Tri-Faith News and Updates

Breast cancer does not discriminate based on religion and the battle against this deadly disease is supported by people of all faiths.  Temple Israel will host the premiere of a new work “A Righteous Soul” by composer Jonathan Leshnoff in a concert by the Aeon Ensemble on October 18.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an initiative that began in 1985 by major charities to promote early detection via mammogram. In the belief that there are always new ways to support breast cancer awareness, Jonathan Leshnoff, associate professor of music at Towson University in Maryland, has been commissioned to premiere a new composition, entitled A Righteous Soul, at a concert on Sunday, October 18, at Temple Israel, 7023 Cass Street.

            Leshnoff wrote the composition for the Aeon Ensemble, an all-female, Omaha-based oboe, viola, and piano trio, that will perform at the 5 p.m. Women of Valor Concert with Cantor Wendy Shermet of Temple Israel.

.           Acquiring an international reputation as one of America’s most gifted young composers, Leshnoff was asked to write the composition in memory of Omahan Florence Eisenberg, the sister of William Nerenberg, who is Leshnoff’s manager. Nerenberg is one of the commissioners of the music together with George Eisenberg, Florence’s husband; St. Paul Methodist Church; and Temple Israel.

            Named by the Baltimore Sun in 2006 as an “artist to watch,” Leshnoff, 34, is currently riding the crest of a wave of popularity that has resulted in international performances of his works by the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Iris Chamber, Buffalo, Tokyo Philharmonic, Madrid, Kansas City symphony orchestras, the National Gallery (in Washington, D.C.), Curtis Institute of Music (in Philadelphia), and National Repertory Orchestras, according to Leshnoff’s website.

            Three recordings devoted exclusively to Leshnoff’s music are scheduled for release on the Naxos American Classics label. One recording will be premiered by Michael Stern and the Iris Chamber Orchestra. The Baltimore Chamber Orchestra and violinist Charles Wetherbee will perform the second release featuring Leshnoff’s violin concerto. The third disc features Leshnoff’s chamber music.

            Other recent works by Leshnoff, who is originally from New Jersey, include a double concerto performed by the Curtis Symphony at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, a string sextet for Concertante premiered at Merkin Hall in New York City, and a quartet for viola, harp, flute, and percussion by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.  

            He has also been named the composer-in-residence with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.

            All proceeds will be used to support breast cancer awareness. A reception, sponsored by the Women of Reform Judaism, an auxiliary of Temple Israel, will follow the concert. Dr. Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Eppley Institute, and director of the Eppley Cancer Center, has been invited to speak at the event.

            Tickets, for sale in advance (call 556-6536) or at the door, will cost $18 per person and $10 each for students. Patron tickets will also be available.

TRI-FAITH FAMILY PICNIC

Celebrating Health and Wellness

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2009

12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Rain or Shine

All Saints Episcopal Church, East Lawn

93^rd and Blondo

Please RSVP by email to info@trifaith.org

Main dish and beverages will be provided.  Please bring a dish to share – salad, side dish or dessert.  Because our three faith groups have a variety of dietary restrictions, good choices are fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, salads with veggies, pasta and rice, breads, chips, salsa and any dishes you would serve on Jewish or Muslim holidays.We ask that you do not bring a dish with pork in it, or a dish which combines meat and dairy in one dish (a meat casserole with cheese, lasagna, etc.) 

Activities for children and adults

Sports, bounce castle, therapy dogs and more

Health fair provided by Creighton Medical School

Free blood pressure screenings, osteoporosis information.

The Undercroft will be available for those who need air conditioning as a respite from the heat.

The Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace, was a remarkable night.  If you missed dinner, we have a solution for you — a replay of the live webcast that was on last night. 

To watch the webcast which runs just over an hour go to this link:

mms://209.200.118.182/tfi032709

We had an overflow crowd at the Qwest Center in Omaha — almost 1100, including 141 high school and college students who served as Tri-Faith Ambassadors — greeting people at the doors, stuffing and handing out programs, ushering people to the Worship Service and the Dinner in Abraham’s Tent.

There was so much energy in the room and there was a real sense of being in the presence of God.  Please share this experience by watching the replay of the webcast and let us know your response.

Volunteers are working full-speed to get ready for next Friday’s Dinner in Abraham’s Tent at the Qwest Center on March 27. 

Breaking News:  We have been able to make arrangements to webcast the “Conversation on Peace” live from the Qwest that night.  Just before 8 p.m. Central Time Friday night, log onto this website and you will be able to click through to the  webcast at mms://209.200.118.182/tfilive.  (If you try to go there now it will just come up as a Windows Media screen.)

If you can’t join us at the Qwest, consider organizing your own Dinner in Abraham’s Tent, inviting some interfaith friends over for dinner and to watch the webcast.

The deadline for reservations for the dinner and program at the Qwest Center is Monday, March 23.  If you haven’t signed up for the live event, click on the tab for the dinner and make your reservation now.

