The event combines a vigil remembering children who have been killed in Palestine and Israel with a simple meal, name reading, letter-writing, fundraising, and education. You can adapt the program for your Quaker meeting, church, or community. Each element could be done on its own or you can do the whole program. We hope you will do at least one of these elements.
If you can, schedule the vigil during the so-called “Peace Days” between the International Day of Peace on 9/21 through the International Day of Non-Violence on 10/2. The most important thing is to have a vigil, though. Maybe you do the vigil after Worship on a Sunday or perhaps on a Saturday afternoon or weekday evening.
Before the Vigil
Discern and clear the event with your meeting/church. Announce it orally after Worship, in writing in newsletters, and on a printed poster. See Tab #2 of the Action Packet for a sample printed poster.
Talk with First Day School/Sunday School students about the war in Gaza in an age appropriate way. This could also be a time to start coloring in paper dolls and writing the names of Palestinian and Israeli children who have been killed in the war on the dolls. See “Paper Doll Coloring” below. If you are led, you could also read a children’s book by a Palestinian author during First Day School/Sunday School. See Tab #3 of the Action Packet for a list of book suggestions.
Invite Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, Muslim and other neighbors to join the vigil. Rosh Hashanah will begin on 9/22, and Yom Kippur will begin on 10/1 – Jewish friends from Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) or If Not Now, for example, may like to join the vigil and break bread together. Other church or interfaith groups may also be interested in joining the vigil.
Prepare the food. Print out the materials. Set up the room. Plan out what you will do when. The events can be done in many different combinations or orders.
Here is a sample plan for a one-hour forty-five minute event:
- (15 minutes) Friends grab food and get settled in the room while checking out the table with educational materials and donation basket.
- (5 minutes) Introduction & pot banging
- (30 minutes) Name reading vigil
- (30 minutes) Letter writing & paper doll making while playing music
- (10 minutes) Poetry reading
- (15 minutes) Worship sharing
On the Day of the Vigil
Name Reading Memorial
Take turns reading out the names of children who have been killed in Gaza and Israel and a bit about their lives from Tab #4 of the Action Packet. If you are short on time, you can just read the names of children for whom we have a short blurb about their life. Recently added suggestion: At the end of Tab 4 are some songs by Palestinian children you can play after reading the names (if you have the AV equipment).
Also print Tab #4 and display so that Friends can use the names of the children to add to the paper dolls. If you would like to print and display the entire available list of children who have been killed, this one is recommended: Palestinian Children Killed in Israeli Attacks on Gaza, Al Jazeera, November 2024 (~203 pages). You may also use this one, which is more up-to-date but formatting is more difficult: 60,000 Gazans Have Been Killed. 18,500 Were Children, Washington Post, July 30, 2025.
Pot Banging
Bang pots together at each name and/or do the pot banging separately from the name reading. Palestinians in Gaza have called on us to bang pots as an act of solidarity, given the famine and forced starvation they face. See Tab #5 of the Action Packet in this document a link to a few clips you can play if you have the AV equipment, and/or some text you can read before the banging commences.
Paper Doll Coloring
Ask attendees to color in paper dolls during the vigil. The children may already start coloring the dolls before the vigil in First Day School/Sunday School. Write the name of a child who has been killed in this war on each doll. You can put these dolls on a display as you read out the names or send them to Congress or the White House with a letter. See Tab #6 of the Action Packet for suggested paper doll templates.
Simple Meal
Gather for a simple meal. One possibility is mujaddara, a Palestinian dish of lentils and rice, which are among some of the only ingredients Palestinians in Gaza can get, if they are able to get any food at all. See Tab #7 of the Action Packet for a suggested recipe.
As an act of solidarity with Palestinians experiencing famine/forced starvation, you may want to encourage event attenders to only eat a little over one cup of the mujaddara, which is about the 245 calories that Oxfam estimates people in northern Gaza are eating per day. That’s less than 12 per cent of the recommended daily 2,100 calorie intake needed per person. Tab #7 also includes a sign you can put next to the food to encourage small portions.
Poetry Reading
Dedicate time during the vigil to read Palestinian poetry, as words have power. Read a poem at the beginning of each hour and/or have a dedicated segment for poetry reading during the day. See Tab #8 of the Action Packet for some suggested poems. Friends can also write their own poems and read them.
Fundraising
Put out a basket to collect money for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza and one for Ramallah Friends School. Print a QR code for people who do not have cash to be able to donate online. See Tab #9 of the Action Packet for a list of suggested charities delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza (and corresponding QR codes).
