As we approach the Jewish High Holidays and the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Jewish and Islamic months of Elul and Ramadan are coming to a close. Elul and Ramadan are both times of self-reflection and penitence for Jewish and Muslim communities, during which Muslims fast every day during Ramadan as a means of purification, while Jews hear the shofar every morning calling them to prepare themselves for the new year. On Thursday, August 19th, over 200 Muslims, Jews, and interfaith allies from all backgrounds gathered to break the Ramadan fast, pray, and share a meal together. The Community Conversation, called “Iftar in the Synagogue,” took place at the Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. It was hosted by the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI), together with three Community Ambassadors, Tawfiq Farraj, Maham Khan, and Aqeela Jogee. Gloria Needlman, Lora East, Bridget Flynn, Alpha Diallo, and many other Community Ambassadors also attended and it was a great chance for all involved to connect, learn, build relationships, and dialogue with each other.

Participants started off the evening with an interfaith service project for the Night Ministry, collecting and packaging an impressive volume of donations. In their subsequent remarks, emcee Community Ambassador Aqeela , Rabbi Asher Lopatin, and CIOGC Executive Director Mohammad Nasir commented on the religious and cultural similarities between Jews and Muslims and, even more importantly, their shared values of service to our neighbors. As the sun set, it was time for the traditional breaking of the fast and Jewish and Muslim evening prayers. While sharing a delicious Middle Eastern Kosher meal outside in the parking lot—the group would not fit in the space inside the synagogue—attendees watched Community Ambassador Maham Khan’s film “Devon Avenue: Road to Unity.” Maham reflected on her experiences making the film, and her realization of how far the neighborhood still had to go to utilize its abundant religious diversity and move toward religious pluralism. Her call to action was for participants to get involved in an initiative gathering funds for flood victims in Pakistan.

The “Iftar in the Synagogue” event has been an annual event hosted by JMCBI and thanks in part to the work of the Community Ambassadors, this year’s was the largest and most successful by far. Not only did the turn-out increase more than five-fold from last year, but the participants this year also represented much greater religious diversity, exemplifying the possibilities of understanding and cooperation in a diverse community. Asaf Bar-Tura of JCUA said that whereas last year, the vast majority of participants were Jewish, this year, the representation was close to 50% Jewish/50% Muslim, with numerous representatives of other religious and non-religious backgrounds present as well.

All of this made it an inspiring event to attend. The Community Ambassadors present and the committee that organized the event radiated their enthusiasm for interfaith cooperation. From walking the perimeter of the lot, it was clear that participants were making good use of this opportunity to connect with others from drastically different backgrounds, learning about each others’ traditions and making personal connections. I’m sure all 200 plus people walked away from that event inspired toward further interfaith action—I know I did.

Community Ambassador Aqeela Jogee, photograph by Bridget Flynn

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/us/20cncwarren.html

2.      What King Had to Say to Millenials, The Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-wilkes/what-dr-king-has-to-say-t_b_612285.html.  This article imagines what King might have to say to the millennial generation.

3.      Haley’s Path to Christianity Leaves Some Evangelicals Uneasy, CNN- http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/15/haleys-path-to-christianity-leaves-some-evangelicals-uneasy/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_politicalticker+%28Blog:+Political+Ticker%29&fbid=n3NJq6p-IR7.  This article discusses the continuing controversy surrounding Nikki Haley’s Sikh background. Many evangelicals are raising doubts to whether or not she’s “really” a Christian since she still shows respect to her Sikh heritage.

4.      For American Muslims, Choosing to Wear the Veil Poses Challenges, NYTimes – http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/fashion/13veil.html.  This beautiful piece tells the story of American Muslim women who have chosen to wear the veil and the challenges and joys that come with that.

By Mark Crain

Now that voting and commenting has come to a close, we want to thank you all for your support of the One Chicago, One Nation Online Film Contest. In just three short months, nearly 150 films were submitted to the contest and 80 were accepted. Thousands of you logged on to the website and shared your reflections on the films. We can’t thank you enough for sharing your ideas and supporting our efforts to promote the power of digital storytelling.

A special thanks is in order for everyone that took the time to work on a film for this project. Not every film was accepted into the contest, but that should not diminish their merit as works of art and as opportunities for someone to share their story. Nearly 50 of you were involved in our free film training courses, honing your filming and editing skills by working with two of Chicago’s premier production and training houses, Endless Eye Productions and Street-Level Youth Media. Hopefully, these classes enhanced your understanding of the usefulness and importance of embracing digital media .

We will determine the finalists of the film contest this week. according to how well their film met the competition’s criteria, how well they utilized their democratic power to gather votes, and how effectively their film promoted the message of interfaith and intercultural learning to create a better city of Chicago.

We urge you to come out and support the contest on June 17 if you’re in Chicago when we announce the winners at Millennium Park’s public concert, “Dandana: A Celebration of Muslim Voices.”

View the films online here: http://www.linktv.org/onechicago/films

Check out a few images from our workshops below.