Local Synagogue and Mosque Participate in Twinning Program

By: ELAD BENARI 
Published: November 23rd 2009, SHALOMLIFE

On the weekend of November 13 to 15, congregations across North America and Europe took part in The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding’s Weekend of Twinning. This project, taking place for the second year in a row, encourages members of synagogues and mosques to come together for a joint program where they are each introduced to each other’s faiths.

Among those congregations who took part in the weekend in Toronto, was reconstructionist Darchei Noam Congregation, who was twinned with the Islamic Foundation of Toronto located in Scarborough. The program started on Friday evening, when about 100 members of the Islamic Foundation attended a Kabbalat Shabbat service at Darchei Noam. About 100 members of Darchei Noam participated in the service as well. The group from the mosque received a tour of the building and an explanation of the important elements of the synagogue. Following the service, all participants enjoyed a vegetarian dinner. As synagogue president Lisa Charendoff explains, the tables were balanced so that there were representatives from the synagogue and the mosque at each table around the room.

The second part of the program took place on Sunday morning. Once again about 200 members from both congregations participated. Darchei Noam members were given a tour of the mosque and observed their prayers. This was followed by speeches and discussions and the program concluded with lunch.

Charendoff said that the response from the congregants at Darchei Noam has been very positive. “We’ve had tremendous feedback. It’s been extremely positive, and people found it almost emotional, for some of them. We’re pleased that we could participate with other communities. It was an opportunity to talk face to face, to break down barriers and for each of us to educate ourselves and each other about our respective traditions.”

Imam Yusuf Badat of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto described the program as an excellent opportunity for a synagogue and mosque to get together. He told Shalom Life: “It was a wonderful experience, especially for the community here. I generally do a lot of interfaith so it wasn’t a new experience for me, but it was definitely an occasion where such a large number of Jews attended our mosque and at the same time, for many members of our mosque it was the first time at a synagogue.” He said that he too has received tremendous feedback from his congregants: “Most of them that I spoke to all said it was a great experience. It was a means of building bridges, understanding each other’s faiths, and participating and being part of a common human family.”

Both Charendoff and Imam Yusuf expressed interest in participating in similar programs in the future. “We don’t have a specific plan yet, but I think there is will to participate in something of this nature again in the future,” said Charendoff.

“We would like to meet with all the denominations of the Jewish congregations,” Imam Yusuf told Shalom Life. “Many of [the congregants] understood from this meeting with Darchei Noam that they’re more of a newer, liberal Jewish community, so the Muslims were anticipating that maybe in the future they would be able to meet with some Conservatives and also Orthodox, because we want to build bridges with all segments of the multicultural society, including the Jewish community.”

In addition to Congregation Darchei Noam and the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, six other mosques and synagogues in the Toronto area participated in the twinning program.