I’m excited to share with you two upcoming interfaith endeavors that our Catholic-Jewish Commission and our Jewish-Catholic-Muslim Dialogue of Southern New Jersey have planned. On Tuesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at Temple Emmanuel, 1101 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, we are offering a very interesting program, “A Candid Conversation About the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims,” with two distinguished speakers and authors of the widely acclaimed book, “Sons of Abraham.”
Their book has been recognized by leaders of government and religion as an important contribution to the ongoing conversation among Jewish and Muslim scholars toward a more peaceful solution in the perceived divide between Jews and Muslims. Former President Bill Clinton remarked that “the efforts of Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali to bring Jews and Muslims together, not only in the United States but also in Europe and the Middle East, are so important. They not only talk the talk, they walk the walk…. I have been inspired by their example and I hope you will be too.”
Rabbi Marc Schneier is the 18th generation of a distinguished rabbinical dynasty. Imam Shamsi Ali grew up in a small Indonesian village and studied in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Hear in their own words how they overcame their prejudices and bonded over a shared belief in the importance of opening up a dialogue and finding mutual respect. In doing so, they became not only friends but also defenders of each other’s religion, denouncing the twin threats of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and promoting interfaith cooperation.
In their book, “Sons of Abraham,” Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali tell the story of how they became friends and offer a candid look at the contentious theological and political issues that frequently divide Jews and Muslims. They seek to clarify the erroneous ideas that extremists in each religion use to justify harmful behaviors toward the other side. Rabbi Schneier dispels misconceptions about the concept of being the “chosen people” in Judaism, while Imam Ali explains the truth and falsity behind concepts of jihad and Shari’a. And on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the two speak forthrightly on the importance of having a civil discussion and the urgency of reaching a peaceful solution.
As Rabbi Schneier and Imam Ali show, by reaching a fuller understanding of one another’s faith traditions, Jews and Muslims can realize that they are actually more united than divided in their core beliefs. Both traditions promote kindness, service and responsibility for the less fortunate and both religions call on their members to extend compassion to those outside their faith. These two men challenge Jews and Muslims to step out of their comfort zones, find common ground in their shared Abrahamic traditions and stand together and fight for a better world for all of us.
Tickets for this interfaith event are $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Students (age 15 and above) are invited to attend free. Parents of such students are also invited free. To register or for more information please visit www.jcrcsnj.org or call Brandon Cohen, 856-751-9500 ext.1203.
Another exciting offering that our Catholic Jewish Commission has been planning is our Interfaith Seder to be held this year on April 31 at St. Augustine Preparatory School, 611 Cedar Ave., Richland. I was happy to hear that my good friend Rabbi Geri Newburge will be officiating along with Rabbi Lewis Eron and myself. We are looking forward to joining together at the Prep and we encourage families to come out and celebrate this Jewish meal with us as we learn the history and ritual together. I will have more details concerning time and cost once we finalize all our planning. Just wanted you to get the Seder on your calendars!
I do hope you come out and join us for our program “A Candid Conversation About the Issues That Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims” on April 8 at 7 p.m. It is not every day that we have the opportunity to spend some time with two renowned experts and authors as they discuss such timely and controversial issues here in our local area.
Father Joseph D. Wallace is coordinator, Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs, Diocese of Camden.
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