October 2023

Global Mobilization to End

The Ukraine War

Saturday, TOMORROW, September 30

@ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

PARK STREET STATION

In the name of God, in the name of the sense of humanity that dwells in every heart, I renew

my call for an immediate ceasefire” — Pope Francis

Please join us on Saturday, September 30 to begin this week to promote a ceasefire and negotiations as the only way to end this war and avoid potential catastrophe for the planet.

Speakers at the Boston rally will include: 

Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe journalist and author; Joseph Gerson, Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security; Chris Chanyasulkit, President, American Public Health Association; Graham Aiken, student, Northeastern University.

Music will be performed by  Ben Grosscup, Nina Giulianini, and Lucretia’s Daggers.  Julia Franco will perform a skit and Mark Lipman will read poetry.

• The war must end now if we want to prevent hundreds of thousands more dead and maimed soldiers and thousands more civilians
• This war must end now if the world is to come together to prevent certain climate catastrophe as fossil fuel emissions grow by leaps and bounds and fires and floods and murderous heat waves rage on.
• This war must end now if Ukraine is not to be destroyed.
• This war must end now if we want to reduce the growing danger of it leading to nuclear war
• This war must end now if global hunger from restrictions and sanctions on food deliveries is to be avoided
• This war must end now if the risk to a nuclear meltdown of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is to be prevented
• And every week billions of our tax dollars are diverted from housing, public health, education, public transportation and numerous other important needs here at home to pay for the war

For more information visit https://masspeaceaction.org/

PEACE AND COMMON SECURITY MONTHLY MEETING.

Sunday, Oct 22

7:00 - 8:30 PM

zoom

WATERTOWN COMMUNITY FOR

BLACK LIVES

QUARTERLY MEETING

Tuesday Oct 10

6:30 PM

Immediatealy after vigil

REFUGEE SUPPORT GROUP

MONTHLY MEETING

Wednesday Oct 18

7:30 PM

PIGSGUSSET INTITATIVE MONTHLYMEETING

Monday, October 23

5:30 - 7:00 PM

zoom

FRIENDS OF BEES

MONTHLY MEETING

Wednesday, Oct 25

7:00 PM

zoom

WATERTOWN FACES CLIMATE CHANGE BIMONTHLY MEETING

Sunday, Oct 15

check website for time

inperson & zoom

Take Action for Peace in Ukraine

Ceasefire and Diplomacy - Not More War

Tuesday, October 3

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

First Parish on 35 Church Street in Watertown

In Person

Plenty of Parking in the Municipal Lot behind CVS

On June 10-11 three hundred people representing organizations from 32 countries met in Vienna, Austria for the International Summit for Peace in Ukraine. The summit issued a call for people in all countries to join together for a Week of Global Mobilization for Peace in Ukraine calling for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations to end this war during the week of September 30 to October 8.

In response to the call, the Peace and Common Security Working Group of Watertown Citizens is sponsoring a special in-person program with Watertown resident and internationally recognized author and peace activist Dr. Joseph Gerson.

Dr. Gerson participated in planning the Vienna Conference and in supporting the Conference call to action. He will speak about the events preceding the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the immediate consequences of the war, the possible use of nuclear weapons, and what can be done to end the death and destruction. There will be ample time for questions and discussion.

Dr. Gerson is the Founder and President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security and co-founder of the Committee for a Sane U.S.- China Policy. He also served in leadership positions for over 40 years with the American Friends Service Committee. He has written four books, numerous articles, and appeared on major radio and television shows. His areas of expertise include: common security, nuclear disarmament, China-U.S. relations, Middle East peace, and many more. He has also been privileged to participate in Track II meetings with senior U.S., Russian, and European figures. To learn more about the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament, and Common Security visit cpdcs.org.

Work Events at Pollinator Gardens

Friends of Bees and Watertown Pollinator Pathways are offering several upcoming opportunities to enjoy the fall weather in the pollinator gardens. We will start each maintenance day by taking a close look at the gardens, to see which bees and other wildlife might be living there.Fall garden maintenance activities may include planting new plants, weeding, pruning, adding compost, mulching, etc.

Gardens Included

DPW & Knowles Delta Gardens 7 Oct 2023, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM 124 Orchard St,

Filippello Park Butterfly Garden 15 Oct 2023, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM 191 Grove St, Around splash pad in the middle of the park

What is the IHRA definition of antisemitism 

and why is it a problem?

