Recent Events

Please click here or the image below to watch a recording of the CFPA-sponsored webinar, DISTORTED VISIONS: How we ended the cold war but lost the peace, which was held via Zoom on April 11. Through his presentation, Ambassador Jack F. Matlock, Jr. offered deep insight into the mistaken policies that led up to the Ukraine War. Amb. Matlock's presentation was followed by a Q&A segment.

CFPA presented An Insider's View of Setting the Doomsday Clock with Prof. Robert Socolow for this year's Gathering on March 26. Over 80 attended, either in-person or virtually, for a rare opportunity to hear from a member of the prestigious committee at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that decides each year how to set its famous Doomsday Clock. Mr. Socolow's presentation was followed by a robust Q&A session.

You can view a recording of the presentation and Q & A Session on CFPA's YouTube channel by clicking here or on the photo below. Prof. Socolow is a bit soft-spoken, so you may want to use closed-captioning while viewing the video. To enable it, hover your cursor on the video to reveal the controls, and click on the "Settings" icon (looks like a gear) at the bottom right of the video, then select "Subtitles/CC" to turn them on.

Click here to read Prof. Socolow's presentation manuscript.

CFPA's PA Director, Ed Aguilar, pictured above with Miss Global USA 2023, Danielle Alura, President of the UN Association of Greater Philadelphia and CFPA Board Member, Manisha Patel, and UNA-GP Officer and Director of Peace Day Philly, Lisa Parker.

Ms. Alura headlined the 2020 Earth Day Webinar for CFPA, where she highlighted her #NoExcuseforSingleUse campaign, which led to Philadelphia's and other cities' bans on single use plastic in stores. This campaign has been mirrored in movements from the Caribbean to the Philippines!

On Friday, February 24 – the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine – CFPA sponsored a Vigil in Tiger Park on Palmer Square in Princeton, NJ.

About 40 people attended the Vigil, which was held from 12:00 - 12:40 PM and was followed by a short Rally at which CFPA's Executive Director, the Rev. Robert Moore spoke. As part of his Rally speech, Reverend Moore read his recent op-ed "A Diplomatic Surge is Needed to Prevent Endless War and Reduce the Nuclear Danger in Ukraine" and also shared a recently published Letter to the Editor from CFPA member and former fighter pilot, Richard Moody.

Click here to view a recording of the Rally.

CFPA Board Chair, Irene Etkin Goldman with CFPA Executive Director, the Rev. Robert Moore at the Vigil.

Please click here or the image below to watch a recording of the 2023 Sacred Heart Gathering for Peace and Justice webinar, which was held on February 11th by Sacred Heart Peace Community of Camden, New Jersey. Two outstanding scholars presented on the topic: Dr. Mark Doorley, Director of Villanova's Ethics Program, and William O'Keefe, Catholic Relief Services' Executive Vice President for Mission and Mobilization. The presentations were followed by a Q&A segment. Nearly 70 attended via Zoom. 

Please click here or below to view a recording of this timely and educational presentation by Larry Hamm, held on February 7th and sponsored by CFPA, in collaboration with Not In Our Town-Princeton and People's Organization for Progress. About 75 attended the webinar.

Please click here or below to watch the January 16th annual multifaith service in honor of Martin Luther King which was held at Nassau Presbyterian Church, and co-sponsored by the Princeton Clergy Association and Coalition for Peace Action. Nearly 500 attended both in-person and via livestream. Click the image below to view the livestream, which will be available to view for 90 days. After clicking to play, we recommend pulling the button at the bottom of the video to about the 2 minute 30 second mark to get to the start of the service.

CFPA Sponsored a Solidarity Vigil Against Hate and Bigotry in response to a major surge in hate and bigotry, online and in real-life events, since 2016, that has intensified this year and in recent months, with numerous major acts of violent hatred against LGBTQ, African American, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, and other communities. About 50 people attended at Tiger Park on Palmer Square in Princeton, NJ. The Vigil was co-sponsored by Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice; Not In Our Town, Princeton; and Princeton Community Democratic Organization.

