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Sep. 23rd, 2007 10:10 pmMuslims, Jews Break Fast Together On Upper West Side
September 23, 2007
Both Jews and Muslims observed a fast Saturday, and some members of those communities gathered on the Upper West Side to break the fast together. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report.
Jews and Muslims came together Saturday night in what might seem an unlikely place, gathering at the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew on the Upper West Side to break their fast and build bonds.
“We think its God's home,” said K. Karpen, senior pastor of St. Paul and St. Andrew. “It’s really not our home, and it should be shared with God's people, and that's everybody.”
With that spirit in mind, the church hosted an interfaith break of fast dinner, preparing and serving the food for their Jewish and Muslim guests.
Jews had kept a 25-hour fast in observance of Yom Kippur, their day of atonement. Muslims are in the midst of the month of Ramadan and fast each day during the daylight hours.
Because the faiths follow different calendars, it’s unusual for the holidays to overlap and those here took the advantage of the opportunity to better understand each other.
“I’m learning about Sarah, who is a Muslim friend that I just met, and we were just starting to share how our day went,” said attendee Evelyn Rothstein.
“Despite world events as they currently are, that there are still people of goodwill from all faith traditions who yearn and who do live and work together and respect each other,” said Aisha Al-Adawiya, another attendee.
“I don't like it when people fight, and so I really like it when all the different faiths come together,” said Jessie Floyd, a third attendee.
B'nai Jeshurun, along with the ASMA Society, an Islamic cultural and educational organization, and Women in Islam also helped to organize the dinner.
Among those breaking the fast was Debbie Almontaser. The founder and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn resigned last month amid controversy, after she originally refused to condemn the use of a highly-charged word referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
Almontaser, who has helped organize the interfaith event during its three years, was presented with a book of support from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian attendees.
“In light of everything that has happened to me, it has made me stronger, and has given me much deeper conviction in seeing that our world needs this kind of work,” she said.
Yom Kippur and Ramadan will not overlap for another 33 years, but organizers hope the communities will continue to build bridges and spread the message of peace.
- Shazia Khan
Link to the article
September 23, 2007
Both Jews and Muslims observed a fast Saturday, and some members of those communities gathered on the Upper West Side to break the fast together. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report.
Jews and Muslims came together Saturday night in what might seem an unlikely place, gathering at the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew on the Upper West Side to break their fast and build bonds.
“We think its God's home,” said K. Karpen, senior pastor of St. Paul and St. Andrew. “It’s really not our home, and it should be shared with God's people, and that's everybody.”
With that spirit in mind, the church hosted an interfaith break of fast dinner, preparing and serving the food for their Jewish and Muslim guests.
Jews had kept a 25-hour fast in observance of Yom Kippur, their day of atonement. Muslims are in the midst of the month of Ramadan and fast each day during the daylight hours.
Because the faiths follow different calendars, it’s unusual for the holidays to overlap and those here took the advantage of the opportunity to better understand each other.
“I’m learning about Sarah, who is a Muslim friend that I just met, and we were just starting to share how our day went,” said attendee Evelyn Rothstein.
“Despite world events as they currently are, that there are still people of goodwill from all faith traditions who yearn and who do live and work together and respect each other,” said Aisha Al-Adawiya, another attendee.
“I don't like it when people fight, and so I really like it when all the different faiths come together,” said Jessie Floyd, a third attendee.
B'nai Jeshurun, along with the ASMA Society, an Islamic cultural and educational organization, and Women in Islam also helped to organize the dinner.
Among those breaking the fast was Debbie Almontaser. The founder and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn resigned last month amid controversy, after she originally refused to condemn the use of a highly-charged word referring to the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
Almontaser, who has helped organize the interfaith event during its three years, was presented with a book of support from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian attendees.
“In light of everything that has happened to me, it has made me stronger, and has given me much deeper conviction in seeing that our world needs this kind of work,” she said.
Yom Kippur and Ramadan will not overlap for another 33 years, but organizers hope the communities will continue to build bridges and spread the message of peace.
- Shazia Khan
Link to the article
