FAITH HOUSE Manhattan

As Salaamu Alaykum, Eid Mubarak (Peace and Happy Eid!)

~ by Samir Selmanovic

For the last thirty days our Muslim brothers and sisters have been spiritually on the move, experiencing hunger and thus empathizing with those who are hungry, gathering together and celebrating their community, bowing to God in gratitude for the gift of life. Faith House wishes you joyous Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations with family and friends!

On this occasion, now for the second year, the Empire State Building will shine its world-famous tower lights in green on Tuesday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 1, 2008 for the annual celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr. The lighting for Eid is an annual event in the same tradition of the Empire State Building's yearly lightings for Christmas and Hannukah. Alhamdullilah!

We are elated about this recognition of the American Muslim community by one of the United States’ most cherished landmarks. In celebrating together with the Muslims of New York City and the United States, the Empire State Building once again shows itself to be a powerful symbol in America’s most culturally vibrant city.  

For those of you who are not Muslims, this would be a good time to turn to your Muslim neighbor, friend, coworker, or schoolmate and tell them, "I am glad for you. Eid Mubarak!" 

What does Faith House want to become? And how?

~ by Staff, Advisory Council, and Launch Team of Faith House

Our dear supporters, friends, and well-wishers, we are excited to introduce to you our dreams. Many thanks to those of you who have helped us say what we carry inside. Here is the statement of Mission, Vision, and Principles of our community. Pray for us, advise us, support us! Thank you!

MISSION:  To be a thriving inter-dependent community.

LEARN FROM OTHERS
We are a community that discovers “the other” (individuals or groups other than our own).

SHARE YOUR STORY
We honor and learn from the teachings, practices, sufferings, and joys of people from different faiths (religions, worldviews, philosophies, and belief systems).

HEAL THE WORLD
We come together to deepen our personal and communal journeys, learn to live with our differences, and contribute to the wellbeing of the world.

VISION: To participate in development of a holistic society where people from different faiths understand, respect, and protect one another, uniting to improve communities around them.  In order to achieve this vision, we are beginning and growing six aspects of our local community in New York City:

1. Living Room Gathering
At this weekly gathering, we learn from others, share our stories, and organize our community to serve the common good. Together we explore human experience, holy days, spiritual practices, current cultural and societal issues, and the lives of inspirational people from the past and present.

2. Study of Texts and Traditions
These sessions delve into the formative texts and traditions of a particular faith. People from all traditions are invited to participate so that all can learn through the eyes and experiences of the other.

3. Intergenerational Programming
Care and programs for the life cycle permeate our community. Infants, children, youth, adults, and seniors all contribute, bless, and benefit from our life together.

4. Service, Personal Wellness, and Ecological Sustainability
Separately or in synergy with other organizations, Faith House provides opportunities to serve and make a lasting difference in the lives of the poor, oppressed, and neglected in New York City and globally. Faith House also seeks to supports its members in living healthy lives, promoting sustainability, and caring for earth's resources.   

5. Community Building and Cultural Events
Periodically Faith House members or groups present and host events and activities outside our regular programming in order to connect with each other and with the life of our city.

6. Generous Giving and Financial Accountability
To support our community and its mission, we ask members and friends of Faith House to contribute regularly and generously. In turn, Faith House maintains mechanisms of financial accountability, and it pledges 10% of its income from individual donors to support religious or community organizations that help Faith House fulfill its mission.

PRINCIPLES: To guide our relationships and the life of our community, these principles of inter-dependence describe not what we hold as sacred or central but how we hold it.

1.    FIRST THINGS FIRST: We use our faiths to serve the life of the world.

2.    SHARING LIFE: Faith House is a spiritual home where we celebrate our friendships, life events, and accomplishments as well as grieve over our wrongdoings, disappointments, and losses.

3.    COMMON JOURNEY, DIFFERENT PATHS:  We are sojourners who acknowledge that every faith has its own story, calling, and mission.

4.    GENEROUS BELIEF: We believe that our faiths can always grow deeper and that none of our religions, worldviews, philosophies, or belief systems no matter how true, beautiful, or powerful, can ever contain all wisdom, blessing, or power.

5.    RE-INTERPRETATION: We continually seek deeper levels of understanding by interpreting and re-interpreting our texts and traditions.

6.    GRACIOUS COMMUNICATION:  We do not insist that others have to change their language or categories in order for us to hear them, while we seek to translate our concepts to those outside our traditions.

