Some stories are just too sweet to pass over. I was at the Islamic Center of New York University for an iftar, preceded by a sermon.
Read moreRepairing Our World Together
This year the Jewish festival of Passover will be celebrated from March 27th through April 4th; and on April 13, Muslims will begin the fasting month of Ramadan. This circumstance occurs only once in three decades, attributable to Muslims following the lunar cycle. As our calendars get populated with interfaith Seders and iftars. . . .
Read moreDo All Muslims Have Good Knees?
Can you guess the context?
I have been asked many questions about Muslims, the Muslim faith, the Muslim whatever, but this had to be the sweetest and most endearing. If you haven’t already guessed, we were in a mosque, in a prayer hall, in the women’s section, settling down for Friday Jumma prayers. My Jewish friend Bernice and I had just sat down on the red prayer rug.
You Cannot Leave The Room
“We are going to have some difficult conversations. You can disagree; you can get upset; you can be angry; but you cannot leave the room.” Those were the ground rules…..
What did I just get myself into! Is this going to be a discussion on Gaza and Jerusalem?
Do You Stereotype Your Own
“How do you feel when you hear the Muslim call to prayer?”
“I think it’s gutsy,” said a Jewish woman.
The Last Prayer
My phone was on silent. I was at the library, at the Writers Circle, reading my piece on the pipe-bomber... Walking back home, the pipe-bomber was still on my mind. Khalid was waiting by the door. “Did you hear?” He asked.
Read moreA Hologram For A Visitor
I asked him, ‘How did you pass your time living in the attic for two years?’ The moderator pushed a button on the console and repeated the question...This wasn’t the first time Khalid and I had talked to a holocaust survivor, but this was the first time that he wasn’t there in flesh and blood. We were having a conversation with a hologram.
Read moreNot A Terrorist, Just A Rabbi
The Rabbi was preparing to deliver his sermon for Rosh Hashanah. As he put his things together, leaders from all over the world were congregating only blocks away from his apartment, also getting ready to deliver their speeches at the United Nations. The Rabbi got his things in a bag—his sermon, and the shofar, which he would blow at the synagogue
Read moreToday I Am A Jew
Sadly, now it’s our turn. Only three days ago, on a bright sunny Sunday, I had stood in Times Square among thousands, waving posters, “Today I Am A Muslim Too.” Except, that they were not Muslim. That day, they were proclaiming their solidarity with Muslims.
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