Princeton Mayor Mark Freda addresses the crowd.

CFPA's Peace Education Committee Chair, Ram Chelluri (left), and Board Vice-Chair & Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Marc Tolo (right).

CFPA's Executive Director, The Rev. Robert Moore, with Board Chair, Irene Etkin Goldman

Rev. Moore addresses the crowd, as Mayor Freda looks on.

CFPA sponsored this timely, important webinar on December 15th. Daryl G. Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (ACA) since September 2001, was Keynote Speaker, and CFPA's Pennsylvania Director, Ed Aguilar, was a respondent to Daryl's presentation. Click the Zoom screen image below to watch the webinar on CFPA's YouTube Channel.

On November 13th, Coalition for Peace Action co-sponsored the 43rd Annual Multifaith Service for Peace. An estimated 250 attended either in-person at Princeton University Chapel, or via livestream. Rabbi David Saperstein preached and faith leaders from a wide range of major world religions co-led the liturgy.

Following the Multifaith Service, the 43rd Annual Conference for Peace was held from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM via Zoom.

Please click photo links below to view videos from the event. Medea Benjamin and Rabbi Saperstein joined us live; Bill McKibben's talk was pre-recorded, due to an unexpected change in his travel plans. You may see a few technical glitches, which were beyond our control.

Medea Benjamin

Buy Medea's 10th book, War in Ukraine, Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict by clicking the link below.

Rabbi David Saperstein

Bill McKibben

On Saturday, October 15th, 2022 TOGETHER (a project of the Coalition for Peace Action) hosted their 5th Annual Walk the Interfaith Talk event at Mercer County Park. 

TOGETHER's Jay Tyson gives opening remarks.

Attendees included Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha'is and Atheists, who took advantage of the beautiful weather and a good opportunity to meet new people and perspectives. Attendees were paired up and given time to walk the park's trails while gaining an understanding of each other's faith or no faith.

All were encouraged to bring light refreshment, and spend some extra time together afterwards. The annual event's mission is "Creating Connections ... Breaking Stereotypes ... Building Peace".

All photos courtesy of TOGETHER.

About 35 attended the Webinar on Peace in Our World, Peace in Our Streets co-sponsored by CFPA on Sunday, September 18. Click here to view a recording.

About 75 attended the Save Our Democracy Rally co-sponsored by CFPA on Saturday, September 17 in Princeton. See photos below, and click here to go to view a recording.

Photo by Robert Zurfluh

CFPA commemorated the 77th Anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings on Tuesday, August 9, in Princeton. Forty people were in attendance, and there were over 90 views of the event recording on Facebook Live. Due to the threat of thunderstorms, the event was changed from an outdoor gathering at Hinds Plaza to an indoor gathering inside Solley Theater at The Arts Council of Princeton, which was also a co-sponsor.

CFPA Board Vice-Chair and Advocacy Committee Co-Chair, Marc Tolo emceed. (Photo by David Kelly Crow.)

There was paper crane folding instruction, peace music by The Solidarity Singers of the NJ Industrial Union Council, and informative and motivating presentations from two world-class nuclear weapons experts.

The Solidarity Singers performed "Down by the Riverside", "Soon and Very Soon", "Rainbow Race", and other peace songs. (Photo by David Kelly Crow.)

Dr. Frank von Hippel is a senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus with Princeton’s Program on Science & Global Security which he co-founded. Dr. von Hippel presented a thoughtful and informative overview of the entire nuclear weapons situation in "Remembering Nagasaki and Its Significance".

Dr. von Hippel discusses "Remembering Nagasaki and Its Significance". (Photo by David Kelly Crow.)