7.    GIVING THROUGH RECEIVING: We strive to learn more than to teach as we are called to receive, discern, and value what others have to give us.

8.    NEW MEMORIES, NEW HISTORY: We name and acknowledge the harm done to one another throughout history and move beyond into a future of healing and inter-dependence.

9.    FREEDOM FROM FORCE AND FREEDOM TO CHANGE: We do not believe in proselytizing; we believe in personal choice and transformation.

10.    POST-CYNICISM:  We believe a new kind of community is possible.

Talk to Your Enemy: A Wish for the New Year

~ by Amichai Lau-Lavie, Faith House Advisory Council member, and founder, executive, and artistic director of Storahtelling Inc.

Things got heated during the first televised presidential campaign when Iran was mentioned. Will the future president of the United States sit with the present president of Iran, whose hateful words towards the US and Israel just echoed in NYC? Does talking to the enemy legitimize the other’s views? 

 McCain and Obama probably didn’t know it but their debate on this issue touched on the core issue of the High Holy Days: the art of talking to the enemy.  In the classical Judaic liturgy for this season of reflection, the enemy is often described as a voice within--our personal demons, nay-saying selves that lead us into thought patterns and behaviors we later regret. How does one deal with these inner enemies? Meet them at the table, say the sages: confront, converse, come to terms--but do not avoid that which holds you back from becoming all that you wish to be in the world.

But the enemy is not just an internal voice. One of the demands this season is to confront real-life enemies and do what we can to amend conflict. Atonement with God is not possible until one is reconciled with fellow human beings, says the Talmud. Go through your address book, highlight those with whom you have unfinished business, then take the plunge and meet them at the table: initiate a conversation--no matter what. I know: easier said than done.

To give us inspiration and to make that point clear, our ancestors chose really challenging Torah stories to accompany these days.  On the first day of Rosh HaShana, we will meet Abraham and Sarah and witness as they deport Hagar and Ishmael, the no-longer-wanted-at-home surrogate mother and firstborn child. On the second day, we will accompany Isaac to the mountaintop on which his father expects to sacrifice him in the name of God. On Yom Kippur we will hear the silent scream of Aaron, the high priest whose two sons’ die while on duty, and we will spend three days inside the belly of a big fish, trapped with Jonah, a reluctant social activist.  None of these biblical tales are simple, and all point us in one direction: we need to show compassion for the other in our lives, to learn from and with the other, and even to reconcile with the other--both within ourselves, and within the full ranks of humanity. 

The Torah Service, invented by Ezra the Scribe in Jerusalem, 2,500 years ago on Rosh Ha’shana (Happy Birthday, Torah Service!)--was meant to accompany our lives with the values, found in stories, that will chart our growth and guide our way. The stories chosen for the High Holidays are no exception:  inside each and every one of them hides a coded call for awareness and action, potentially personalized by each one of us, if we pause to listen.

This year, the second day of Rosh HaShana, October 1st, coincides with Eid Al Fitr--the Holiday of the Sacrifice,  the festive conclusion of Ramadan. On this day, as Jews chant the Torah tale of Abraham binding his son Isaac, Muslims recall the Koran’s version,  in which the son bound is believed to be Yishmael. What a grand opportunity this can be for dialogue, for conversation--with preparation, but without pre-conditions--between the children of Isaac and the children of Yishmael, children in bitter conflict nowadays, but whose origin story and legacy of pain is one and the same: the raised knife of their father. How do we get beyond that pain and all those that followed and chart a peaceful and respectful co-existence?  Set the table: start with a conversation--on this New Year’s Day, and beyond. 

May this year bring us closer to having uncomfortable conversations with all respected others, inside ourselves and out in the world.  May we all have the courage to face the rage and hurt, pleas and passions, and invite ourselves to a table with our enemies, laden with nourishment for a well earned feast of peace.

Shana Tova & Eid – al - Fitr Said!

May Peace Prevail!

A Sabbath Poem (Rilke - 4)

FEAR NOT THE STRANGENESS
~ by Rainer Maria Rilke

You must give birth to you images.
They are the future to be born.
Fear not the strangeness you feel.
The future must enter you
                    long before it happens.
Just wait for the birth,
for the hour of new clarity.

