Muslims and Jews: Break Down Walls, Find Common Ground

Not that long ago, Rabbi Sarah Bassin, the Executive Director of ” title=”JQ International” target=”_blank”>JQ International, to engage JQ as one of the several community collaborators for an event that NewGround was producing.  NewGround is an independent group that “began in 2006 as a response to the climate of tension and mistrust between Jews and Muslims in Los Angeles, and was founded to create a national model for healthy relations, productive engagement and social change between American Muslims and Jews.”  Rabbi Bassin contacted JQ, International, which is a Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender (GLBT) Jewish movement, because she felt that incorporating an GLBT perspective in the event was essential.  Four Muslims and four Jews went up on stage that night to share their personal stories on the theme of relationships, and I had the amazing privilege of getting to be amongst them to share my GLBT experience and my relationship with the Jewish community in the process. 

When Gellis, approached me to see if I would be interested in sharing my story, I was both excited and nervous.  I was excited because I felt that ” title=”NewGround” target=”_blank”>NewGround, for taking the brave, risky and crucial steps towards creating balance and healing, in a world filled with harmful misperceptions that human beings have towards one another.

For more info. about NewGround:
” title=”http://www.muslimjewishnewground.org/relationships.html” target=”_blank”>http://www.muslimjewishnewground.org/relationships.html

JQ International: