to have serious talks about gun laws.” – Anthony
“I am walking out because I know I am not the only one who is scared to go to school. I am walking out to say no more. No more lives ended too soon. Enough is enough. Now is our time to be heard.
#nomore #neveragain” – Stella
“We can’t keep letting shootings happen. We must show that even though most high-schoolers and younger kids can’t vote, we still have a voice. We need to show that our voice is what keeps schools safe. Go out and take a stand!” – Alexa
“It began slowly. A practice school lockdown once a year. Then, in high school, an active shooter drill. This was how I was taught about school shootings, as if they were merely items to check off on the curriculum. When I first started hearing about the Parkland shooting, I didn’t realize that it was a school shooting. All I knew was that there had been a mass shooting in Florida. What else is new? Thoughts and prayers, the NRA lobbying against gun control, another shooting next week, etc. etc. Then I heard the full story. Then I heard Emma Gonzalez’s speech. I had the opportunity to help organize a walkout and rally at UW Red Square, where thousands of students made it clear that they were fed up. Fed up with politicians lining their own pockets with the NRA’s blood money. Fed up with the normalization of gun violence. Fed up with being left to die. Now more than ever, our voices must be heard. We are the generation that grew up with school shootings, and we should be the last generation to live in this constant fear. If our elected officials refuse to protect us? Replace them. Every time students walk out of class protesting gun violence, our voices will be louder. Now is not the time to stay silent. Now is the time to yell! #NotOneMore #Enough #NeverAgain #ThrowThemOut” – Danny

What can we do to walk the extra mile and push in the ways that will make tangible changes? (DEEP)

• DONATE to gun control groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Giffords Law Center.
  • DO WELL IN SCHOOL and try to get a well-paying job so you can donate more when you grow up as well to sustainably continue making changes.
  • SHARE THE LINKS to gun control organizations’ websites such as the ones above, so more people are aware of where their money is going to make a difference.
  • HOLD A FUNDRAISER (such as a dance or a targeted poetry night), and make sure people know the money is going to be donated to gun control groups.
• PARTICIPATE IN SMALLER PROTESTS around your area. Local changes can be monumental when added up.
  • Go to your CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS and speak about the changes you want to see.
  • ORGANIZE protest events at your local or state government offices.
  • SPREAD INFORMATION about any events you hear about.
• EXPRESS your opinion through as many mediums as possible.
  • POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA about the things you’re doing so that more teens are mobilized.
    • USE HASHTAGS such as #enough, #neveragain, #nomore, #throwthemout, #guncontrol to connect to other people in the movement.
    • USE TWITTER to tweet at politicians and businesses.
  • WRITE LETTERS TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS to pressure them into refusing money from the NRA.
  • WRITE EMAILS/LETTERS TO BUSINESSES to pressure them into cutting ties with groups such as the NRA.
  • SIGN PETITIONS on sites such as change.org to mass-pressure politicians and businesses into making the necessary changes.
• ENDURE and keep fighting for the changes you want to see. This is your right as an American citizen.

Let’s continue to make these small pushes together through donating, expressing, enduring, and participating, so that we start to see the payoff as soon as possible. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to wait until I have kids to start seeing schools and communities become safer. It is absolutely essential for us to go those extra miles, even after we feel like we’ve done our part, because that is when real changes start manifesting as a result of our efforts. 