Dr. Rob Goldston is a Professor of Astrophysics at Princeton University. He received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Princeton University. He serves on the board of the Council for a Livable World. Dr. Goldston presented an effective strategy of diplomacy in his "A Nuclear Tale of Two Cities".

Dr. Rob Goldston presents, "A Nuclear Tale of Two Cities". (Photo by CFPA.)

The event was also streamed live on Facebook. Click here to watch the Facebook Live recording!

On Sunday, August 7th, 2022, the Sacred Heart Peace Community, an affiliate of CFPA, held an observance of the 77th Anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thirty were in attendance, including Fr. Michael Doyle, pastor of the parish.

Photo by Steve McGeady

On Saturday, June 11, 2022, CFPA organized a Rally at Hinds Plaza in Princeton. Over 350 came as part of a Day of Action in nearly 500 cities coordinated by March for Our Lives, the youth-led gun violence prevention group formed after the Parkland, FL mass shooting. 

Photos by: www.outdoortravelphotography.com, special thanks to Robert Zurfluh. Click here to see Facebook Photo Album

Special thanks to David Kelly Crow for complete video footage of the event.

Facebook video by: Indivisible Cranbury Click to see Facebook live recording 

Speakers and performers included:
Rabbi Arnold Gluck, Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough
Sharleen Leahey, musician
The Rev. Lukata Mjumbe, Pastor, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director, Coaltion for Peace Action (CFPA)
Dolores Phillips, Legislative Director, CFPA's Ceasefire NJ Project
Sue Repko, Gun Violence Survivor
Raisa Rubin-Stankiewicz, NJ March for Our Lives
US Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman
NJ State Senator Andrew Zwicker 

Whether or not you were able to attend Rally, NJ residents are urged to click here NOW to email your NJ state legislators to support a package of eight new gun safety laws! It only takes one minute!

Click here to see recording

Keynote Speaker

Rep. Tom Malinowski

At the Gathering, Carol K. Allen was honored with CFPA's
Lifetime Achievement in Peacemaking Award

The \Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), spearheaded a Multifaith Prayer Gathering at 11 AM on Thursday, June 2 on the steps of the NJ State House Annex in Trenton. The focus was to express our deep sorrow and mourning for the many lives lost in recent mass shootings, and to seek God’s empowerment and guidance in determined action to stop that epidemic. 

Faith leaders from across a wide spectrum (see list under photo) joined to offer brief prayers on that theme. NBC TV News Channel 10 based in Philadelphia covered the event. The "active prayer" promoted was to support a package of eight new gun safety bills to make New Jersey’s already strict laws even stronger that is being advocated by Gov. Murphy’s office. NJ residents are urged to click here to email your NJ State legislators in support of the package, it only takes one minute!

Click here to see recording

Speakers pictured above,  along with a few attendees, included:

Pastor Denise Carrell, Christ Congregation, Princeton
The Rev. Joseph Ciccone, retired lead pastor, St. Joseph Mission Church, Cliffside Park
Imam Safwan Eid, Muslim Center of Greater Princeton
Rabbi Arnold Gluck, Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough
The Rev. Carol Haag, Retired Unitarian Universalist Minister
The Rev. Karen Hernendez-Granzen, Pastor, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Hamilton
The Rev. Jack Johnson, Coordinator, NJ Coalition of Religious Leaders
Pastor Amir Khan, New Beginnings Ministry, Camden
James King, Executive Director, NJ Catholic Conference
The Rev. Robert Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action
Bishop Joseph Ravenell, Samaritan Baptist Church
The Rev. Jose Rodriguez, Pastor, Pentecostal Assembly of God, Trenton

This April 24 webinar was attended by about 75 and co-sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action & the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton. See below for Recording and speaker bios.

Click here to see YouTube recording

Primary Speakers Professor Neta Crawford and Professor Alan Robock

Professor Neta Crawford is a professor of Political Science and currently chairs Boston University's Department of Political Science. Her teaching focuses on international relations theory, international ethics, and normative change. Crawford received the Distinguished Scholar award from the International Ethics section of the International Studies Association in 2018. See more...