(Letters to a Young Poet, Transl. Stephen Mitchell, 
New York: Vintage Books, 1986)

Current Trends In Interfaith Life

~  by Sylvia Hordosch who lives in Manhattan and works for the United Nations on gender issues. She is a feminist Christian and cannot hide her impatience with sexist language in society at large and in her faith community. As a native of Austria, she misses Vienna's coffee houses.

The adventure of people of different faith communities coming together seems to attract more and more interest. Just within the last month, two Christian magazines published articles on interfaith issues. Christian Century (August 26, 2008) had a cover piece Seattle’s 3 Amigos: A Muslim, a Christian and a Jew in Ministry Together, and Sojourners (September-October 2008) wrote about theological seminaries teaching for a multifaith world in an article titled Many Mansions. Christian Century refers to Faith House as an example of a new kind of interfaith initiative organized by people who are keen to move beyond academic discussions to joint activities and celebrations.

Both articles argued for the need of a better understanding of interfaith issues in an increasingly interconnected world – and within their own families.  In both pieces, the focus was on the three Abrahamic traditions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam, perhaps because that’s the mostly obviously wounded place to begin. Christian Century described the collaborative efforts between a Rabbi in the Reform tradition, a Pastor of the University Congregational Church and a Sufi Muslim teacher in Seattle. In formal and informal meetings, the three congregations have come closer together – not by sharing the lowest common denominator, but by celebrating together in each other's houses of worship and working together on common projects. While they remain within their separate and distinct religious identities, they acknowledge “other faiths as legitimate paths to a shared universal.”

Sojourners’ article focused on a number of theological seminaries involved in interfaith activities, including Auburn Theological Seminary, The New Seminary (both in New York), Fuller Theological Seminary, Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School. Hebrew College and Andover even share a piece of property on their Massachusetts campus in addition to offering joint courses. Almost all experts cited in the piece are closely linked to the work of Faith House as advisors or endorsers.

While Jewish-Christian dialogue has a longer tradition than other interfaith dialogues, and both magazines seem to focus on Jewish-Christian issues, more efforts are being directed to include Muslims in interfaith discussions. In addition to learning about different ways to struggle with religious questions, the current trend of interfaith initiatives includes hands on experience in joint projects and activities. Though, there is recognition that it is often easier for believers to communicate with progressive minds of different faiths, rather than with members of their own traditions.

Noticably, the Christian Century and Sojourners articles share a focus on men’s activities in interfaith activities – the same way that United Nations events, where I work, seem to include mostly male speakers. In the highly recommended book, The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian, a Jew – Three Women Search for Understanding, women bring fresh new voices to the debate. Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner share their soul-searching project of understanding their different faiths – as well as prejudices and biases.  In their different voices, the co-authors describe how they struggled to learn about each others' religion, lived through individual crises of faith and expanded their understanding of God.

And three women, Jill, Bowie, and Rabia are on their way to put Faith House on the map in New York City!

A Sabbath Poem (Oliver - 2)

WILD GEESE
~ by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
    love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

(Mary Oliver, from Dream Work)

A New York Event: A Conversation on Muslims in the Media

Intersections is a wonderful new institution concerned with common ground and global social justice.  Together with Faith House they are co-sponsoring an event on Sept 25 in New York City.  Come for insight from the experts, new friends, and human stories that you can't hear on the network news!

The Cost of War at Home & Abroad:  Muslims in the Media
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2008 7–9 p.m.
A panel discussion by Muslim leaders, academics, and journalists on the media’s portrayal of Muslims since 9-11 and how it has affected the Islamic community.

DEBBIE ALMONTASER
Founding and Former Principal, The Khalil Gibran International Academy

DAISY KHAN
Executive Director, American Society for Muslim Advancement

ANISA MEHDI
Emmy award-winning journalist and filmmaker

HUSSEIN RASHID
Founder, www.islamicate.com

For a digital flyer click HERE.

All events will be held at Intersections
274 Fifth Avenue (between 29th & 30th Streets) New York, NY 10001
Space is limited; please RSVP at rsvp@intersectionsinternational.org

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Also in this series: The Cost of War at Home & Abroad

SEARCHING FOR AMERICA’S NEW FOREIGN POLICY
• OCTOBER 23, 2008 (Thursday) 7–9 p.m.
A moderator-led conversation of diplomats, academics, and practitioners on the political opportunities and challenges the United States will face in the coming years as a result of the War on Terror.