Come watch a recorded webinar and

learn more about it from invited guests.

The Peace and Common Security Working Group of Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment will host an event in the Watertown Savings Bank Room of the Watertown Free Public Library at 123 Main Street, on Sunday October 15 at 2:30 PM. It will address the problematic definition of antisemitism known as the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance) definition.

 A previously recorded webinar produced by Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East will be shown followed by updates regarding a relevant bill (H1558) in the MA House whose purpose is to codify this definition into law.

Guest speakers will be MA State Representative Steven Owens, who represents most of Watertown; Susan Etscovitz from Jewish Voice for Peace – Boston; and Sara Driscoll from the Alliance for Water Justice  in Palestine.

 Co-sponsors: Massachusetts Peace Action (MAPA), Jewish Voice for Peace – Boston, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine, and Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East – MA Chapter. For more information or questions email peace-security@googlegroups.com.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOW and IT'S NOT JUST SEA LEVEL RISE

This summer has brought home that massive disruptions and disasters from climate are here not just in the future. How do we pay and what do we need to create an infrastructure and community more resilient to heat and flooding events .Come find out....

Watertown Citizens November Monthly Membership Meeting

Can Nuclear War be Prevented?

Wednesday, November 15

 7:00 PM

Chat at 6:45 PM

On Zoom

Join the Peace and Common Security working group of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment to discuss the state of nuclear weapons, the danger they pose, and the idea that we can guarantee that a limited nuclear exchange can be controlled. Most importantly we will explore what we can do about the unraveling of nuclear weapons treaties and decisions to build new more powerful nukes.

Our very special guest will be Ms. Denise Duffield, the Associate Director of the Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles and a leader in the Back from the Brink movement. 

She will discuss the new Treaty for Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, why we should urge our representative in Congress, U.S. Representative Katherine Clark to co-sponsor House Resolution 77, and why we need to build alliances with organizations working for social justice and the environment.

The Peace and Common Security Working Group is grateful for the co-sponsorship of

Boston Physician for Social Responsibility, Back from the Brink Boston Hub, and Nuclear Disarmament Working Group of Massachusetts Peace Action.

ACT NOW!

Sign the Petition to

Representative Katherine Clark

ON LINE AT

 https://chng.it/JH4vDXFn8b

The Peace and Common Security working group has initiated a petition urging our U.S. representative, Representative Katherine Clark, to endorse and sponsor H. Res. 77 introduced by her colleague in the Massachusetts delegation, Representative James McGovern (D-MA) and sponsored by her colleagues Representatives Richard Neal and Ayanna Pressley.  H. Res. 77 calls on the President to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. H. Res. 77 does not call for unilateral disarmament, but envisions nuclear disarmament as the centerpiece of U.S. national security policy. It also calls on the United States to lead a global effort to move the world back from the nuclear brink and to prevent nuclear war.  

Click on the link above to see and sign the petition and please share the link with your friends, neighbors and colleagues. You can also use the QR Code below that will take you to the on-line petition. Do it now!

CALL TO ACTION!

Watertown Community for Black Lives working group holds a monthly vigil on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 PM in Watertown Square - Weather Dependent. Contact ekempbenedict@gmail.com to confirm. NEXT VIGIL is Tuesday October 10, 5:30-6:00 PM

Peace and Common Security working group holds a weekly vigil on Saturdays from 10:30 AM-11:30 in Watertown Square under the banner, "Negotiation Not Escalation - Support Ukraine". Contact peaceandsecurity@watertowncitizens.org to confirm. Please note that due to the demonstration on Saturday, September 30 in Boston (see above), the vigil will be on Sunday, October 1 from 12 noon to 1:00 PM.

EVENTS from OUR FRIENDS and CO-SPONSORS!

Uniting to Save the Planet - MAPA 2023 Annual Dinner

Sunday, October 8, 2023 – 4-7 pm

First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden Street

To preserve our only home, Planet Earth, we face the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. MAPA’s annual dinner is devoted to exploring this connection.

Nuclear weapons and climate devastation are the offspring of power-and-profit obsessed corporations, parasites who make their living from the earth-threatening activities of their gargantuan twins.

