Productivity Begins Before You See the Moon: Reflection on Iftar in the Synagogue 2012

Ariel Burton

By:
Ariel Burton, 2012 Summer Intern at JCUA 

Several weeks before the first day of Ramadan had even popped up on my iPhone’s Islamic calendar, I had begun arduously preparing for the month of Ramadan. I took a “divide and conquer” approach to the laundry list of tasks I felt needed completion before Ramadan started to make my fast a smooth and steady one. I cleaned and organized my house, went food shopping for vegan Iftar foods, found a masjid on the south side of Chicago I could attend every Friday for Jummah (congregational prayer), organized my books on Qura’nic scholarship and Islamic studies, and even ordered a couple of new titles that would teach me about performing Taraweeh (special night prayers performed during the month of Ramadan) correctly.

Once I had completed the pre-Ramadan list I began writing my spiritual goals for Ramadan, setting the intentions to pray more, meditate, and read the Qu’ran. I even signed up for Productive Ramadan emails to keep me spiritually and physically active during the month of Ramadan, a daily email service which sends out suggestions to help make the most of one’s Ramadan. At the time I saw it as a way of reminding me Ramadan is not only about the spiritual journey of study but the building and strengthening of community.

Meet Volunteers Behind the Largest “Iftar in the Synagogue” to Date

By Michal Goldschmidt
JCUA 2012 Intern

Michael Goldschmidt

With our popular event, Iftar in the Synagogue, right around the corner (Thursday, Aug. 2), our planning committee is working hard to ensure the evening’s success. With more people expected to attend than ever before, there’s more preparation and organizing to be done, and our committee have their work cut out.

This past week the meeting was held in Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Hebrew Ethiopian Congregation – one of the three locations for “Iftar” 2012. Upon arrival, Tamar Manasseh, an energetic rabbinical student on the planning committee and a leader at Beth Shalom, greeted participants enthusiastically. She gave a tour of the synagogue, so that everyone could visualize Iftar occurring there and discuss which rooms should play host to which elements of the program.

Talia Yousuf (left) and Mariam Afzal, representatives of the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals.

As always, this year’s committee is made up of Jewish and Muslim volunteers, some of whom are representatives from co-sponsoring organizations and communities. Committee members Talia Yousuf and Mariam Afzal, representatives of the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals, are both extremely excited for the event and proud to be involved.

Talia noted that as much as the event itself is impressive and evokes a feeling of pride, “it’s the group of dedicated and diverse individuals from the committee who are the true source of my inspiration. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to bring forth such a large scale project.”

Iftar in the Synagogue 2011 a Huge Success

More than 400 Jews and Muslims attended this year’s Iftar in the Synagogue, an annual event of JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative. The evening’s theme, “Diverse Experiences. A Common Future,” invited both communities to explore how to truly see each other by sharing diverse religious and cultural experiences, engaging each other in conversation, and empowering each other to build a common future.

Learn more about JMCBI in this video.

Here are some photos from the event.

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Iftar in the Synagogue 2011: “Diverse Experiences, A Common Future”

Iftar in the Synagogue is a unique interfaith gathering that is held during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.  This is the seventh year JCUA is putting on this special event.  It is a chance for people of different religions to come together and share their diverse religious and cultural experiences, engage in conversation and empower each other to build a common future.

This year Iftar in the Synagogue is taking place on August 18 from 6-9:30 p.m at Temple Sholom, 3480 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.  At this event there will be Jewish and Muslim prayers, speakers, conversation and a kosher/halal dinner.  We will also be collecting non-perishable food items to be donated to the Urban Minority Alliance (UMMA) Center.  This is a free event, but space is limited so please RSVP.

 If you are interested in volunteering at the event, or want to learn more, contact Asaf Bar-Tura at asaf@jcua.org.

Download the event flyer.

Iftar in the Synagogue 2011 is sponsored by the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals, the Muslim Women’s Alliance, Temple Sholom, and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

Save the Date: Iftar in the Synagogue

We are pleased to announce details for Iftar in the Synagogue 2011.

When: Thursday, August 18, 6-9:30 p.m.

Where: Temple Sholom, 3480 North Lake Shore Drive, Chicago (map it)

»See video of last year’s Iftar

VOLUNTEER: If you would like to be a part of planning Iftar in the Synagogue, or if you would like to help at the event, please contact Kayla (kayla@jcua.org).