IRAQI VOICES
• NOVEMBER 13, 2008 (Thursday) 7–9 p.m.
A discussion with Iraqi-Americans and recently resettled Iraqis regarding their experiences in Iraq, their new lives in the United States, and their hopes for their country.

THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF RETURNING VETERANS
• JANUARY 21, 2009 (Wednesday) 7–9 p.m.
A conversation with the Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, on the challenges veterans face upon returning home from combat.

Live Words: A Fourfold Song

There is one who sings the song of his own life, and in himself he finds everything, his full spiritual satisfaction.

There is another who sings the song of his people. He leaves the circle of his own individual self, because he finds it without sufficient breadth, without an idealistic basis. He aspires towards the heights, and he attaches himself with a gentle love to the whole community of Israel. Together with her he sings her songs. He feels grieved in her afflictions and delights in her hopes. He contemplates noble and pure thoughts about her future and probes with love and wisdom her inner spiritual essence.

There is another who reaches toward more distant realms, and he goes beyond the boundary of Israel to sing the song of man. His spirit extends to the wider vistas of the majesty of man generally, and his noble essence. He aspires towards mans general goal and looks forward to his higher perfection. From this source of life he draws the subjects of his meditation and study, his aspirations and his visions.

Then there is one who rises toward wider horizons, until he links himself with all existence, with all God's creatures, with all worlds, and he sings his song with all of them. It is of one such as this that tradition has said that whoever sings a portion of song each day is assured of having a share in the world to come.

And then there is one who rises with all these songs in one ensemble, and they all join voices. Together they sing their songs with beauty, each one lends vitality and life to the other. They are sounds of joy and gladness, sounds of jubilation and celebration, sounds of ecstasy and holiness.

The song of the self, the song of the people, the song of man, the song of the world all merge in him at all times, in every hour.

                                ~ Rabbi Kook (1865 - 1935)

Academics and Faith House

~ by Samir Selmanovic

Ever since Professor Jon Paulien and other faculty from Loma Linda University initially inspired me to take this journey off the maps, I have met some trail-blazing academics who have added to the fire. Foremost among them is Professor Paul Knitter from Union Theological Seminary and Rabbi Or Rose from Hebrew College in Newton, MA. Their exceptional writings have been outdone by their personal, warm, constructive, and tireless spirits. We shared a teaching experience at Envision 2008 conference at Princeton University earlier this year, organized by another inspiring and spirited professor, Peter Heltzel from New York Theological Seminary. And now as more opportunities to teach together in New York City appear, we find ourselves excitedly talking at the same time about this expanse of the sacred that does not know boundaries made by humans. At times, I feel like a beginner on a very long journey, seeing no more than three feet forward, sitting down with people who have been scanning the horizon for many years.

So, I am glad to report that this week Faith House has received wholehearted endorsements from Professor Knitter and Rabbi Rose. You can find an article about some aspects of their work, as well as some information about Rabbi Justus Baird from Auburn Seminary, who is a member of our Advisory Council, in a recent article by Sojourners magazine entitled Many Mansions: Seminaries Teach for a Multifaith World.

"This is exactly the kind of inter-religious dialogue that we need today! For too long, “dialogue” has been primarily the business of academics and religious leaders. Without in any way neglecting sound knowledge and respect for tradition, Faith House seeks to bring the meeting of faiths (and non-faiths!) into our living rooms, workplaces, and local neighborhoods. It shows that people who share the same neighborhood and city can also share what keeps them alive spiritually. And in the process they become better neighbors and better citizens. My hope is that Faith House will become 'Faith Houses' all across our city and country."

Paul F. Knitter
Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture (short bio)

"Faith House Manhattan is a noble undertaking that seeks to bring together people from different faith traditions to heal our broken world. This innovative project serves as a model of creative and purposeful inter-religious collaboration."

Rabbi Or Rose
Director of Interfaith & Social Justice Initiatives at Hebrew College in Newton, MA
Rabbi Oris the co-editor of Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice and God in All Moments: Spiritual & Practical Wisdom from the Hasidic Masters (both from Jewish Lights Publishing).

A Sabbath Poem (Rumi - 4)

DIE BEFORE YOU DIE
~ by Jalaludin Rumi (1207-1273)

Really to experience the day of Resurrection
You have to die first, for "resurrection" means
"Making the dead come back to life."
The whole world is racing in the wrong direction
For everyone is terrified of non-existence.
That is, in reality, the only certain refuge.
How should we try to win real awareness?
By renouncing all knowing.
How should we look for salvation?
By giving up our personal salvation.
How should we search for real existence?
By giving up our existence.
How should we search for the fruit of the spirit?
By not always greedily stretching out our hands.

