Calendar

As the world faces an out-of-control diversion of energy and human resources into warmaking, and with United states planning a long and costly upgrade of nuclear weaponry , Dr. Helfand will outline the work from Back from the Brink. This organization brings communities together to prevent the growing threat that nuclear weapons pose to our health, environment, and all we hold dear transmuting fear and anxiety over the threat of a nuclear holocaust into meaningful action. 

On Dr. Ira Helfand:

● Past president, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize

● Co-founder and past president, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the US affiliate of IPPNW

● Member, International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize

Dr. Helfand has represented ICAN at historic intergovernmental meetings to address the humanitarian impacts of nuclear war and at key United Nations assemblies that led to the successful negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The recipient of numerous leadership awards, Dr. Helfand has published studies on the medical consequences of nuclear war in the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Lancet and the World Medical Journal, and has delivered countless lectures around the world on the health effects of nuclear weapons. He represented PSR and IPPNW at the Nobel ceremonies in Oslo in December 2009 honoring President Obama, and presented their new report, Nuclear Famine: One Billion People at Risk, at the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit in Chicago in April of 2012.

Dr. Helfand was educated at Harvard College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a former chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and president of the medical staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. He is a retired internist and urgent care physician at the Family Care Medical Center in western Massachusetts.

Free and open to the public. For more info…clevelandpeaceaction@gmail.com... 440.703.0215

As the world faces an out of control diversion of energy and human recources into warmaking and with the United States planning a large costly upgrade of nuclear weaponry, Dr. Helfand will outline the work of Back from the Brink. This organization brings communities together to prevenet the growing threat nuclear weapons pose to our health, environment, and all we hold dear - transmuting fear and anxiety over the threat of a nuclear holocaust into meaningful action.

On Dr. Ira Helfand:

● Past president, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), the recipient of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize

● Co-founder and past president, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the US affiliate of IPPN

● Member, International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize

Dr. Helfand has represented ICAN at historic intergovernmental meetings to address the humanitarian impacts of nuclear war and at key United Nations assemblies that led to the successful negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The recipient of numerous leadership awards, Dr. Helfand has published studies on the medical consequences of nuclear war in the New England Journal of Medicine, the British Medical Journal, the Lancet and the World Medical Journal, and has delivered countless lectures around the world on the health effects of nuclear weapons. He represented PSR and IPPNW at the Nobel ceremonies in Oslo in December 2009 honoring President Obama, and presented their new report, Nuclear Famine: One Billion People at Risk, at the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit in Chicago in April of 2012.

Dr. Helfand was educated at Harvard College and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a former chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and president of the medical staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. He is a retired internist and urgent care physician at the Family Care Medical Center in western Massachusetts.

On June 18, Human Rights Watch published a 180-page investigation into Operation Metro Surge, the deployment of thousands of federal immigration agents to Minnesota’s Twin Cities between December 2025 and March 2026. Over roughly three months, ICE detained about 4,000 people, more than 75 percent of whom had no criminal convictions. Federal agents unlawfully killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, arrested more than 500 U.S. citizen protesters, and, the report finds, stopped and detained people based on their perceived race. The findings draw on more than 130 interviews with residents, lawyers, health care workers, and educators who lived through it.

The Minneapolis surge is one piece of a system that is expanding and growing more dangerous. On June 25, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights reported that 52 people died in ICE custody in the 500 days after January 20, 2025. Their analysis found the annual death rate in immigration detention roughly 140 percent higher than the year before, the highest in over a decade and nearly four times the rate under the Biden administration. The death rate rose faster than the detained population grew, so the increase reflects worsening odds for each person held, not simply a larger number of people in custody.

Both reports reconstruct what enforcement data usually leaves out. “A Manufactured Crisis” traces how thousands of people were stopped, detained, and in hundreds of cases held without any criminal conviction. “Dying in Detention”reconstructs each death from government records and medical documentation. Reagan Williams, a co-author of the Minneapolis report, said federal agents were sent “to grab people off the street, whisk them away in shackles, and abuse those who sought to bear witness.” On Thursday, July 9, I am hosting a live conversation with two of the researchers behind this work.

to register please click here

Brian Stefan Szittai, Co-Director of the InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Kathleen McDonell, a mediator with the Cleveland Mediation Center, will provide on overview of de-escalation techniques and the priniciples of non-violent protest as useful tools for those in our community who are preparing to monitor and respond to immigration enforcement in our communities. 

On Monday, July 13, 2026, 12 pm, March starts at St. Malachi Parish, 1375 West 25th St, Clevelandand ends in Downtown Cleveland. We will march for Justice, equity, and inclusion into the US American dream. A moral movement must invest in recruiting and training like-minded, engaged people for nonviolence. The U.S. military spends billions recruiting poor and marginalized youth, sponsoring games, air shows, and events that promote violence. We must challenge any system where our youth risk being devoured by a war machine serving the selfish interests of billionaires.

More information at https://facebook.com/events/s/moral-monday-cleveland-action/1461738745642022/.

Join CH4IR to celebrate, learn, create and build community honoring the contributions of immigrants in our home of Cleveland Heights. Learn from immigration lawyers, activists, and keynote speaker freed formerly detained political prisoner, Ayman Soliman. Create Art in a Community Art build for immigrant Rights. Listen to live music by and for immigrants, celebrating the long held tradition in Cleveland Heights of being the welcoming city we say we are. Take Action collectively. RSVP Below.

to RSVP click here

Inspired by Pope Francis’ centering of Indigenous spirituality, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers are hosting “Sacred Border Experience: Indigenous Spirituality and Mission.” This event will explore what it means to be a missionary disciple in a way that honors, rather than erases, Indigenous cultures. Focused on Indigenous wisdom, border reality, reflection, and missionary discipleship, this experience will be October 9-11 at the Columban Center in El Paso, Texas.
Featured presenters include Dr. Yolanda Chávez Leyva, a Chicana/fronteriza historian and writer of Rarámuri descent and Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at El Paso, and Monsignor Arturo J. Bañuelas, the founder of the Tepeyac Institute and Hope Border Institute, both in El Paso.

Immediately after, Maryknoll is offering an immersion trip at the El Paso/Juarez Border from October 11-16. Spend a week on a transformative pilgrimage retreat to El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico, which will delve into the complex realities of life for migrants. Experience the human side of migration by engaging directly with immigrants seeking refuge —sharing meals, hearing their powerful stories, and witnessing their resilience. Learn from Church workers and advocates who navigate these critical issues daily.

Rooted in the principles of social justice and spirituality, this journey offers moments of prayer, liturgy, and faith-sharing. Reflect on the Gospel and your beliefs while exploring the impact of U.S. immigration policies, the intricacies of migration, and your role in responding with compassion and action. This is more than a trip—it’s a call to deepen your faith, broaden your understanding, and return home as an advocate for justice. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness, learn, and grow.

to register for the border uimmersion trip click here