I believe in you and in your destiny, our destiny.  I believe you are contributors to this civilization.  You have inherited from your forefathers an ancient dream of freedom… to speak, to pray, to congregate, a prophecy which you can proudly lay down as a gift of gratitude upon the lap of America and the world.  You are life’s prayer of becoming and its answer to peace.

To give beyond reason, to care beyond hope, to love without limit, to reach, stretch and dream, in spite of our fears, these are the hallmarks of divinity, traits of the immortal.

You have already changed the course of history, because you “showed up.”  That means to the community, to the nation, to the world, you care… to stand shoulder to shoulder in relentless strength.

Then we become a group of individuals... a harmonious whole.  Then we have reached as high as humans can reach to ensure a healthy and secure way of life, as it was in the beginning, surrounded with beauty for all to breathe in and give calm and peace to the heart.

I wish and declare the day will come soon when the lambs and wolves, regardless of religion or race, will walk hand in hand in peace.

We are summoned to service, to bestow our blessings of just, peace and love for all humanity.  Imprint this in your heart.  It only takes one person to switch the consciousness of humanity for goodness… and that person is you.

And the world will stand still, the bells will toll for the love of liberty, just and peace and when you, we, have reached the mount, stretch your hands and eyes towards the heavens and say 3 trillion thank yous.  Shout Halleluiah and you will feel a presence that says  -  and so it shall be.

Estherleon to Speak in NYC

"Children are our future, what better way to receive than to give them life through our deepest caring. Their poverty is our poverty, and our shame. We have to listen to their voices of hope."

After listening to these words by Cantor Estherleon Schwartz, Voices of Women Worldwide invited Esther to be the guest speaker at the Global Peace Odyssey for children of the world shadowed by the conflicts of war.

On October 10^th, with young children around her, she will recall her own story on board the Global Peace Odyssey which sails at 6:00 pm on the East River in Manhattan towards the Statue of Liberty at sunset.  

"As a young girl of 7, I came to America with my parents on the Queen Mary with hundreds of refugees fleeing the Nazi holocaust.  Entering the shores of New York, I recall seeing a tiny statue in the water from a distance, while the passengers on board the ship became very quiet and started singing and praying softly in gratitude, kneeling to thank the Lord Almighty for this safe haven."  

All the while, the little girl stared out at the majestic statue and as it got closer and closer, she felt this elegant replica of a woman with a wand ... so regal and strong, smiling down at her and whispering her blessings "all is good," a phrase Cantor Estherleon uses and repeats often.

Cantor Estherleon will relate her story of how her father threw her over the barbwire fence in 1944 on the Swiss border into the arms of the Swiss Red Cross, and prayed to the heavens: "Save my daughter and she will always serve you...".  

That was six decades ago and the little girl never gave up... always working towards fulfilling her destiny, knowing deep within her soul that her course in life was to bring the Torah to all religions and people and hold it close to their hearts to feel an inexplicable reverence of oneness.  Her whole purpose is to promote spiritual harmony and global peace.

One of Esther’s close associates, Paul J. Puzzanghero, a Roman Catholic, related how moved he became when he held the Torah in his hands with tears in his eyes.  This simple gesture moved him to recognized Cantor Estherleon's spiritual message which unites all religions, as part of her universal interfaith journey in uniting all people in oneness.

*  *   *  

Keep Calm and Carry On