On October 15, even as an ominous wave of violence escalated between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem, I had the honor to host a luncheon at a New York City kosher restaurant at which the Chief Rabbi of Israel, David Lau, met and conversed warmly with a distinguished delegation of imams and Muslim leaders from New York and New Jersey.
When Rabbi Lau requested the meeting several months earlier in order to learn about the work that my organization, the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, has been doing over the past decade to strengthen communication and cooperation between Muslims and Jews in New York and around the world, neither of us expected that the luncheon would take place at such a perilous moment. Indeed, there was concern expressed as to whether the meeting would come off at all; especially after several of the imams who had accepted our invitations had received pointed warnings not to attend.
I never doubted the luncheon would take place, but was nevertheless relieved and gratified when one by one, the varied Muslim leaders whom we had invited arrived and greeted the Chief Rabbi. One of the first speakers at the event, my close friend, Imam Shamsi Ali of the Jamaica Muslim Center, and my co-author of a 2013 book entitled "Sons of Abraham" said in his opening statement to Chief Rabbi Lau; "A short time ago I received an e-mail urging me not to attend, but I am at this meeting because we Muslims and Jews are on a journey together. The work I have done with Rabbi Schneier here in New York and in places to which we have travelled together such as Indonesia and Australia, demonstrates that a rabbi and imam can work together and build a friendship. We believe that religion does not create conflict, but actually rather can bring people together."
Overall, our luncheon with the Chief Rabbi represented an uplifting affirmation by both Muslim and Jewish leaders of our commitment to continue strengthening our relationship at a time when the media narrative is one of fear, loathing, conflict and confrontation between our two faith communities. The message at the luncheon, which was covered by the New York Times, was fundamentally different; that Muslims and Jews can indeed join together if leaders and grass roots activists from both communities step forward and resolve; 'We Refuse to Be Enemies'. We will build ties of communication and cooperation between our peoples for the good of both our communities and the larger community in which we live side by side.
In my remarks, I argued that our two faith communities "need not only a political peace process, but a spiritual one as well. Even if Israelis and Palestinians finally negotiate a peace treaty, will that really end the conflict when the truth is that a majority of Jews don't trust Muslims and the majority of Muslims don't trust Jews? It is up to us to bring together Muslims and Jews face to face so as to change that reality."
Chief Rabbi Lau, 49, the son of former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, dresses in traditional Orthodox rabbinic garb, yet he comes across as personable, modern and very open to people of other faiths. Still he is upset about how electronic communication via Facebook and Twitter often fuel false rumors and thereby triggering people to lash out violently. Taking his cellphone out of his front pocket and holding it up, Lau remarked, "It's a very good machine, but please, I want you to help me to explain to people that not all the announcements they receive are true." Referring to the rumor among many Palestinians that Israel intends to destroy Al Aqsa Mosque, Lau said emphatically, "It's a lie. It's not true. No one wants to do it, not the government of Israel, of course, not religious rabbis in Israel. We need to explain to people, it's a big mistake, a big lie."
Yet Rabbi Lau did not take offence when several of the imams and Muslim leaders indicated deep distress over the violence in Jerusalem and expressed the opinion that Israel should do power to give hope to a deeply alienated Palestinian population. Sheikh Musa Drammeh, an African-born imam who has worked hard to strengthen ties with the Jewish community in New York, including hosting a small Chasidic synagogue in his mosque in the Bronx, said that during a recent visit to Israel, he found the country to be a "highly developed, beautiful place, holy land," but then said emphatically that the situation with the Palestinians is "not sustainable...It's a time bomb."
Rabbi Lau responded empathetically that Drammeh had raised "the $64 million question" adding, "We need to express to each other that there is room for all of us. We must live and let live and beat swords into plowshares...." Lau also argued that the two sides should work to end extremism and violence in their own communities, recalling that when three Jews murdered a Palestinian boy last summer in revenge for the killing of two Jewish youths by Palestinians, he organized meetings with other rabbis to give them the message "This is not the way of Judaism."
Participants in the luncheon spoke in glowing terms about the work Muslims and Jews have done together to strengthen ties in New York and far beyond. FFEU Muslim-Jewish Program Director Walter Ruby spoke about plans for a series of public events on the theme "Muslims and Jews: We Refuse to be Enemies, which will take place during in November and December as part of FFEU's annual Season f Twinning in such cities as New York, Washington, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, Manchester, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Copenhagen, Sao Paulo and Tel Aviv.
Dr. Ali Chaudry, president of the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, New Jersey talked about the educational work he has done together with Rabbi Deb Smith of nearby Congregation Or Ha Lev under the aegis of FFEU to strengthen awareness in both communities that no two religions have as much in common as Judaism and Islam, including the centrality of peace in both faiths. Zamir Hassan, founder and president of Muslims Against Hunger, spoke the work in which his organization has partnered with FFEU to bring together Muslims and Jews in cities across America to feed hungry and homeless people. According to Hassan, "In my opinion, the best form of dialogue is when Muslims and Jews to come together to help those who are most in need."
Sheikh Ammar Nakshawani, a prominent American Shia leader who teaches theology at the Hartford Seminary, made a point that evoked wide agreement in the room, by reminding those assembled, "We need to take our Muslim and Jewish jackets off and speak out when we see something wrong on our own side." Calling on the two sides to recognize the humanity of the Other, he narrated an anecdote how Caliph Ali, then the leader of a mighty empire, was travelling with his retinue across the desert when stopped to give succor to a lonely Jew he met along the road.
Muslim and Jewish participants in the luncheon left the event with the understanding that while our two communities have a long way to go on the road to reconciliation, an important beginning has been made over the past decade toward building a global network of Muslims and Jews committed to reconciliation. That profoundly hopeful and inspiring truth should not be overlooked amidst the present gloom and doom over the situation in the Middle East. Indeed, it is vital that Jews and Muslims in the Diaspora must share with our Israeli and Palestinian brothers and sisters the good news that Muslims and Jews have been coming together to accomplish important deeds in cities around the world. That knowledge will give them hope at a difficult time and inspire them with the understanding that the future can be better than the past if enough people reach across the barricades and connect with each other.
Rabbi Marc Schneier is President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, and is the co-author, with Imam Shami Ali, of Sons of Abraham: A Candid Conversation about the Issues the Divide and Unite Jews and Muslims, Beacon Press.