by BRENDA GAZZAR, Los Angeles Daily News — 15 July 2014
LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, Rabbi Tsafi Lev of West Hills fasted on the Hebrew calendar day that commemorates the breach of Jerusalem’s walls before the destruction of the Second Temple. Although Lev doesn’t normally abstain from food and drink on this minor Jewish fast day, he wanted to do so this year in the name of nonviolence as intense fighting continued in Israel, Gaza and beyond. With the 17th of the Hebrew month Tammuz coinciding with the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan,
by KELDY ORTIZ, New Haven Register — July 15, 2014
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The violent actions on display between Israelis and Palestinians is a sight Rabbi Herbert Brockman doesn’t like viewing or listening to. But instead of hearing about casualties, Brockman, spiritual leader of Congregation Mishkan Israel of Hamden, doesn’t want to stand by. At sundown Tuesday, Brockman and other members of the Jewish community will head to The Islamic Association of Greater Hartford in Berlin for a date with Muslims, where they will break fast together. Tuesday is Shivah Asar B’Tammuz, a fast day for Jews, while Muslims are fasting during the month of Ramadan, Mongi Dhaouadi, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Connecticut, praised the event. CAIR’s focus is to empower the Muslim community through activism. “It was well received from both sides,” Dhaouadi of New
by JESSICA STEINBERG, Times of Israel — 14 July 2014
JERUSALEM — On Tuesday, July 15, Jews and Muslims will fast, together. From Texas to Tel Aviv, Kalansuwa to Kuwait, in synagogues and mosques, community centers and public spaces, they will gather to learn, pray and talk to each other as part of Choose Life, a movement looking for a way past the violence, deaths and pain of the last month. “The timing is right,” said Eliaz Cohen, one of the organizers of Choose
CAIRO — In the spirit of Ramadan comes a truly feel-good story out of Downtown Cairo. Despite the ongoing feud in Palestine, Egyptian Muslims and Jews put their differences aside and came together for a special iftar held in Cairo’s Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue, commonly known as the Adly Street Synagogue. The touching display of Egyptian unity went down last night and included several key members of the Jewish minority which still remains here, as well as members of the Al
by LAUREN MARKOE, Religion News Service — 10 July 2014
WASHINGTON — Muslim tradition calls for breaking the Ramadan fast in the evening with a date and a sip of water, and increasingly these days, the company of Jews. Muslim-Jewish iftars are popping up across the nation, bringing together dozens and sometimes hundreds of people for a celebratory Ramadan meal and a chance to forge interfaith friendships. This Ramadan, as Jews and Muslims exchange rocket fire in Israel and Gaza, those attending these meals say they are all the more significant, as a way of demonstrating that Jews and Muslims have much in common, and can enjoy each others’ food and company. In Los Angeles on Thursday (July 10), an
by LEETA-ROSE BALLESTER, San Jose Mercury News — 9 July 2014
SAN JOSE — Side by side and shoulder to shoulder, Christian, Muslim and Jewish participants in San Jose-based Abrahamic Alliance International are called together for two main causes--serving the poor and hungry and taking time to learn about one another. Rod Cardoza, founder of Abrahamic Alliance, said that "people come as strangers" to the interfaith fellowship events sponsored by the the alliance but leave as neighbors. A unique feature of the group are the
KAFR QARA, Israel — In the midst of the fast of the month of Ramadan, we, the Arab citizens in the State of Israel, are going through quite difficult days. These times are presenting us with dilemmas which, like the rest of the state's citizens, we do not wish to face. We are facing the Jewish mob which is furious over the murder of the kidnapped teens, while the extremists demand "revenge now" and call for the killing of Arab citizens. The seeds of hatred are starting to create a dangerous storm, with the tam-tam
ACCRA, Ghana — Christians and Muslims have been urged to prioritize the needs of the vulnerable in the society in their daily lives. The Central and Western Regional Director of Direct-Aid Ghana, Mr. Asaad Khacaal Salill, who made the call, said the roles of Christians and Muslims were not only to worship God but also to serve the physical needs of their neighbours. Mr Khacaal Salill said Muslims have to serve as role models in the society in the reformation of the
LONDON — The tradition of breaking fast among friends, neighbors and the needy has been part of the Islamic tradition for centuries. Here in the UK, the desire to share the spirit of Ramadan has given rise to a growing popularity of flashmob Iftars and public Iftars at places of worship, community centers and even parks. This year is no different. 'The Big Iftar', a community-led scheme, supports and
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The rabbi put a fine point on it. In today’s world, for religious leaders of the three Abrahamic faiths to come together in an enjoyable, peaceful and collegial discussion is a rare thing. His audience of about two dozen, including two Muslim scholars, a Catholic priest and the rabbi, met at UBC’s Jewish campus centre, Hillel House, last week. They got together to discuss fasting in each of their religions, days before the Muslim holy month
When I moved to Egypt to study
Arabic in 2004, I was amazed how often Muslims there said alhamdulillah (i.e., praise God). When I asked
friends “How are you?”, they replied alhamdulillah (praise God). When I congratulated Mahmoud’s children for
their high marks in school, they replied alhamdulillah. Even when Haala cut her hand deeply with a sharp
kitchen knife, she repeated steadily alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, as we worked to stop the
bleeding. To my amazement, she was genuinely thankful, mindful her
When I moved to Egypt to study
Arabic in 2004, I was amazed how often Muslims there said alhamdulillah (i.e., praise God). When I asked
friends “How are you?”, they replied alhamdulillah (praise God). When I congratulated Mahmoud’s children for
their high marks in school, they replied alhamdulillah. Even when Haala cut her hand deeply with a sharp
kitchen knife, she repeated steadily alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, as we worked to stop the
bleeding. To my amazement, she was genuinely thankful, mindful her
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