doesn't actually start for a couple more hours. You chose to stay with your peeps and ride on the last bus with them, hoping the presence of a leader will make them feel secure.
Finally you arrive, manage to find a dozen of the 560 people you came with and meet some really cool people. It's a whole lot of sign looking and picture taking. The speeches sound like they're really good, but you can't actually hear them because you're too far away...and there's people way further away than you. Your sign is easy to see and confusing so people repeatedly ask you about it, those that are too shy, you try to see and pull in for conversation.
You start to maneuver to the "start point" which is never actually the right spot, and you should know better, but then again texts from friends report the same standing still for forever where they are, too. At noon, an hour after the march was supposed to start, the giant indigenous women's heads you've been using as a landmark, start to move. For some reason the right side keeps stopping while the left side flows, "Where are they going?".
Finally, you decide to move left and make very good progress. You find out blocks later that the porta-potties were on the right, as was the line, so when the marchers hit the line, they couldn't tell the difference between the line and the marchers, and the people behind them couldn't and the people behind them and so on.
A few blocks in you realize everyone is doing an amazing job staying in the street and moving very very slowly, but the sidewalks are wide open. You mobilize your group and hit the sidewalks. After 4 or 5 blocks the street is way less congested and your group is able to walk with plenty of space to move around back in the street.
You and your group try out a few chants. About an hour in, genius strikes and you find your groove in some "Hamilton" songs...REVOLUTION? Why, yes, that totally works. The best part? It's different, and the people who know it, join immediately and with much cheer.
You run into part of your bus caravan outside Tom Douglas' restaurants. He's in the street handing out water and his employees are serving hot tea.
You arrive at the Seattle Center just around 2 pm and turn right away from the center. Your buses are right there, waiting for you, with heat and bathrooms. The bus drivers are standing waving and directing you.
Before the first full bus pulls out, you hop on and celebrate with everyone on the bus. Make a plug about tomorrow's event and send them off. You do the same on the next bus and end up sitting next to someone who you've never met but have known through your kids school for years, rad, right?
You get home, take a bubble bath and crack a beer and then you're on the news!
You're exhausted, but so full of love, connection, empowerment and energy that you can't get off the damn computer. Your consumed by an obsessive need to share, connect, and...get to work!
There is no other feeling in the world like this. There's a ton of reasons why we march, but the reason we value it, the reason we come back is because it triggers the reward center of our brain. Our bodies are beat and injured, or faces burnt, our lips chapped, but we also feel almost euphoric. Basically, it makes you feel so good.
My new working theory is that when you feel you belong, you feel safe. When you feel safe, you're ok with pushing your comfort zone. When you push your comfort zone, you grow. When you grow, you start to be authentic. When you're authentic, you can live wholeheartedly. When you live wholeheartedly, changing your world falls into place organically.
So, when you come to a march, you get fired up, because you feel you belong to something...from there, changing the world is just a leap of faith.

Whether you marched with us last year or are joining us for the first time this year, the tips below are great to help you prepare:

• Plan to pack out your garbage. Stick your wrapper in your pocket and take signs home to dispose. Try not to overrun public waste bins.
• If you see a short line for a bathroom, seize the opportunity!
• Treat everyone like they are your neighbors. Be patient.
• Pack an emergency cell phone charger. Make sure it's well charged. In large crowds signals can be difficult to come by and it can wear out your battery.
• Have a meet-up plan with your group in case you get separated.
• Dress in layers.
• Keep your kids close. Make sure they have your cell phone number on them and a phone number of someone who is not at the march.
• If you have one, a clear bag or pack is helpful just like at sports events.
• Leave your umbrellas at home and wear rain gear. Umbrellas can be hazardous in large groups, block visibility and make it hard to hold signs.

Are you a seasoned marcher with other tips? Share them with us on Facebook!

By Kate Gordon, Vice-President, Plateaupians for Peace
‘Tis the season of the holiday card. Will you offend your non-Christian friends by sending a Christmas card? Is it too politically correct to send a generic holiday card? Or should you just stick with the always safe New Years’ card? I recently had a conversation with a fellow P4P friend about holiday cards that really caused me to pause and think about this simple piece of mail and hot it affects my identity to my own religion- Judaism.
She was wondering about the etiquette around sending Jewish friends a Christmas card. She had been told by someone that it might be inappropriate to do so. But why is this? Is it considered a faux pas or inconsiderate? In this wonderful world of religious and cultural diversity, political correctness seems to be the new wave of including all while simultaneously offending none. Political correctness has been blamed for diminishing the Christmas spirit, aka the “War on Christmas”. But by the plethora of lights, Starbucks red cups, trees, Christmas songs being played in stores and displays in all major stores from October to January, I personally don’t think the war on Christmas truly exists. But maybe that’s a great subject for another blog.
And this constant display of Christmas is really what I as a Jew, struggle with. It is not Christmas I have a problem with. I think it is a lovely holiday that the majority of those I know and love celebrate. I love the smell of a pine tree in a warm house, hot apple cider and candy canes. I don’t understand egg nog though. That just sounds gross. Iunderstand the significance of the religious aspect of Christmas as well as the secular celebration. As a Jew, these are not offensive.
What I do struggle with is the onslaught of the holiday on my senses that begins right around Halloween and continues through January. I walk into a store and see decorations. I hear Christmas songs on the sound system. The holiday parties that are held at my children’s school are full of what I consider “Christmas” activities. For those that celebrate Christmas, people say, “but a tree, snowmen, snowflakes in windows, they have nothing to do with CHRISTmas”. That may be the case for them. But if one takes a step back, they are allrelated to the holiday. At no other time of the year do these exist except during the Christmas holiday. But…
This is a major holiday for the majority of our country. And who am I to say that it must be reined in because of how it makes ME feel. Because my friends feel the same dilemma when wondering if they would offend me by sending me a card. Which brings us back to the dreaded “holiday card”. After pondering on why it would be inappropriate to send one to your Jewish friends, I come to one conclusion.
Bring ‘em on!
Why? It comes down to sharing one’s life with their friends and family. It’s about bringing joy and light into the time of the year where we have the least amount of light, especially in the Pacific Northwest. And for me, that is what the holidays are really about. Family and friends coming together to provide light and love in a time of darkness.

