AJC and AIC Organize an Interfaith Celebration, Conversation

August 24, 2010

So often we tend to think of the intersection of religious values and ideas in contexts in which they clash. What comes to mind are the myriad ways that various strains of religious extremism have driven conflict, strife and misunderstanding, we think of deep divides in theology and belief, and we think of the lives lost and culture destroyed in the name of God. But there are times and places in which common religious values, such as the importance of helping those in need, can rise above religious and cultural differences. One good example of this is a recent joint effort by the American Jewish Committee and the American Islamic Congress here in Boston to raise funds to help flood victims in Pakistan, many of whom have lost all of their worldly possessions (including vital crops and beasts of burden) who are in desperate need of humanitarian aid.

Last night at an Iftar celebration co-sponsored by the two organizations, and hosted by the British Consulate-General to New England, young adults from the Muslim and Jewish communities in Boston had a chance to meet each other and hear from AJC Boston director Rob Leikind and AIC Civil Rights Outreach Director Nasser Weddady about the importance of building bridges between young Muslim and Jewish leaders in Boston. It was clear from one of the remarks by Mr. Leikind and Mr. Weddady, as well as the general feeling in the room, that this was meant to be a substantive opportunity for people from two different communities to begin to get to know one another, and in this respect the event certainly seemed to be a success. One of the more interesting themes which emerged from my conversations with leaders from the AIC was the idea that we need to find ways to connect and be in dialogue with each other in good times as well as bad, and that by building real relationships we can create an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect which will allow us to have conversations about difficult topics when the need arises. This is, of course, the real value of building relationship on both an individual and communal level – it allows us to face common challenges in a more honest and hopefully more productive way.

It was also fascinating to talk to some of these same individuals about common internal challenges that both Jews and Muslims face within our respective communities. One thing a few people pointed out to me (both Jews and Muslims) throughout the course of the evening was the fact that within any religious or ethnic group there will always be internal divisions because it’s human nature. As I think more about this idea, it makes me wonder what common tools, skills and ideas can be shared between and among leaders from different faith-based and ethnic communities that will help all of us to be better leaders. The  question I plan to keep asking is how we can keep this dialogue going, and it is one which I think will yield some very interesting answers. I am curious to see how this relationship between young Muslim and Jewish leaders in Boston will develop, but I think that so far, from what I have seen, the AJC and AIC are doing a good job of working to set a tone of mutual respect, curiosity and cooperation and for this they are to be commended.

Copyright Daniel E. Levenson 2010.