I recently had the privilege of responding to a speech at Temple B'nai Sholom in Rockville Centre by Yossi Klein Halevi, the distinguished journalist who wrote "At the Entrance to the Garden" (William Morrow, 2001) about his exploration of Christianity and Islam in the Holy Land. From Christians, he reports, he learned the power of silent prayer and universal love, both of which have long traditions within Judaism but which "were largely lost during the ghetto experience." From Islam he learned how to surrender to God in the moment while praying and how to confront our mortality, the basis for real humility.
What Jews want to hear from Christians, he says, is that we understand the centrality of Israel to Judaism. What they long to hear from Muslims, who historically treated Jews who lived under Muslim rule far better than Christians did, is that Islam can exist under Jewish self-rule and that it is indigenous to the Middle East.
I think I understand intellectually the attachment of Jews to the Holy Land, but I am not sure if any American Christian can truly fathom it emotionally. We are a nation of emigrants, many of whom left their homelands voluntarily. One of my grandfathers left Scotland as a young man because he saw no future for himself there. On the other side of the family, my ancestors left England to escape religious persecution, and in each generation since the 1680s they moved out- of-state. Can a culture of vagabonds imagine the hold which this disputed piece of real estate has on others? Perhaps we American Christians can at least offer the gift of recognizing the limitations on our understanding.
What is it that Christians long to hear from Jews and Muslims? Christians have varied and conflicting thoughts on nearly everything, and nobody elected me to speak on the behalf of all of us, but I still think that nearly all Christians want badly to hear Muslims reject violence, a demand which takes a fair amount of chutzpah in light of the Crusades and the Inquisition. We also want, I think to see within Islam some self-criticism, some capacity to question their own traditions and how they have interpreted them, as a check on fanaticism and hatred. The Koran itself upholds this ideal, urging "do not turn away from the truth, even if it causes you to testify against yourself." What we Christians seldom acknowledge is how hard-won this ability has been within Christianity and how frequently we fail to exercise it today: ask some Christians if they might be wrong about one of their core beliefs and you are asking for a fight.
What I think American Christians want from Jews, on the other hand, is some assurance that they will not drag us into a war in the Middle East, a desire which must strike them as outrageous, given the way Chinese Nationalist immigrants shaped our policy toward Beijing for decades, the way Cuban-Americans still control how we treat Castro, etc., etc. Why should anyone expect Jews to act any differently than Irish-American or Greek-Americans do toward their homelands?
Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation, celebrates the miracle in which God comes in the form of baby to a strife-torn world. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could embody Good News in the gifts we give this year to our non-Christian neighbors? Wouldn't it be great if we could understand how hard it may be for others to offer what we long for the most?
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/pax,
Tom
"Middle Eastern Christians of New York" is the fifth in the series of daylong educational programs on living faith traditions in New York, specifically designed to inform religious and community leaders about important religious communities in the City. This event offers an introduction to many New York's Middle Eastern Christian communities, their rich history, social concerns, and cultural heritage - through conversation, art, music, and ritual. Seating limited, please RSVP before November 26 at: (212) 685-4242 ext. 32. or gotoku@aol.com. Suggested donation $20, including breakfast and lunch.
Do you take part in an office party in December? Would you be willing to collect food (or money) for the LICC or for another local emergency food pantry. This is a good way to put Christian charity into practice, reminding people of "the reason for the season" and helping our neighbors in need.
Every holiday season the blood shortage grows even worse than usual. If you can, schedule a donation. The United Methodist Church of Lake Ronkokoma, for example, is having a drive on Friday, Nov. 29, from 3 to 9. Call 631-588-5856.
United in Christ invites one and all to a free concert by Marie Vargas and Frank Rendo on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Samantha's Lil Bit of Heaven, 287 Larkfield Road in East Northport. Please bring canned goods to help feed the hungry.
A number of interfaith prayer services for peace are springing up across the Island. A group in Manhasset, for example, will begin gathering on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Manhasset (downstairs in the Parish Hall). Call Dara Seaman (516-627-5187) or the Rev. Jimmy Only (516-627-4911) for information.
