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An unprecedented effort called “The Weekend of Twinning of Mosques and Synagogues Across North America” is taking place Nov. 21-23 when 50 mosques and synagogues will pair up to strengthen community relations. Each house of worship involved this weekend will reserve the pulpit not for its usual imam or rabbi, but for the other faith tradition’s “twin” spiritual leader. Mosques will open their pulpits to Jewish rabbis and synagogues will open their pulpits to Muslim imams in a symbolic gesture of respect and friendship. The 50 mosques and synagogues represent a combined total of tens of thousands of America’s Jews and Muslims.
Titled "Confronting Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism Together,” the theme for this weekend’s twinning revolves around battling prejudice and bigotry. The main goals of the program include: building trust, gaining insight into the sources and manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in North America, sharing strategies for dealing with incidents of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, understanding the sources and manifestations of hate incidents and hate crimes, and developing alternative responses to incidents of hate through protection, prevention and partnership.
This effort was initiated by the New York-based Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, which is led by Orthodox Rabbi Marc Schneier and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Although the foundation usually focuses on Jewish-African American relations, the foundation has turned its attention to bridge-building between America’s Muslim and Jewish communities. Other organizations involved in “The Weekend of Twinning” include the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the World Jewish Congress.
For more information on “The Weekend of Twinning” please visit www.ffeu.org.
Posted on November 21, 2008
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