Those interested in a general Peace Walk minus political slogans should know that the annual Interfaith Peace Walk, which until now has been held in Center City, will be Sunday, June 3, this year in Germantown/Mt. Airy, starting at Masjid Muhammad (Penn and Belfield) and ending at Germantown Jewish Centre (Lincoln and Ellet), with Christian stops in-between.

Neighborhood Interfaith Movement (NIM) is helping to bring the walk to Northwest Philadelphia. I held off announcing it until March 17 passed so as not to conflict with the Anti-Iraq March or get people confused. At this point, I would hope that it can serve as a positive event for those who made it to the march yesterday and those who did not.

There is an important history to the walk that you need to know, however: It started as a Muslim-Jewish rapprochement event, and of necessity avoided political slogans, including direct references to the Middle East. The idea was to find commonalities, not sources of contention. It continues in that vein and is avowedly non-political. 

Interpreter for the deaf repeats what our speakers are saying

Signs for PEACE are welcome; anti-war signs are not. It is a walk FOR Peace, not against anything, and not an opportunity to oppose the Iraq War per se (though undoubtedly most participants would agree with that point of view). 

We are adding this year the notion of LOCAL PEACE: PEACE IN THE STREETS, or, in the words of a NIM inititaive, INCREASE THE PEACE. Details will follow, and everyone is invited to join.

George Stern
Executive Director
Neighborhood Interfaith Movement (NIM)