2011 Recap: JCUA’s Year in Review

A year’s work for JCUA, “the Jewish Conscience of Chicago”

JCUA provided a zero-interest loan through our Community Ventures LLC to help Breaking Ground rehab 75 foreclosed homes in North Lawndale over three years.  Learn more about Community Ventures.

JCUA assisted public housing residents at Lathrop Homes to avoid displacement. Learn more about Lathrop Homes.

JCUA joined forces with community partners to form the Multifaith Foreclosure Reclamation Initiative, working to secure properties in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood and planning for more. Learn more about the work on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

JCUA leaders were instrumental in passing the Illinois DREAM Act, putting Illinois at the forefront in recognizing that we all benefit when immigrant students have opportunities for higher education. Learn more about JCUA’s involvement in the DREAM Act.

JCUA marked Black History Month with the “Garment of Destiny” multi-media project, an online campaign to combat racism. Watch and read the “Garment of Destiny” project.

JCUA, in meetings with the White House, advocated for comprehensive immigration reform and the creation of additional affordable housing to meet the critical needs of very low income families and individuals. Learn more about JCUA’s advocacy work in the White House.

JCUA’s Or Tzedek Teen program developed a cadre of 75 Jewish social justice leaders who have taken action on the most pressing social justice issues in Chicago. Learn more about Or Tzedek, a Teen Institute for Social Justice.

JCUA brought together more than 1,000 Jews and Muslims, helping to create a more open, embracing society. Watch and read about “Iftar in the Synagogue.”

When We Truly Know One Another

Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan is a  founding member and past president of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. He holds a bachelor’s in African-American Studies from DePaul University and is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. Imam Ryan has been working as an attorney for children in Chicago’s  foster care system for more than 10 years, and serves as Muslim chaplain at DePaul University. He has also been actively involved in Iftar in the Synagogue, an annual event of JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative.

Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan

By Imam Abdul-Malik Ryan

Are human beings basically all the same? Are we different? Are our differences merely superficial and unimportant or are they real and significant? If they are significant, what do they mean? What is their origin and what are we supposed to do when faced with difference, should we ignore it? Should we celebrate it? Should we fight about it?

The Qur’an’s answer to this question is pretty clear. In the 49th Surah (chapter) of the Qur’an, God says “O Humanity!  We have created you from a male and female and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.” The ayah (verse) starts by telling us that all humans do indeed share the same origin and are literally part of the same human family.

Healing the Rift

Reflecting on 10 Years of Jewish-Muslim Community Building
By Samuel Fleischacker

Samuel Fleischacker

Sam Fleischacker is a professor of philosophy and the director of Jewish studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is also the director of UIC’s Jewish-Muslim Initiative and serves on the advisory committee of the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

The rift between Jews and Muslims is among the most fraught of all religious divides today, yet the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs (JCUA) is still one of the few organizations to address it.

JCUA established its Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI) immediately after 9/11. In a low-key, admirably pragmatic way, it has worked ever since then to help Jews and Muslims reach across the divide between their communities. Its premise is that Jews and Muslims in America share a similar history and have similar needs and interests.

They are both minority religions trying to ensure their integrity in a Christian country; they both consist of fairly recent immigrants, and know the difficulties of all immigrants; and they share many general human values. These similarities make it possible and useful for them to work together on local policy issues, regardless of their differences elsewhere, and that joint work can in turn help members of both communities recognize their similarities more fully.

Jews and Muslims Remember 9/11 Victims, Reaffirm Shared Commitment to a Diverse and Prosperous American Democracy

The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs (JCUA) commemorates and mourns the victims of the horrific attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the profound loss experienced by their friends and families, and throughout America’s diverse communities. We remember and honor the courage and heroism of the first responders who risked their lives in effort to rescue and recover.

Unfortunately, the justified fear and anger brought about by the attacks was in many cases misdirected. We witnessed the marginalization and demonizing of Muslim Americans, including hateful speech and violent actions. As we collectively mourn and remember the victims of 9/11, we must vigilantly ensure that this shared tragedy does not become an opportunity for scapegoating.

Through the establishment of the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI) in the aftermath of 9/11, JCUA has fostered strong relationships between the Jewish and Muslim communities, who have been working together for a decade toward a more inclusive, diverse, and just society. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from his cell in a Birmingham jail, “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The threat of injustice, of discrimination, and of baseless hatred must be confronted through collaborative action for the common good.

JCUA Executive Director Jane Ramsey said that “collaboration must be founded on dialogue, trust, and mutual respect. These are only achieved through direct interaction, whether while studying a sacred text together or while working side by side to combat the foreclosure crisis that is tearing apart our communities.” Rabbi Asher Lopatin, co-chair of the JMCBI advisory committee and JCUA board member, added that “empowering each other by mutually respecting our differences is the spirit on which this country was founded. It is this torch that we must carry forward as we commemorate our darkest times.”

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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JMCBI Text Study on “Addiction, Dependency, and Autonomy”

By Jillian Katz
Or Tzedek Participant

Jillian Katz

On July 17 I attended a Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI) text study on “Addiction, Dependency, and Autonomy.” The event was led by Abdul-Malik Ryan from the DePaul University Muslim Life Center and Rabbi Ruven Barkan from Chicagoland Jewish High School who presented, respectively, Muslim and Jewish texts focused primarily on alcohol consumption and gambling.

