At this moment in history, the communal component of these holidays is, I believe, of particular significance.
Many of us are living with a looming sense of uncertainty and insecurity as social divisiveness and political turmoil roil our world and threaten to upend our lives. When the ground seems to be shifting beneath our feet, connecting with family and friends and experiencing the solace and support that comes from being part of a community, reminds us that we are not alone; it is restorative and can encourage us to hold on to hope.
We like to talk about the global ICCJ network as a “family” or “community” – as is each of our individual member organizations. I experienced this at a gathering hosted by the Australian Council of Christians and Jews (ACCJ), the Sisters of Sion, and the ICCJ in February. Entitled “Heads, Hands and Hearts: What Can Dialogue Do for Us?”, the ACCJ created an environment in which the participants were able listen to one another and connect through their shared commitment to interreligious harmony.
This summer the ICCJ will host our second “MembOrg Gathering” in Warsaw, Poland from June 29-July 2 (I like to think of as a family reunion). The goal is to provide a forum for our member organizations to showcase their successes, learn from the experiences of others, strengthen one another, and explore new strategies to enhance our work on the local and the international level.
Grounding ourselves in community is a positive response to challenging times. Another is the simple and unambiguous public reaffirmation of where we stand and of our vision for the world. To that end, the ICCJ has prepared a pledge of recommitment to the values of interreligious dialogue and to taking action to actualize those values in our own communities. We invite you to add your name to the pledge and to encourage others to do so as well. (The text itself could be the subject of an interesting text study session!)
Those of us who sign this pledge are proclaiming to ourselves, to the community of those who share our commitment, and to the world, that we will continue to work together to promote interfaith amity as our contribution to building a society in which “all can sit under the vine and under their fig tree, with nothing to make them afraid”. (Micah 4:4)
Chag Pesach sameach! An uplifting Easter!
David Fox Sandmel
ICCJ President