August 6-9, 2018:
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Observance August 6-9
August 6th Opening ceremony: 8 to 8:45 a.m. at on lawn at entrance to Lithia Park in Ashland
- Background music by Masako Cross
- Greetings by Herbert Rothschild, chair of the planning committee
- Musical selection by Masako Cross
- Lighting of the flame with brief explanation by Estelle Voeller, Citizens for Peace & Justice
- Spiritual reflection by Rev. Dakudo Michael Gavin of the Ashland Zen Center
- Striking of the gong at 8:15, when the bomb exploded over Hiroshima
- Ashland City Council proclamation read by a member of the council
- Words from Ashland Culture of Peace Commission director David Wick
- Water ceremony – attendees are invited to participate
- Benediction by Rev. Dakudo
Under the auspices of Peace House, and supported by a grant from Oregon Humanities, these conversations encourage participants to express their recollections, thoughts and feelings about living their entire lives under the threat of nuclear annihilation. They also offer information about the UN-sponsored treaty to abolish nuclear weapons, which was opened for the nations’ signatures on September 20, 2017 and has already been signed by more than 60 nations. The conversation will be facilitated by Dr. Michael Niemann and Dr. Herbert Rothschild, both long-time nuclear disarmament activists. The conversation will last a little more than an hour. Everyone is invited to participate.
Always moving, this brief ceremony encourages reflection on what was lost and what must be saved. It will feature the haunting sound of the traditional Japanese wooden flute, songs by the choir of the Japanese Association of Southern Oregon, a spiritual reflection, and the floating of sunflowers in the pond of the Japanese Garden.
