“It was such a privilege, and so humbling, to be invited to sit with your clergy and to be part of this sacred event. I mourn for the Israeli people who were subjected to such unthinkable events a year ago, and for those hostages and survivors that continue to deal with this nightmare every day. I am so saddened by the subsequent antisemitism that the Jewish people have experienced in the country and around the world. Please know we love and stand with you. Thank you for your great friendship and for your efforts and leadership in creating wonderful interfaith bridges. Your love of God radiates from you.” — William Ludlum, Morristown Latter Day Saints Stake President, on October 7: Marking One Year
During the past year, our interfaith partners have joined us in solidarity against hate. We held hands with Baptist ministers and prayed for healing and a better world. We stood on the bimah (raised platform in the synagogue) with an African Methodist Episcopalian Pastor, as she led us in the shema (Hear, O Israel) prayer to honor victims of sexual assault. We walked with a Pentecostal Apostle, as we bore witness at the Nova Exhibit in New York City. And we sat amongst Hindus, Latter Day Saints, and Unitarians, as we marked one year since the horrific attacks of October 7.
We asked our interfaith partners to stand with us—for our families, for Israel—knowing that their allyship would provide comfort when the world did not.
A Dedicated Mission
After tragedies like the Tree of Life Synagogue murders and the killing of George Floyd, the Jewish Community Relations Council formed Interfaith Leaders Against Hate and Antisemitism to build alliances and cultivate cultural competency. The group has planned programs designed to educate the community about diverse cultural traditions and celebrate all that we have in common. Motivated by shared values such as compassion, service, and love, clergy members are accustomed to interfaith work and bring with them motivated congregants committed to learning. Outreach to these leaders is a natural starting point.
That is not to say that we have not had difficult conversations in the last year. Or that some doors closed, while others never fully opened. Such is the new reality for those engaged in interfaith work. And yet the Interfaith Leaders has greatly expanded to more than 20 clergy members. These include those representing Jews, Muslims, Unitarians, Catholics, Presbyterians, Hindus, Sikhs, Baptists and other Christian faiths. We know we are stronger together and that mutual understanding can start with one meeting, one shared meal, or one tough conversation at a time.
Welcoming the Stranger
With these goals in mind, the Interfaith Leaders launched the Be a Good Guest series. This initiative allows clergy and their congregants to celebrate unity while becoming comfortable in one another’s houses of worship and sharing their unique traditions. Interfaith Leaders Chair Rabbi Robert Tobin hosted the first of these sessions at B’nai Shalom in West Orange on Monday, October 21.
During the Interfaith Sukkot celebration, more than 80 people came together to share in the share in the joy of this holiday and build meaningful connections across diverse faiths. The group began in the sanctuary, where attendees learned about Jewish rituals. They asked thoughtful questions, like, “Does the ark always face Jerusalem?” and “What is that thing on your head?”— the latter coming from a curious five-year-old. Afterwards, attendees enjoyed dessert and conversation in the sukkah, where strangers became friends.
In the coming months, we will be visiting Hindu, Christian, and Muslim communities to learn about their customs and traditions. Stay in the loop about upcoming events by signing up here.
Building Bridges, Advancing Allyship
Our work starts with understanding, and while we have asked our interfaith friends to learn about the Jewish community in the last year, we have also continued to lean into learning about others. We have gone to iftar dinners, had tea with Chinese community leaders, and held meetings in churches, mosques, and temples.
It means that we hosted an interfaith event in April—Speaking Up for Those Who Can’t: An Interfaith Gathering Against Sexual Assault—in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And we marched in an Interfaith Sexual Violence Awareness Walk organized by Christians a few weeks later. It means we shared a stage at a faith conference with the same Pentecostal Apostle we walked next to at the Nova Exhibit. And it means that we joined the Turkish Muslim community earlier this week as they mourned their Honorary President.
The need to alleviate pain and make the world better is a core Jewish value even when, especially when, we can’t fully understand that pain. That is, after all, at the heart of our interfaith connections, our way of saying please know we love and stand with you.
Our next Be a Good Guest event will be held in a Hindu temple. We hope members of our community can join us.
To learn more about JCRC’s interfaith work, please read “Creating Alliances to Combat Antisemitism at Home.”