True Religion - San Jose Mercury News | July 11, 2014

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Weighty Issue: Pete Constant challenges res1dents to lose a m1ll1on pounds page 6 Sooner or Later: English Beat returns to MUSIC 1n the Park

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Dione Eldridge, left, of Lincoln Glen Church nnd LeyIa Kose of Pacifica Institute Silicon Valley Branch help prepare meals to be served at InnVision's Montgomery Street Inn shelter on March 2.

Yaseen Elashmawi, left, Brice Harnack, Olyli Bantu as and Febin Habeeb of the South Bay Islamic Association and Karen Rafferty of Lincoln Glen Church prepare to serve meals at CityTeam Men's Recovery Center last year.

In Good Faith

Abrahamic Alliance International was born from a need to create relationships across various religions

By LEETA-ROSE BALLESTER ide by side and shoulder to shoulder, Christian, Muslim and Jewish participants in Snn .Jose-based Abrohamic Alliance IJJtcmat.ional are called together for two main cai.IBei!--6Crving the poor and hungry and taking time to learn about one another.

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Rod CardO't.a, founder of Abrahamic Alliance, said that "people come as strangers" to the interfaith fellowship events sponsored by the the alliance but leave as neighbors. A unique feature of the group are the seminars that are mandatory before joining in

10 SIUCON VAJ..U .'Y COMMUNI'IY NEWSPAPgRS JUI.Y II, 2014

the community service events.

These educational ''Loving Neighbors" seminars arc held at houses of worship throughout the Bay Area. Two local churches involved so far are Lincoln Glen Church in Willow Glen and Venture Christian Church in Los Ga-

los. There arc plans for seminars attract people of peace who 11'8 and events to be held in other coun- willing to give." tries such as Canada and Nairobi.

"We need education at the Filling a need griiSIII"OOts level," said Cordoza, Abrahamic Alliance lnterllla practicing Cluistian. "We are tional was born in 2008 t'rom looking for brave churches, brave synagogues, brave mosques. We AbraJu:unjc,JXVIe U IT/

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huH partil'ipal•d in two Almoha mit· Alii; mel' nu•:oii'Vf'TJI "'' fior "Wo• IA·ntl Lo dwc·ll on ditli r t·nt·o'>l in lo·.ttl of mmrncm11htu • lu· aid, allhoulo(h "th" do tro• •·rvt• olho•o 1. lltndhtng th:tl uru(l· ,til of'11 ." lit ntld•·dtluot hy dtlllli(C·wnl• 11do:o~th1 J•,J,.~>p~· t·un h·arn lll rt•1l 1mly lt•l<•r,tl• hut llJ rt· )X'd tho. ·c· <lilli·n·n FtxH'I i~ prt•p,tt'('(l lo tho• n·h l(iou~ l~~·tlical icm of th" vohm lf•t·r ·, mo·mlllll! k()t;hr·r or lwlal

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nt•Pcl to nt•alt• t'Pialionships at't'o' tlw faiths, Cardoza s:tici ;:~lt.l 1 ~. lta~<·d on td<•as found it; t ,tc h l.uth s sa 1•1·pd l<•xt, sut'il as low, pPa<·~· and kindnt•ss.

Whtlt• ltving in E!-tYPL during till' 2()()(i W:\1' lwlW('!'II lst':t(•l and l.!•hanon, Cut'(loza was in spn·l·d lo help rwopk• of difli•t·c•nl fmlh gr·oups l)('tl('t' und!•r slun~l . one another's views und lradttums and possibly dispel prcconc·c•tvcd notions. . "Munypcoplcaregl'llingtheir v~c~s of ea~h other through mc~ta , ht• smd. "The masses al'e tgnorant of each other. If we don't have friendships with each other,. that's whel'e stereotypes come m."

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Learning about others The seminars, he said, are the first s~p lo giving people an opportum.ty lo ask those questions they mtghl be ne!'vous or afi·aid lo ask-or that might sound offensive.

"At the seminal' level it's monofaith, so people can learn about other faiths in a safe environment," he said. "You geL a healthy introduction." A leadel' of one faith community will speak and teach its members about ~the!' religiions in a space they can feel comfortable in.