The next event in our ongoing series of interfaith dialogues on the Middle East conflict will offer Christian, Jewish, and Muslim perspectives on how their faith communities view Jerusalem. Bishop William Murphy and Msgr. Donald Beckmann will host us Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 2:00 to 3:30 in the downstairs meeting room of the Diocesan offices at 50 Park Avenue, just north of Sunrise Highway, in Rockville Centre. Episcopal Bishop Rodney Michel will representing Christianity, Rabbi Paul Kushner of Shaarei Shalom in Bellmore, and Chaplain Sanaa Nadim from Stony Brook will represent Islam. The LIRR and bus stop nearby and some parking is available in the Cathedral lot on Queely Place, a one-way street going east from Village Avenue. Let me know if you'll be there!
At a recent training event in North Bellmore offered by Church World Service, our ecumenical partners in disaster response, the psychologist and Disciples of Christ clergywoman Dr. Katrina Bright shared insights into what we can expect hereabouts in the coming year. Based on her experience after the Oklahoma City bombing and other terror attacks, she predicts:
The second year of recovery, for many of us, will not be easier than the first. It takes a long time to move through the stages of shock, anger, depression, and bargaining to finally get to acceptance. We may want to "get on with our lives" but we are going to need years, one another's support, and perhaps professional help to do so. Untreated depression will often lead to increased substance abuse and other forms of self-destructive behavior.
Conflicts within many congregations will worsen this year and next. Anger and rage over the trauma we have suffered often is deflected onto other issues, from what our policy should be toward Iraq to what music should be played in worship.
People are going to need opportunities to express anger appropriately and liturgically. As the Presbyterian poet Kathleen Norris has pointed out, the Psalms give vent to all sorts of longings for vengeance, and if these hymns made it into the canon of sacred scripture, who are we to say that these feelings do not belong in worship? Many of us will never get to reconciliation and rationally, faithfully weighing our options, Dr. Bright contends, without first admitting our desire for revenge.
Newsday Charities has been a major supporter of the LICC's social services for many years and during the past year they have been the single largest source of funds for our assisting those affected by the 9/11 attacks. Your generous response to their holiday appeal helps us to help thousands of your neighbors. Last month in The Prelude we urged you to include Spanish-speaking congregations in local ecumenical and interfaith events, but did you know that Newsday Charities has been a major funder of the important work done in Eastern Suffolk by the Hispanic Outreach Ministry? Here is Newsday's report on their efforts:
"They work in posh East End restaurants and manicure the lawns of sprawling summer homes. But when the summer sun fades, these Latin American immigrants face a long, cold winter.
"Luckily, the Hispanic Outreach Ministry, assisted by a Newsday Charities grant, is there to help.
"The five-member Ministry staff, in collaboration with other social, civic, government and faith-based organizations, provides social service assistance, advocacy, camp scholarships, English classes, and cultural- awareness training on Long Island's East End. The organization also runs a food pantry, distributes free baby food and supplies, provides emergency medical care and translates for clients in cases of medical emergency. Budgeting, a necessary skill for seasonal workers, is taught to help paychecks last from Fall to Spring.
"Established more than 10 years ago to translate masses into Spanish for the growing Latino community, the Ministry today serves the needs of more than 5,000 Latino immigrants living from Hampton Bays to Montauk.
"The Hispanic Outreach Ministry is just one example of the many organizations that have received funds from Newsday this year.
"From warm clothes in winter and a new a toy for the holidays, to counseling for the elderly and a family's first new home, Newsday's charitable contributions support a broad range of services provided by local agencies that strive year-round to address the needs of our community.
"In the first three months of 2002, more than $600,000 was granted to these local non-profit organizations through Newsday Charities, a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation:
- Afrikan Poetry Theatre
- Catholic Charities
- Coalition Against Substance Abuse
- Family and Children's Association
- Family Service League of Suffolk County
- Federation Employment and Guidance Services
- Gerald Ryan Outreach Center
- Hispanic Counseling Center
- Hispanic Outreach Ministry
- Homes for the Homeless
- Long Island Council of Churches
- Opening Word Program
- Peninsula Counseling Center
- Queens County Overall Economic Development Corporation
- Queensboro Council for Social Welfare
- Safe Space
- Society of St. Vincent De Paul
- South Asian Youth Action
- St. Christopher Ottilie
- The Korean-American Senior Citizens Counseling Center
- The Salvation Army
- VISIONS/Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
- YAI National Institute for People with Disabilities
Welcome to this new feature of the LICC's "Prelude." Each month, we plan to bring you news of what's happening with the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum. We start this month with some history what exactly is the LIMFF, and how did it start?