Professor Alan Robock is a Distinguished Professor of climate science in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers University, where he is co-director of the Rutgers Impact Studies of Climate Intervention (RISCI) lab and co-leader of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP). He graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1970 with a B.A. in Meteorology, and from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with an S.M. in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1977, both in Meteorology. See more...

If you'd like to see Alan Robock's website click here and/or talk on Nuclear Winter for Earth Day click here

Introductory Reflection by Robert Harris

Robert Harris has a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from Harvard University. During the Carter Administration, he was a member of President Carter’s Council on Environmental Quality where he assisted the Administration in developing policies to protect the public health and the environment from hazardous wastes, including the site at Love Canal.

After a faculty position at Princeton University, he co-founded a consulting company that helped industry and the government clean up contaminated sites, including  Department of Defense sites such as the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado and the dioxin contamination of the Passaic River in New Jersey from the manufacture of Agent Orange that was used to defoliate the jungles in Vietnam.

CFPA's Webinar on the above topic on Sunday afternoon, March 27 was attended by about 75 people. Click here to see a YouTube Video, and click here to see front page coverage in the March 30 Town Topics. See further background below.

When Putin announced, in the context of the current Ukraine War, that he was putting his nuclear weapons on high alert, it highlighted for many their worst fear: that it could escalate into a nuclear war. A good overview of that very real danger was in this article in the March 17 New York Times. One of the first sources cited regarding how real this danger is, and the unthinkable consequences, was this Princeton University Study. 

A March 22 NY Times article, The Smaller Bombs That Could Turn Ukraine Into a Nuclear War Zone, also cited the Study. Dr. Zia Mian, one of the collaborators on that study, has agreed to speak at the CFPA Webinar below. He will be joined by Dr. Stewart Prager. See photos and bios below.

        Dr. Zia Mian                     Dr. Stewart Prager

CFPA Director Rev. Bob Moore gave a virtual talk for Georgian Court University on March 24, 2022. Click photo below to see recording.

CFPA Executive Director Rev. Bob Moore and its Ceasefire NJ Project Legislative Director, Dolores Phillips (both on right), were in a delegation of gun safety leaders that met with the new NJ Senate President, Nicholas Scutari (center) urging support for a new package of 8 gun safety bills on March 21 in Trenton.

Ambassador Thomas Pickering  keynoted CFPA's Annual Membership Renewal Gathering on Sunday, March 20 on Zoom, about 75 people attended. The title of his talk was Diplomacy: Our Best Tool to Solve Problems and Prevent War. Click here to see a recording of his talk.

Director of Coalition for Peace Action-Pennsylvania Office, Ed Aguilar, speaks at Peace in Ukraine Rally held at People's Plaza, Independence Mall

The “Rally for Peace in Ukraine” with about 200 attendees was at People’s Plaza on Independence Mall. Co-sponsors of the rally included the Pennsylvania office of the Coalition for Peace Action, Granny Peace Brigade, Code Pink, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Brandywine Peace Community. They too condemned the Russian invasion, called for an immediate ceasefire, for Russia to withdraw its army from Ukraine and engage with Ukraine and the United States in serious negotiations.
Please click here for the full Philadelphia Inquirer article.

Photo Credit, Tom Gralish, Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Photographer 
For more photos, please click here to view the Facebook Album.

The Coalition for Peace Action sponsored a Princeton Vigil in support of intensifying diplomacy and immediately ending the war in Ukraine on Thursday, March 3.  Over 200 attended! The vigil began in Palmer Square and moved across the street for a closing Rally emceed by CFPA Executive Direcor, the Rev. Bob Moore, where several Ukranian-Americans spoke and chants for peace were led.  The event ended with the lighting of candles and singing This Little Light of Mine as a symbol of support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. 
Click to view the photo album on our Facebook page.