Cardoza said that the teachers for ~~ese ~therings are not only fanUliar Wlth theu· own religion but are able lo use their sacred text as a teaching tool.

"Our instructors need to be people who know how to teach about others through their saCl'ed text," he said, adding that the doors lo understanding open when "we can humble ourselves and be a learner."

Once people have completed seminars about the other religions involved, Cardoza said, the hope is that they will have a better understanding of other faiths' practices and needs within the community.

Aziz Baameur, a member of the South Valley Islamic Community, a mosque in San Martin, said that he had many Jewish friends while growing up and his wife is Christian. Regarding his attendance at a seminar, he didn't necessarily discover something about other 177

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PIIOTOGIW'HS COURTESY OF ABRAIIAM IC ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL

Finally, wlu·n Lht· food is ••nlht• Utbh•, lht• ),'rOUp of ubout 40 will sit down with th indtvidll<lls th('Y huvc s<•rv<'d. One of tht• fuith k•nd· crs generally leads a meal prayrr.

Baamcur snid that thL~ part of tht> gntherinj.( t'<'ally brings JX'Opk• together.

"When it's done across faith' and aero!\.~ languagt's, there's a resonance to it," he said. "It is strange but familiar We arc all Abrahamic faith~<."

Forty Mushm~ and <?hris tians united to serve 250 meals at City Team Men's Recove Center in A movement June 2~ 13d .O•·te~~llon a nd meal preparation were hosted at Lincoln Glen Church. V;;unteers Cardoza said more relig-ious ~~~~te ~o;;:t~ysuandJ' f;:~~::O:~.bonded over fun questions about fond childhood memories, leaders and members are looking to interfaith activities, even though the idea is still "kind of religions but rather was reascontroversial." He said some lxL sw·ed that people wanted lo work lieve it's not wise lo engage m mtogether toward the goal of helpterfalith events. t~g the less f01iunate, de pite any "We want people to sweat todifferences. gether, not just talk," he said "What was exciting was the no"It's pretty amazing what kinds of tion that people would congregate threads are between us." around those actions" of giving Berkenwald said that because he said, noting that he was glad Sinai is a smaller synagogue, repto see people trying to learn about resenting about 200 households, it each other. has been difficult so far to initiate · "After 9/11, there were a lot interfaith activity with the kind of of thoughts that crept into the scope the Abrahamic Alliance enpsyche," he said, and he found it vi.,ions. refreshing to see people willing to "Our synagogue is committed come together in peace. to social action and we have a hisLouder than words tory of serving the poor," he sa.id.

"We didn't huve a lot ofexperience Graduate of the seminars then with interfaith work.lt' been nice come together, face lo face, to to combine those two elements." serve the needy, Cardoza said The goals are to serve a good meal, do Anyone can register for a o;emiit together, get to know each other nar hosted at a centt'r of their and have a good tinle. own faith and .take the first ~tep Service events have been held toward parttctpating in ser.ice On Oct 20, 2013, more than 150 Jews, Christians and Muslims at CityTeam Ministries and Innevents, Cardoza said. There are gathered tA? hear what each community's sacred scriptures say VISion Shelter Network in San plans in the work.q for two fall ~t servmg ~poor, suf!~ ~ llllll'ginalize Congregation Jose, as well as St Joseph's Fam- Smat hosted this Abrahamic Religions Trialogue and pone! meal even~. ily Center in Gilroy. So far about discussion. Speakers included, left to right, Rabbi Joshua "If most ,Jews, Mu:ilims and 18 such gathetings have been held Berkenwald of Congregation Sinai, Pastor LwTy Albright ofLincoln Christians were together "<'1'\~ in the Bay Area, as well as four in Glen Church and Imam Mubasber Ahmad ofBaitul Basir Mosque. the poor regularly, maybe the;.>

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The events begin with a 30- knowledged and embraced at the rerence: he said. be ~ powt-rful." minute meet and greet, then parevent, according to Cardoza.

Rabbi Joshua Berkenwald of VISit abnlhtunirollia 001· ticipants are paired up lo begin "Every event is like a UN eo& Sinai Synagogue in Willow Glen {or 1t10n! in{omralioiL ·~ cooking a meal. Diversity is ac.fULYll,R014 J'UCO VAI.J.EY<..'OMMU. m·. E\\.'P PI'~· 11