The LIMFF was established in 1994 through the work of Bob Reber, then Dean of Auburn Seminary in New York City, and Bob Pierce, then Executive Director of the LICC, as a project of those two institutions. The founders hoped that by joining forces, they could bring people of many faiths together for dialogue and education and, while this had been done successfully in other parts of the country in urban areas, doing this kind of work on Long Island, a suburban area, was both new and challenging.
The response from the different faiths on Long Island was warm, and soon members of twelve different faith traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Brahma Kumaris, Hinduism, Jainism, Native American Indian, Unitarian Universalism and Yoga Spirituality were coming together to learn about one another's traditions, and plan events for the public. The group organized the first of several Multi-Faith Festivals in 1995 - over 700 people attended this first-ever event held at Hofstra University.
Since 1999, more than 80 groups have hosted the LIMFF's Building Bridges programs. These panel discussions involve 3-4 representatives of different religions speaking about what it's like to live as a member of their faith tradition here on Long Island. More recently, the LIMFF has been customizing their programming to fit the needs of Long Island's youth.
This fall, I have the privilege to join the committed volunteers of the LIMFF. For the next 8 months, as an intern, I will be helping the group further their educational mission and secure funding for future programs. At the same time, I am learning from each and every member of this group about the challenges and joys of multi-faith dialogue and work. In future columns, I hope to share some of these learnings with readers of the "Prelude."
If you would like to know more about the LIMFF's programs, please feel free to contact me either through the offices of the LICC, or at acornish@suffolk.lib.ny.us.
Alison Cornish, Intern, LIMFF
Many thanks to all who took part in the Oct. 20 CROP Walks in Wantagh and at Hempstead Lake State Park, both of which raised funds for Church World Service and the LICC's Emergency Food Program. The latter included walkers from the LICC, Community Presbyterian in Malverne, Holy Trinity Lutheran and the United Church of Rockville Centre, The Congregational Church of South Hempstead, 1st Presbyterian in Freeport, Incarnation Lutheran in Cedarhurst, Community Congregational in New Hyde Park, 1st Presbyterian in Baldwin, and Christ Episcopal in Garden City.
And thanks to those who donated food, cooked it, and served 520 people at our Thanksgiving Dinner in Riverhead. Churches throughout Suffolk took part, as did volunteers from Brookhaven National Laboratory and KeySpan, and some churches further afield, such as Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church and Faith Korean Presbyterian Church. We had plenty of food, lots of volunteers, and great cooks. The Cathedral of Praise Choir from St. Paul's Church in Riverhead sang for us, and a good time was had by all! Many thanks to all who made this possible.
Gus and Gloria Schuck, the couple behind the ecumenical rally Jesus Alive 2000 (who hope to bring about Jesus Alive 2005, also) have a television program on Cablevision Channel 20 called "Doers of theWord" which airs in Nassau on Thursdays at 4 p.m., in Western Suffolk on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., and in Eastern Suffolk on Sundays at 10 a.m. In January and March you can see their interviews with our Executive Director Tom Goodhue and our Board member Msgr. Donald Beckmann, and film clips from Jesus Alive and the Multi-Faith Forum.
A new form of quick trauma therapy has been developed called "BioLateral." It is similar to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) but based on sounds rather than visual stimulation, and a number of Long Island firefighters who responded to the 9/11 attacks or worked in the recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site have praised it highly. For more informaiton, contact Dr. David Grand at 516-785-0460 or email DGrand1952@aol.com.
The Long Island Council of Churches is trying, in conjunction with our partners in Long Island Interfaith Disaster Response, to assess how we can help local congregations and clergy to deal with the effects of the terror, war, and violence. One of the things we have learned from Oklahoma City clergy is that disasters take a terrible toll on pastors, priests, rabbis and other religious workers. We suspect that most clergy need a safe, confidential place to talk with their colleagues across denominational lines about their experiences and challenges. Would you be interested in joining an ecumenical/interfaith clergy support group in your area? Or a group which would work together on sermons? Could you take a moment to share your thoughts? If you are a pastor, priest, rabbi, or the equivalent, please email the following form to licchemp@aol.com, fax it to 516-565-0291, or snail-mail it to LICC, 1644 Denton Green, Hempstead, NY 11550
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Would you prefer a "facilitated" support group led by a pastoral counselor?
Are you already part of a weekly group which prepares sermons together?
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