(Light Upon Light: Inspirations from Rumi, transl. Andrew Harvey)

Ramadan Begins

~ by journalist David Crumm

On Monday, on the first day of Ramadan, a new month-long Web page launched at www.SharingRamadan.info to share uplifting stories about everyday Muslim life during Ramadan. The site is part of the larger and extraordinary online magazine www.ReadTheSpirit.com co-founded by longtime journalist David Crumm. David writes:

    Can you feel it in the air?
    A major portion of the world -- a billion of our neighbors -- are spiritually on the move this month. Their faith calls on them to devote this entire month to prayer and fasting and kindness toward everyone they meet. And, in the end, the month is supposed to draw people closer to God and to compassionate concern for the world's neediest men, women and children.
    If you're not Muslim, this is a wonderful time to wish your Muslim friend, neighbor or co-worker well during the next four weeks. Keep an eye out for colleagues who may be trying to fast right through a challenging day at school or work. Lend a friendly word of encouragement -- and ask a question, if you're curious. I have spent more than two decades visiting Muslims around the world and I have yet to meet a Muslim who wasn't gracious in responding to sincere questions. 

David emailed us today at Faith House and welcomed our sharing a sample of this new series with you. The team behind SharingRamadan invites readers to visit the site and add their comments or contribute their own stories.

Faith is the strongest glue in our lives. It forms our values, connects us with other people and builds strong communities. I am not a Muslim, but I have devoted more than 30 years to reporting on the changing lives of Americans and occasionally on cultures in other parts of the globe as well. I know first hand that the world’s 2 billion Christians, who form the majority of the population in the U.S., and 1 billion Muslims, millions of whom are Americans as well, all play major roles in shaping our future.

In this rapidly changing era, we have the impression that we can connect with the latest news 24 hours a day. In fact, what we see is mostly American pop culture, sports and the latest violent news rocketing from some corner of our planet. In fact, with the crumbling of traditional news media, it is becoming harder and harder to see our world clearly – and it is often just as tough to see and hear our own neighbors much closer to home.

That is why I was thrilled to work with Raad Alawan in collecting stories for this first-of-its-kind Ramadan project, which we will be publishing online at www.SharingRamadan.info On that Web site, we welcome you to add your own stories and your own reflections about the series. As a longtime journalist himself, Raad immediately understood the need for all of us to explore this life-affirming month that is experienced each year by our Muslim neighbors here and in distant lands, as well.

Visiting mosques with Raad and other journalists, we were warmly greeted by men, women and young people wherever we traveled. These neighbors were proud to share their inspiring stories with us – and with you as well. They described their prayers in this holy month as focusing on patience, compassion, kindness and opportunities to serve others – values we all can celebrate, whatever our individual approach to faith.

So, enjoy these uplifting stories and think about all the ways that these men, women and young people are as eager as you are to strengthen our communities.

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A Sample from SharingRamadan.info:

Bruce Kadoura: "I guess you can call me a born-again Muslim ..."

RAMADAN begins September 1 for more than a billion of our Muslim neighbors around the world. Each day throughout the month-long fast, you'll find uplifting stories here from the lives of Muslim men, women and young people. Please, enjoy these voices -- and share your own comments and stories (we've got convenient links at the top of this page to help you). We begin, today, with a story from Bruce Kadoura, a business consultant living in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Here are Bruce's words ...

You’ve heard of born-again Christians? Well I guess you can call me a born-again Muslim. I’m 60 and like a lot of Muslim people my age in this country, I had the experience of growing up at a time in the 1950s and early 1960s when our Islamic education wasn’t the best.

I’m part of one of the older families that moved originally to Dearborn, Michigan. My father was involved in building one of the first mosques near the Rouge plant in the southeast end of Dearborn. Back then, everything had to be within walking distance of our homes because nobody owned cars. The mosque was a very small building. My family had a two-story flat and we lived in the lower floor, but rented out the upper floor, which was a prudent thing for families to do back then.

Growing up at that time, our religious teaching came partly from various people who would come from other countries and try to enforce their rules about our schools or how we should learn Arabic or how we should follow Islam. They would come and go and this system didn’t work very well. I remember fasting back then during Ramadan, but it was hit or miss. I really didn’t understand it completely.