Three women, Islamic, Christian and Jewish, got together after 9/11 to write a children’s book to help explain the major Abrahamic faiths to their kids. In the process of learning about each other’s faiths, they learned even more about their own. Now they are coming to Omaha, February 19, to talk about The Faith Club, the book that came out of their discussions.

Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner will speak at 10 a.m.at Temple Israel, 7023 Cass St., Omaha, NE. The program is free and open to the public, but seating is limited so reservations are requested by calling (402) 556-6536.

After September 11th, Ranya Idliby, an American Muslim of Palestinian descent, faced constant questions about Islam, God, and death from her children, the only Muslims in their classrooms. Inspired by a story about Muhammad, Ranya reached out to two mothers to try to understand and answer those questions for her children.

After just a few meetings, however, it became clear that the women themselves needed an honest and open environment where they could admit—and discuss—their concerns, stereotypes, and misunderstandings about one another. After hours of soul-searching about the issues that divided them, Ranya, Suzanne, and Priscilla grew close enough to discover and explore what united them.
They kept journals of their meetings and their private explorations of their own faiths and those provided the basis for their book The Faith Club. The book has inspired thousands of small groups across the country to reach across religious boundaries and learn more about other faiths.

In Omaha, three major Abrahamic religious groups, Temple Israel, the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture and the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska have joined together as the Tri-Faith Initiative with the goal of building a synagogue, a mosque, a church and an interfaith center together on adjacent parcels of ground.

The Initiative is one of the sponsors of the Faith Club lecture along with Temple Israel, with support from Betti and Richard Robinson and The Hermene Zwieback Center for Lifelong Jewish Learning.

To print this flyer click here.faithclubfeb19flyer1.

This article appeared today in the Omaha World-Herald

BY RABBI ARYEH AZRIEL, WENDY GOLDBERG, NASER Z. ALSHARIF AND THE REV. CANON TIM ANDERSON

The writers, all of Omaha, are board members of the Tri-Faith Initiative. Azriel and Goldberg are senior rabbi and program director, respectively, of Temple Israel. Alsharif is secretary of the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture. Anderson is canon for development of the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

In 2006, a group of Omaha leaders made a bold decision to form a partnership with the goal of co-locating to an interfaith campus. Temple Israel, the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska and the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture signed a mutual agreement of understanding to create the Tri-Faith Initiative of Omaha. We remain committed to this goal. Our dialogue actually began nine years ago. From its inception, we knew the day would arrive that would require us to gather at a table in the midst of war in the Middle East. How would we continue building our friendships of mutual understanding?

It took place at a meeting involving the emotional sharing of personal narratives of three leaders of the Tri-Faith Initiative — an Israeli-born Reform Jewish American rabbi; an American Muslim professor born in Palestine; and a native Nebraskan Episcopal priest. The tearful conversation was the kind of honest exchange that is necessary to reach peace.

The initiative, one said, “gives us all strength to have each other and to each respect our individual relationships with God. To understand and to know each other will move us forward.”

Another added: “The pain is so great. What is really at stake in our Holy Land? We are suffering. Who is scoring political points? Is this about geopolitical struggle? What is the value of every human life? All people are victims. The violence must stop. The violence will not bring safety.

“This ongoing war has decimated my entire family. I no longer have a family. Just tears. There is no monopoly on pain. We all have people being killed. Will we strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? Our response is, ‘We will, with God’s help.’ ” Our stories are woven together with threads of pain and love for our people and the land. We shared stories of loss of friends and family. We acknowledged our mutual regard for human life, especially those who have died as a result of the ongoing struggle.

We heard each other’s memories of war — pain and fear, dreams for the Holy Land. We cried. We hugged. Our years of conversation and education had clear rewards as we witnessed and felt the pain of the others.

The participants said, “We stand together in condemnation of the violence, pain and suffering. We hope for peace and coexistence in the Holy Land. We understand that politics alone will not end this conflict.”

The Holy Land is more than borders and settlements. The tragedies reach beyond Gaza; our message must be a global one. In Omaha, we are privileged by our influence and freedoms. Yet we feel guilty; our selfishness and greed have desensitized us. Are we assuming our responsibilities?

Today we, the leadership of the Tri-Faith Initiative, call upon ourselves to honestly reawaken our consciences, including progressive change to build relationships, to honor a nd respect the other. We raise our voices to work toward peace.

Recognizing the challenges ahead requires hope, faith and a commitment to work hard, together, to solve the many problems of our generation. TriFaith gives us hope — hope for the future in the midst of despair.

Despite the strong feelings roused around our table by the crisis in Gaza, the initiative continues to move forward and remains committed to its first public event, “Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace,” featuring the national leaders of each of our movements: Rabbi Peter Knobel, Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the U.S. Episcopal Church.

The event, set for Friday, March 27, at the Qwest Center, will feature a worship service followed by a dinner and a conversation among the faith leaders on the theme of “Shalom, Salaam, Peace.” In the words of Rabbi Jonathan Magonet, “May our courage match our convictions and our integrity match our hope.”