To make matters even worse, our elites appear to be congenitally blind to the effects of their profiteering on survival of life on this planet. As President Biden doubles down on the Ukraine war and confrontation with China and pursues development of a new generation of nuclear weapons, he approves new fossil fuel infrastructure from Alaska to West Virginia.

There is no alternative to unity to confront these challenges.

At this dinner, we will celebrate the work of Massachusetts leaders and organizations who are leading the way in uniting to save the planet.

Comedian and political commentator Jimmy Tingle will be our MC and will perform comedy.  He will mix his funniest comedic hits and newest, post pandemic bits, to deliver the humor, hope and humanity the country so desperately needs in 2023 and beyond. He will make you laugh; make you think; and make you feel better, just what the doctor ordered.

Dinner by Eunice’s Cuisine

Roasted Rosemary Chicken w/carrots & potatoes

Beans & Rice

Yellow Rice with Vegetables

Grilled Vegetables, olive oil & basil with carrots, sweet potatoes, green & red peppers, red potatoes, green & yellow squash & garlic

Garden Salad w assorted dressing

Assorted pastries

Wine & Beer from Non-Nuclear Weapons Countries

2023 Peacebuilder Award Recipients

Molly McGinty, Program Director, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

Jean-Luc Pierite, President, North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB)

Lewis and Meg Randa, founders of the Pacifist Memorial, Sherborn, and of the Life Experience School

Diane Turco, Cape Downwinders, Save the Bay

This dinner is a major part of our fundraising, essential for MAPA to continue its urgently needed advocacy for peace and justice.  Please attend and spread the word!

Tickets to the dinner are $75 for individuals, $125 for a couple, or $30 for student and low-income tickets.  There is a 10% discount for tickets purchased by October 1, so don’t delay in ordering your ticket!  Order your tickets online, or mail a check to MAPA, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138.



You can also volunteer to help with setup, cleanup, or food and drink service.  Volunteers will receive free admission and dinner.  Write to info@masspeaceaction.org to sign up.

Businesses, organizations, unions, and individuals! – Take out an ad in our program book.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR) and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

cordially invite you to join and support our presentation of this year's Global Health and Peace Awards, honoring Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey for the extraordinary work they have done as longtime leaders for climate action and nuclear disarmament.

Our special event will be in-person this year at Harvard Medical School’s Countway Library from 6:00-8:00pm on Saturday, October 21st, 2023. We are thrilled to gather for some beautiful music, food and drink, and socializing with friends and colleagues who share our concern about the twin existential threats of nuclear war and climate change. A quartet from the Longwood Symphony Orchestra will provide the evening's musical entertainment.

Our event planning is taking place as a humanitarian catastrophe unfolds in Ukraine with the very real risk that the war could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons. Indeed, the danger of a nuclear war is greater now than at any time since the Cuban missile crisis. At the same time, scientists warn that global warming is rapidly approaching a climate tipping point, placing planetary survival at risk.

We would be thrilled to count you as a sponsor of this special event. Click on the sponsorship menu above for details. We welcome online donations or, if you prefer to send a check, you may mail your contribution to IPPNW (please note "2023 Annual Event" in the memo line) to:

IPPNW c/o Michael Christ

339 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor

Malden, MA 02148

A sponsorship of $100 or more includes attendance for our in-person event. Limited seating will be available, so reserve your spot today by making a $100 contribution (per person) or more. Complimentary tickets are available for anyone who is passionate about our work but cannot afford to attend.

Questions? Contact Michael Christ at (781)521-5183 or mchrist@ippnw.org.

And More!

The Public Health Implications of Nuclear Power

Tuesday, October 10, 2023 

12:00-1:00 PM ET

The second webinar will examine the following questions: Is nuclear power the answer to the climate crisis? What are the risks and who are they to? What is the effect of climate on nuclear power plants?

Learn More and Register

Local Voices, Local Solutions: How Frontline Communities Are Addressing the Overlapping Health Impacts of Climate, Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power

Tuesday, November 14, 2023 

12:00-1:00 PM ET

The third webinar will provide a forum for community voices representing the Navajo Nation, Rocky Flats and the Marshall Islands to share impacts to their communities and specific concrete actions that have been taken to mitigate the overlapping effects of climate change, nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Participants will learn how they can take positive steps to advocate for this important issue.

Learn More and Register