Abrahamic Gatherings For Global Healing

By Len Traubman

The Muslim Ramadan month and Jewish Yom Kippur ended Monday, October 23rd. Both faiths’ followers re-dedicated themselves to return again and again to a closeness to God and people, in deed and in heart.

More than ever, they did it together.

In Vancouver, Canada’s Ahavat Olam Synagogue—http://ahavat-olam.ca/—Rabbi David Mivasair knew of shared principles of Jews and Muslims. So Yom Kippur morning, the Rabbi’s congregation welcomed Imam Sa’ad Bahr of the Masjid Al-Hidayah—http://islam-canada.com/pn/—a mainstream, beautiful Sunni mosque.

The imam and rabbi, side-by-side, affirmed shared intentions of Jews and Muslims to be their very best.

This was not a one-time event. It is a new tradition of courage and wisdom in Vancouver.

In each of the four years of its existence, Ahavat Olam has invited a Muslim religious teacher during Rosh ha-Shanah or Yom Kippur, the two holiest days of the Jewish year.

Rabbi Mivasair: “The Zohar teaches that problems are not solved on the level on which they occur. Ahavat Olam is seeking a different level on which to begin approaching the relationship between our community and our Muslim neighbors,” published the Jewish Independent.

CALIFORNIA, USA

An unprecedented Muslim outreaching saw six San Francisco Bay Area mosques open their doors to Jews and others in the public. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) along with six mosques hosted Ramadan Open Houses & Iftars the weekend of October 7th and 8th to celebrate Ramadan: A Month of Sharing. It is described at http://www.myvillage.us/profile/profile.asp?/my/ramadan .

Mosque members of the Oakland Islamic Center reached out community-wide. Mosque Muslims broke the daily Ramadan fast one Friday night at Kehilla Community Synagogue as part of an event that also included the Montclair Presbyterian Church. Published in the San Francisco Chronicle—Saturday, 07 October 2006

BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE

Israeli Jews and Arabs of the Interfaith Encounter Association—http://interfaith-encounter.org/—traveled twice to Hope Flowers School—http://hope-flowers.org/—in El-Khader, Bethlehem. Thursday, October 5th, 2006 was the first of two Ramadan interfaith gatherings to study faith traditions and share a Ramadan Iftar dinner to break the fast.

MORE ABRAHAMIC GATHERINGS for global healing

This Fall, 2006, many more than ever are these interfaith educational and healing re-connections are being initiated.

Read about inspiring gatherings in Maryland, New York, Washington, California, Florida, Rhode Island, and the Holy Land described at: http://shalomctr.org/node/1206

We are beginning to understand the meaning of One—Echod, Wahad—and to live as though it is true.

We are totally and inextricably interconnected and inter-related—neighbors forever.

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