How can we still attempt the Tri-Faith Initiative when there is a war going on in the Middle East?

How can we not?

You can make reservations for the Dinner in Abraham’s Tent: Conversations on Peace by clicking on the tab on the menu and following the link to the secure shopping cart.

As we watch events in the Middle East, people ask “how can you continue with the Tri-Faith Initiative?”  Our best answer is — How can we not? 

Our Board spent much of it’s meeting last night discussing the events in Gaza and the responses of members of our faith communities, and our responsibilities as leaders of an interfaith movement.  We are working on a joint statement from our three faith groups to express our pain, our sorrow, our faith and our hopes.  In the meantime, the prayers which opened and closed our meeting last night may help as we consider how best to fulfill our responsibilities to each other, to our faith communities and to our God.

The opening prayer was offered by Temple Israel from the book by Chaim Stern, Day by Day.

“For the times that I could have made peace with my neighbor but picked a quarrel, forgive me; and forgive me, too, for the times when I could have accepted with grace an offering of friendship or reconciliation but did not choose to listen.  At times,  in my wilfullness, I may have closed my heart to the possibilitiy of a healing word: Today — and tomorrow — let my heart be open.

May I be among those who are hard to provoke and easy to appease.  May I be a friend of peace at home and at work, and everywhere I go.  When I am angry let me reflect whether my anger is proportionate to its cause and appropriate in its expression.

Keep me from stubborn insistence on always having my way, even when my cause is doubtful, and the truth is unclear.  Keep me however from conceding to wrong and from accepting violence as a way to resolve disputes.  O help me to walk serenely and with good conscience, to accept that I am not the only one with integrity.  May I seek the good, even when it seems not to my advantage.

Make the door of my heart wide enough to receive all whom I meet this day. And make it too narrow to allow entrance to envy, pride and strife.

Help me to enter into the mind of the one who stands before me, and keep me alive to the feelings of each one present.  Let no word or act — mine or theirs — divide me from my kin. Give us all, instead, a quick eye for little kindnesses, and that we may be ready in doing them and gracious in receiving them.”

Our closing prayer was offered by the American Institute of Islamic Studies and Culture.  It is a Prayer for Unity from the Movement for Reformed Society in Lahore, Pakistan.

“Merciful God, you made all the people of the world in your image and placed before them the pathways of salvation through different preachers who are your Saints and Prophets.  But, the contradictions in their teachings and interpretations of their messages have resulted in creating divisions, hatreds, and caused bloodshed in the world community. Millions of innocent men, women and children have so far been brutally killed, horrifying crimes against humanity have been committed.

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful, look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the controversial teaching of arrogance, divisions and hatred which have so badly infected our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; reunite us in bonds of love and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth and in your good time, all people may jointly serve you in peace and harmony.”

Amen and Amen

The Tri-Faith Program Committee met last Wednesday at Temple Israel to plan the March 27 event featuring Rabbi Peter Knobel, Dr. Ingrid Mattson and Bishop Katherine Jefferts-Schori (see earlier post for details). The original concept called for three separate evening prayer services to start the evening.  The Committee quickly decided to do a joint prayer service with the Jewish Shabbat service first, the Episcopal Evening Office next and concluding with the Islamic evening prayers.  Everyone attending will get to participate in or observe all three services as a way to better understand each other’s worship traditions.

We will gather at 5:30 for the prayer service followed by dinner and a conversation among the speakers on the evening’s theme of “Shalom, Salaam, Peace.”

Leadership Omaha added religious inclusivity to their schedule yesterday with a panel from The Tri-Faith Initiative.  Bob Freeman, chairman of the Tri-Faith board and member of Temple Israel, Bilal Khaleeq, board president of the Islamic Center of Omaha, The Rt. Rev. Ernesto Medina of Trinity Cathedral, and Executive Director Nancy Kirk spoke to Class 31 about the history of the project, the natures of the three faith groups and plans for the future. 

The class asked good questions — was there opposition among the congregations? Yes. 

What were the fears?  We discussed them. 

Why not involve Hindus and other faiths?  Partly a practical consideration — the Omaha Hindu community had just built a new large temple and partly the idea that the three Abrahamic faiths have a shared heritage as a starting point.  The vision for the interfaith center on the property leaves open the possibility for use by all faiths, and depending on the size of the land parcel, could even accomodate other houses of worship as space permits and interest grows.

At the “debriefing” at the day’s end, the participants said they were glad religious diversity/inclusivity had been included in the day.  As one person said “It’s something we don’t talk about a lot, but it affects everything.”

Temple Israel is hosting the community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service this year at 5 p.m. Sunday, November 23.  The Temple is located at 7023 Cass St.  Parking is available to the south and west of the building.  The main entrance is on the south side.

The service features choirs from five area churches and the Temple and participants from those congregations plus the Islamic Center of Omaha.