There are many stories to share about why Hindus celebrate Diwali or Deepavali (Row of lamps). Growing up in India I remember it being about Lord Ram returning to his kingdom Ayodhya from exile with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. But it wasn’t until I came to America and met Indians from other parts and faiths of India that I realized there were several other stories around Diwali. I’ve attempted to share just a few here.
Let’s start down in the southern states. There was once an evil demon Narakasura, son of Bhudevi(Goddess Earth) and Lord Vishnu. His power and strength grew over time and eventually intimidated the Devas (heavenly gods) and he attacked their kingdom. When all efforts failed to subdue Narakasura and his evil deeds, especially the torture of women, the gods turned to Lord Krishna’s wife Satyabhama for help. Satyabhama was the only one who could kill Narakasura as she was an incarnation of Bhudevi. Narakasura had been granted the boon of only being killed by Bhudevi and none else. Satyabhama did not take long to slay Naakasura and redeemed the Earth of Narakasura. Another version of this story says that Narakasura was slain by Lord Krishna. Either way, Deepavali/Diwali in South India is celebrated with rows of oil lamps to honor this event.
Let’s go further up to the northwest state of Punjab, where the Sikhs of India hail from. Sikhs celebrate Diwali to commemorate the release of their sixth Guru Hargobind and 52 other princes from the Gwalior fort under Mughal Emperor Jahangir. He had been arrested for political reasons. True to his faith he however prayed for several days for the recovery of his oppressor from an illness. In return Jahangir ordered his release. But Guru Hargobind refused to leave without the other 52 Hindu princes and kings who had also been held captive. It was negotiated that whoever could hold on to the Guru’s cape would be allowed to leave with him. The guru then had a special cape made with 52 tassels so that every single person could hold on to his cape and leave the fort. When they arrived in Amritsar he saw that they were celebrating with lamps and sweets and they joined in the celebration, thus giving us the story behind why Sikhs celebrate Diwali. It is also known as Bandi Chod Diwas (The Day of the prisoner’s release). Vardhaman Mahaveera was the 24th and the last Tirtankara (teacher) of Jainism. Born to a royal family in the state of Bihar, he gave up all worldly comforts in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. After about twelve years he eventually attained Kevalnyan, enlightenment, and continued his journey for the next thirty years teaching others what he had learned and experienced. He passed away and attained Nirvana(liberation) at the age of 72. There was darkness all around and his followers lit oil lamps to overcome the sadness. So Diwali for Jains hence became a reason to celebrate the removal of darkness with light and of ignorance with wisdom and knowledge. The Jain new year starts the day after Diwali – Pratipada. So feel free to wish a Jain friend ‘Happy New Year’ too.
And finally, one of the most popular stories around Diwali from the northern parts of India – the return of the beloved Prince Ram to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile. Prince Ram had been exiled to fourteen years in the forest by his father King Dasharatha who had to fulfill a promise he had made to one of his queens in a battle. As Prince Ram prepared to leave, his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana insisted on joining him. The three lived in the forests for fourteen years amidst many adventures. The most significant one being Sita kidnapped by Ravana, the ten headed King of Lanka. After several fights and struggles Sita was rescued by Ram and Lakshman with the help of several local kings and their armies including the monkey God Hanuman. When they finally returned to Ayodhya they were welcomed with rows and rows of oil lamps, colorful flowers, sweets and other festivities. The people lovingly crowned them King and Queen of Ayodhya.
Whatever the story behind each family’s Diwali, there is one thread that runs through all of them. Like many other Hindu festivals Diwali celebrates the victory of good words, thoughts and actions over evil; the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance.
I wish you all a lifetime of health, wealth and peace. Happy Diwali and Deepavali!

“Throughout history, religious differences have torn people and entire nations apart.
Even in recent months, headlines have been full of hate crimes and acts of terrorism, both across the ocean and here in Washington.
But on the evening of June 16, about 100 people of many different faiths gathered at the Pine Lake Community Center in Sammamish to celebrate a traditional Ramadan Iftar dinner with the local Muslim community. Although half the people at the dinner were not practicers of Islam, they came together in a show of unity to demonstrate that the bonds of love and friendship are stronger than any differences between people.”