Letter Writing
Set up a letter-writing table with postcards, paper, envelopes, stamps and addresses of local Senators and Representatives and the White House. Friends may want to enclose with their letter a paper doll with the name of a Palestinian or Israeli child on the doll. See Tab #10 of the Action Packet for sample text for letters and Tab #11 for postcard templates you can print on stock paper.
Public Witness
Take photos (with attendees’ consent) and write up a summary of the event to share with the world on social media and in your monthly/yearly meeting’s newsletter. We also ask that you send the organizers the photos at quakersforpeace@gmail.com so that we can share with Quaker organizations like FCNL & AFSC.
Music & Art
If you have the AV equipment, consider playing Palestinian music, perhaps during the meal and letter-writing/paper-doll-making. See Tab #12 of the Action Packet for a sample playlist. Friends could also have some time to share peace-related art they have made or perhaps peace art they have come across from artists in Gaza.
Education
Have a table or distribute educational materials on the genocide in Gaza (Tab #13), Quaker witness on the Genocide (Tab #14), and a printout of the list of actions we can take compiled by Quakers at an Emergency Meeting on Gaza this summer.
Worship Sharing
Close the event with some worship sharing. Friends can discuss how this vigil impacted them, how they have been feeling in the midst of the daily atrocities, and future actions to take as a meeting to realize peace and justice in this land and throughout the world.
Before September 21, 2025
Clear the event with your meeting, and announce it orally after Worship, in writing in newsletters, and on a printed poster. We will provide a sample poster in the Action Packet.
Talk with First Day School/Sunday School students about the war in Gaza in an age appropriate way. This could also be a time to color in paper dolls and write children’s names on them.
Invite Palestinian, Jewish, Arab, Muslim and other neighbors to join the vigil. Rosh Hashanah will begin on September 22, 2025, and friends from Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) or If Not Now, for example, may like to join the vigil and break bread together. Other church or interfaith groups may also be interested in joining the vigil.
The Day of September 21, 2025
Name Reading Memorial
Take turns reading out the names of children who have been killed in Gaza and Israel and a bit about their lives. We will provide a list of children and some information about their lives in the Action Packet.
Pot Banging
Bang pots together. Palestinians in Gaza have called on us to bang pots as an act of solidarity, given the famine and forced starvation they face. We will provide in the Action Packet a link to a clip from Bisan Owda you can play if you have the AV equipment, and/or some text you can read before the banging commences.
Paper Doll Making
Ask attendees to color in paper dolls during the vigil. The children may already start coloring the dolls before the vigil in First Day School/Sunday School. Write the name of a child who has been killed in this war on each doll. You can put these dolls on a display as you read out the names or send them to Congress or the White House with a letter. We will provide suggested paper doll templates in the Action Packet.
Poetry Reading
Dedicate time during the vigil to read Palestinian poetry, as words have power. Read a poem at the beginning of each hour and/or have a dedicated segment for poetry reading during the day. We will provide some suggested poems in the Action Packet.
Fundraising
Put out a basket to collect money for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza and one for Ramallha Friends School. Print a QR code for people who do not have cash to be able to donate online. We will provide a list of suggested charities delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza (and corresponding QR codes) in the Action Packet.
Letter Writing
Set up a letter-writing table with postcards, paper, envelopes, stamps and addresses of local Senators and Representatives and the White House. Friends may want to enclose with their letter a paper doll with the name of a Palestinian or Israeli child on the doll. We will provide sample text for letters and postcards in the Action Packet.
Public Witness
Take photos (with attendees’ consent) and write up a summary of the event to share with the world on social media, in your monthly/yearly meeting’s newsletters, and with Quaker organizations like AFSC & FCNL who can share further.
Simple Meal
Gather for a simple meal. Because of the forced starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, this should be a low calorie meal. One possibility is mujaddara, a Palestinian dish of lentils and rice, which are among some of the only ingredients Palestinians in Gaza can get, if they are able to get any food at all. We will provide a suggested recipe in the Action Packet.
Music & Art
If you have the AV equipment, consider playing Palestinian music, perhaps during the meal and letter-writing/paper-doll-making. We will provide a sample playlist in the Action Packet. Friends could also have some time to share peace-related art they have made or perhaps peace art they have come across from artists in Gaza.
Education
Distribute materials on actions we can take, particularly in holding corporations accountable for their role in the war and genocide. Put out a copy of a recent reflection written by AFSC staff member Yousef on losing his family members. Have information and QR codes to join FCNL Advocacy Teams and AFSC anti-apartheid groups. We will share all of these suggested educational materials in the Action Packet.
Reflection
Friends can discuss how this vigil impacted them, how they have been feeling in the midst of the daily atrocities, and future actions to take as a meeting to realize peace and justice in this land and throughout the world. Some time for worship or worship sharing would be appropriate.