Jewish and Muslim/Arab Dialogue Continues Despite Ongoing Middle East War

 By Nate Feldman

The last couple of months have seen the worst fighting in the Middle East in decades, the result of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which killed up to 1,200 Israelis and led to air strikes and an invasion of Gaza which has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.  

The result of this has been protests and counter-protests throughout the world in support of either Israel or Palestine and extreme tensions between supporters of both sides, most notably in the Jewish and Muslim communities.  

In spite of the current fraught situation, efforts to maintain dialogue between the Jewish and Muslim communities has continued, albeit often under very contentious situations.  

One organization that advocates strong Jewish and Muslim relations is NewGround.  This Los Angeles based group says on its website that since 2006 it "has reached tens of thousands of people with (their) leadership trainings, public programs, and private lectures and discussions."

The organization has been able to continue dialogue groups between local Jews and Muslims since the fighting in the Middle East began.  

At the Israeli Opera, 60 Jewish and Arab musicians gathered together to sing a rendition of West Side Story's classic song Somewhere.  According to the Israeli news site, ynetnews.com, the event was a collaboration between the Israeli Opera, the Galilee Chamber Orchestra, the Jerusalem Academy of Music, and the School of Music at Tel Aviv University. 

Two Organizations Making the World a Better Place

 By Nate Feldman

Nowadays, news about conflict and strife permeates the airwaves.  War, environmental destruction, and crime are frequent news topics.  Reading and hearing about such things creates large amounts of pessimism and cynicism around the world.  But every now and again, there are groups of people or organizations that defy that and try to improve the world we are in.  

Yesterday in my Reading and Writing class at the ELS Language Center in Philadelphia, we learned about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which takes care of orphaned elephants in Kenya.  I also heard a news report about the Newground organization in the United States that tries to build relationships between Muslim and Jewish people.  The goals are different, but the benefits they bring are similar.  

Both are trying to inspire humans to live in a better way.  Instead of poaching elephants or going to war, they strive to bring out the better side of humanity.  Taking care of orphaned elephants is good for that species and for the ecosystem as a whole.  Likewise, having people from different religions dialogue instead of fight brings us closer to world peace of some kind.  So, I see big similarities. 

NPR Interviews Leaders of Muslim-Jewish Partnerships in the U.S. about the Situation in the Middle East

 By Nate Feldman

In the wake of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the NPR radio station last month interviewed two women, Aziza Hasan and Alyson Freedman, who are both involved with organizations in the United States that are building partnerships between Muslims and Jews and how the current conflict is affecting their work.  

Aziza Hasan is the Executive Director of Newground: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, an organization which according to its website "envisions an America where Muslims and Jews are empowered to create lasting partnerships, engage in authentic communication and mutual cooperation." 

In the interview, she said her work right now is "not necessarily about dialogue," and that it was more of a time for her to check in on people and see how they are coping with the situation and how they are feeling.

Alyson Freedman is a member of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom who says the organization's goal is to   "build relationships between Muslim and Jewish women and work to combat hate through relationships."  

She says at the moment she is trying to encourage people to not get too one-sided when discussing the conflict and to "re-humanize both Israelis and Palestinians."

Interfaith Philadelphia to Celebrate 20 years of Activities

 By Nate Feldman

Interfaith Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to building relationships between the various religious communities in the Philadelphia area will celebrate 20 years of existence in 2024.  

The organization has fostered inter-religious dialogue throughout the city in a number of ways.  There is the Art of Interfaith Understanding initiative.  People of different faiths gather at the Philadelphia Art Museum to learn about different traditions through artwork.  

Jewish-Palestinian village in Israel Continues to be a Model for Co-existence

 By Nate Feldman

A recent article in The New York Times titled In an Israeli Oasis, a Model for Peace, if Messy and Imperfect by Hiba Yazbeck highlighted the continuing efforts of the Neve Shalom/Wahat Al Salam (Oasis of Peace) to promote co-existence between Jews and Palestinians in Israel.  

The village has 70 families, half of whom are Jewish Israelis and the other half whom are Palestinians with Israeli citizenship.  There is a school where the students from the village, and people from outside the village as well, study together with Jewish and Arab teachers.  Recently, a video of the principal of the school, Neama Abo Delu, was posted in which she discussed the challenges of teaching children of different backgrounds and the concerns of the parents during the current crisis in which Israel and the Palestinians are at war.  

Max Rayne Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem Wins Prize for Overcoming Adversity

 By Nate Feldman

Based on articles with Reuters press and the Guardian, a prominent English newspaper, The Max Rayne Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem, a bilingual school for both Jewish and Arab students in Israel, won the Overcoming Adversity prize at the World's Best School prizes last Saturday.  The event, held by T4 Education, a global network of educators, seeks to recognize great schools throughout the world.

The Max Rayne School's prize was recognition of its ability to bring over 600 Jewish and Arab students together.  The lessons are taught in both the Hebrew and Arabic languages by Jewish and Arab staff alike.  It is one of several schools run by the Hand in Hand organization throughout Israel which promotes Jews and Arabs studying together.   

The timing of this award is salient due to the horrific ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.