We began with Rabbi Barkan presenting a section of Talmud on who is not permitted to be a witness. According to the text, one who “plays the dice” (later explained to be one who has no career besides gambling) cannot be a witness. Next, Mr. Ryan read from the Qur’an about the Muslim prohibition from alcohol. Both leaders also told stories from their faiths and presented other texts and materials, including the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step plan to overcoming addiction.

Afterward we held a discussion based off of the religious texts, explanations, stories and other areas. We considered, among other topics, the effect addictive behaviors have on families and communities, Illinois’ controversial casino expansion bill, and one’s ability to prevent themselves from engaging in or cease participating in addictive behaviors.

JMCBI text studies, tied to current social or political issues, are always informative and engaging. The study environment is welcoming and respectful to people of all backgrounds. Perhaps most importantly, the sessions provide a unique opportunity to examine how two seemingly diverse religions actually have similar and complementary principles.

To learn more about JMCBI and to find out about upcoming events, visit www.jmcbi.org.

Reflections on “Rights and Obligations in Jewish and Muslim Traditions”

By Kayla Higgins
JMCBI Fellow, JCUA

Kayla Higgins

Twelve Jews and Muslims gathered at the KnockBox Café in Humboldt Park on May 26 to take part in interfaith dialogue on the topic of “Rights and Obligations in Jewish and Muslim Traditions.”

The discussion was organized by JCUA’s Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI), and led by Rabbi Rachel Mikva, a professor at Chicago Theological Seminary, and Abbas Chinoy, a Muslim chaplain at Rush Hospital.

Rabbi Mikva began by guiding the group through a handout she wrote aligning passages from the Torah and Talmud side-by-side with passages from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on topics of equal protection, property, education, work, rest, and the standard of living.

Café Finjan: “It’s Not About Being Jewish or Muslim, It’s About Being Human”

By Kayla Higgins
JMCBI Fellow, JCUA

On the evening of Thursday, March 17, nearly 150 Jews and Muslims gathered at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) for Cafe Finjan, an evening of performances by Jewish and Muslim artists hosted annually by the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative.

The theme of Café Finjan 2011 was “Chicago Crossroads,” with performances that focused on the themes of Chicago diversity and social justice.

There were two hours of performances with a short discussion break for small groups of audience members to discuss the question, “When have you been at a crossroads, and what path did you take?”

The evening included a diverse repertoire of art: singing, poetry, storytelling, photography and more. One of the highlights of the night was an interfaith conga line formed during an upbeat musical performance by Sirina Issah, a Muslim refugee from Ghana. By the end of her song, almost the entire room was on their feet and dancing.

Sirina Issah performing at Café Finjan 2011

One of the emcees of the evening, Rochelle Rickoff, who also did a joint storytelling performance alongside a Muslim coworker, said, “The similarities in our writing were astonishing and Café Finjan provided the platform that pushed us to discover our shared interest in creative writing.”

Tom Bornstein, a new member and participant of Cafe Finjan and JMCBI said, “It is both thrilling and motivating to experience the Messianic goal of friendship-building between these two ancient civilizations that can occur in the USA!”

As a testimony to the uniqueness of this type of event, another audience member at Café Finjan remarked, “As I was live-tweeting at Café Finjan, a friend of mine from London in the UK responded to me saying, “I wish we had something like that here!”

And one inspiring comment from the student host from UIC’s MSA was, “It’s not about being Jewish or Muslim, it’s about being human, and if this event enticed just a single heart towards peace than it was well worth it!”

For information on other JMCBI events visit www.jmcbi.org.

An International Model for Interfaith Community Building

From left to right: Eser Polat, Rev. Dr. Michael Tita, Rinkeby Hus, Asaf Bar-Tura, Yassmine El Ksaihi, Gerald Hankerson, Said Shagaviev

By Kayla Higgins
JMCBI Fellow, JCUA

On March 21, 2011 the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative (JMCBI) hosted an interfaith delegation from various countries in Europe who came to learn about the JMCBI model for interfaith collaboration.

JMCBI coordinator Asaf Bar-Tura and CAIR-Chicago’s Gerald Hankerson spoke with the group about intercultural exchange programs, as well as joint endeavors to promote social justice in a domestic context.

The group inquired about the challenges faced by JMCBI, the details of its operations and the broad vision for its future.

“I think this meeting gave our guests a tangible model for what they may hope to build in their own communities,” said Bar-Tura. “Though JMCBI’s focus is local, our approach is attracting interest globally, and that should be a sign of hope for all of us.”

The diverse group of community leaders, clergy, and scholars included:

• Said Shagaviev – Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Russian Islamic University (Russia)
• Rinkeby Hus – Community Advocate for Immigrant (primarily Somali) Youth (Sweden)
• Eser Polat – Attorney and Community Leader (Germany)
• Rev. Dr. Michael Tita – Patriarchal Counselor, The Romanian Patriarchate (Romania)
• Yassmine El Ksaihi – Founder and Director of Community Foundation (The Netherlands)

JMCBI News: MLK Event on 1/16, Cafe Finjan and Interfaith Delegation to Springfield in March and More

Check out the latest JMCBI newsletter for:

• Info on an event with Northside P.O.W.E.R. focused on social justice issues
• Details of an upcoming interfaith teen delegation to Springfield
• Updates on this year’s Café Finjan
• Links to interesting stories and videos

View the newsletter here and share it with your friends!