Iftar in the Synagogue: Slideshow

More than 250 Jews, Muslims and people of other faiths attended Iftar in the Synagogue on Aug. 19, 2010. The event was held at Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Get a feel for Iftar from this slideshow:

Photos: Jonathan Lehrer / Slideshow production: Katherine Randall

Read Aaron Cohen’s account of this inspiring evening

Sharing Sacred Space: Muslims and Jews at Iftar in the Synagogue 2010

By Aaron B. Cohen
Guest Columnist

Friday, Aug. 20, 2010 – Last night my wife and I attended the Iftar at the Synagogue, organized by the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs and a number of other Jewish and mainstream Muslim groups in the city. What a blessed event—literally. It was the first time in a long time that I felt the immediate urge to participate in something that seemed crucial. [See photos from Iftar in the Synagogue.]

For Jews and Muslims what is the alternative to sitting together and attempting to establish relationships? It’s not an attractive alternative to be sure. There are hard and vexing issues between us that need to be resolved, issues that are not entirely—and perhaps not even slightly—based on each group adhering to different religious beliefs (although religion certainly is a heady and at times toxic part of the mix).

Those issues may or may not be resolved through personal connections; sometimes conflicts of interest have lives outside of the individuals who experience—and indeed may wish to resolve—them.

But one thing is certain: when people of good faith join together in an exercise that brings them into the orbit of the “other,” where they experience one another as human beings with like needs, an act of holiness occurs.

Iftar in the White House signals a time for communal respect, according to Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

For Immediate Release
Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Chicago

CHICAGO, Aug. 16 — One of the two Jewish guests at this year’s White House iftar meal says the interfaith event should be viewed as an opportunity for a new level of communication and understanding between the Jewish and Muslim communities in America.

Jane Ramsey, executive director of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA), wrote in a blog post today about the iftar meal held last week at the White House. Iftar, a communal meal at which Muslims traditionally break their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan, should “embody the foundation enabling us, ultimately, to act together to create healthy and just communities and to jointly tackle Islamophobia and anti-Semitism,” Ramsey wrote.

At the White House for the Communal Iftar Meal

By Jane Ramsey
Executive Director, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began last week, it was my pleasure and honor to take part in a special interfaith iftar meal at the White House hosted by President Obama.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast until sundown every day, then break the fast with a communal meal called iftar, usually shared with family and friends, along with invited guests of all backgrounds and faiths. According to sources, similar to Yom Kippur for Jews, fasting provides the opportunity for a Muslim to remove the evil effects of the sins committed by him/her and to purify his/her heart and soul. As well, good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

Nearly 90 members of the administration, community representatives and foreign heads of state attended the White House iftar.

A commitment to religious freedom

Sharing with Muslim friends many times over the years, I have come to deeply appreciate the significance of participating in one another’s traditions, learning, growing and deepening our understanding and our friendships. These are among the small acts of support that embody the foundation enabling us, ultimately, to act together to create healthy and just communities and to jointly tackle Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

JCUA's Jane Ramsey with the president at the White House iftar meal.

Indeed, by hosting an iftar in the White House, as he has a Passover seder and other observances, the president is signaling respect for each faith tradition, and a depth of commitment to religious freedom and tolerance.

Joining me from the Jewish community at the iftar was Hannah Rosenthal, who recently was appointed special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, for the state department, and who also serves as rabbi in her hometown of Madison, Wis.

The evening brought many opportunities for personal interaction as well as interesting, touching and powerful moments from the backdrop of this extraordinary residence.

Meet Saleha Jabeen: A Muslim Student at a Catholic Seminary, Building Relationships Between Jews and Muslims in Chicago

Meet Saleha Jabeen – an Indian-born Muslim student at the Catholic Theological Union, who is part of the leadership team organizing the annual “Iftar in the Synagogue” event, as part of JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative.

by Jessica Cohen
JCUA Intern, Communications

Saleha Jabeen

In an event encouraging the Jewish and Muslim communities to come together, JCUA is partnering with other Jewish and Muslim organizations to hold its ninth annual “Iftar in the Synagogue.”

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and break their fast each evening with an “Iftar” meal. In celebration of this, Iftar in the Synagogue includes prayers, speakers and a kosher/halal dinner. One of the major events of the JCUA summer, it will take place Thursday, July 25 at Anshe Emet Synagogue.

27-year-old Saleha Jabeen, a student pursuing an MA at the Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, is volunteering as a leader on the event planning committee (find out how you can volunteer as well).

“I always try to volunteer with different organizations, so I was excited to hear about JCUA. I love finding organizations that hold onto the core beliefs of a religion, rather than the traditional religious aspects,” Saleha said.