http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php Copyright 2009, No Author No Author SPHPBLOG 0.4.8 http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081216-003702

Midrasha and ICCNC students engage in the activity Namestory sharing a story connected to their names. They wrote their names together in Arabic, Hebrew,and Farsi.




The students find connections through the web of yarn. (Beginning clockwise: Josh Magid (Midrasha), Avihai Guzy (Mid), Hamed Sheikholeslami (ICCNC), Yasi Ramezanzadeh (ICCNC), Mahsa Kashani (ICCNC), Sam Strimling (Mid), Elana Cohen (Mid), Sara Geiebter (Mid), Lani Rehm (Mid), Co-Facilitator Huda Abu-Arqoub, Marsha Rosenblatt (Mid), Tsipora Prochovnick (Mid), and Arya Ziai (ICCNC).




Midrasha and ICCNC students: Tsipora, Avihai, Lani, Owen, Arya, and Hamed write Reflections about their meeting with each other.




ICCNC students Yasi Ramezanzadeh and Mahsa Kashani write Reflections with Elana Cohen and Sam Strimling from Midrasha. ]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081216-003702 No Author Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:37:02 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-211545

The students from the Muslim American Society and from Peninsula Havurah High find connections to each other through a yarn web activity. These connections are not simply based on agreement but also disagreement and new learnings. (Beginning clockwise from the co-facilitator Huda Abu-Arqoub the students are: Faisal Hamid (MAS), Aaron Lerner (PHH), Morris Alper (PHH), Daniah Din (MAS), Shakera Shokat (MAS), Aaron Breetwor (PHH), Dana Yovel (PHH), Marcy Rattner (PHH), Jennifer Lopatin (PHH), Fehmida Bashir (MAS), and Rachel Silver (PHH)).




With their co-facilitator Huda Abu-Arqoub the students: Rachel Silver (PHH), Faisal Hamid (MAS), Aaron Lerner (PHH), and Morris Alper (PHH) find more connections through the web of yarn.




Together the PHH and MAS students create their own guidelines for dialogue.




PHH students Marcy Rattner, Aaron Breetwor, and Rachel Silver engage in conversation with MAS students Daniah Din, Fehmida Bashir, and Faisal Hamid.




MAS student Shakera Shokat and PHH student Jennifer Lopatin engage in casual conversation at the Inter-School meeting.


]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-211545 No Author Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:15:45 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-201449

The facilitators Dror Posta and Houda Abadi ask the students specific questions while they are standing in a line. The students have to move and stand by the side of other participants according to the answers




Students from Al Iman and Schechter form a web with a piece of thin rope they used. Through this exercise, the participants see the commonalities they have with each other and learn more about what these interschool meetings meant to the other. At the end of the activity, each student cuts the piece of rope and makes a bracelet out of it.




Students enjoy the lunch break and share with each other some traditional food that they bought. Students from both schools brought with them their favorite traditional food. They each said what it is and why they like it so much.




Students listen attentively to each other as they share their experiences in the interschool meetings. They discuss what this experience has meant to them and some of the changes and transformations that they have undergone.




Students pose for a group photo as they are finishing their last activity. In this activity, the students share how these meetings played an important role in some of their perceptions and assumptions that they have held previously. Each student had to say something meaningful about the interschool meetings such as what they learnt and how it touched them.
]]> Photos (inter-school mtgs.) http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-201449 No Author Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:14:49 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-051746
When the movie was made, the Holiday of Eid al-Adha was arriving. Imran had to prepare for it, by making sure all the animals would arrive to the slaughterhouse on time and he had to keep things organized. When the Holiday arrived, his butchers were sick, so he had to do all the slaughtering, which help show the community that he was a Muslim, and he was ready skilled at his job, (they should trust him).

It was fascinating to learn about the Holiday of Eid al-Adha. I didn’t know about it beforehand. Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, in order, to remember when Abraham had to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. It is one of them most important holidays in the Islamic calendar. The movie also, showed the struggle between the new generations and past generations on tradition, which is a continuous struggle that we face. ]]> Students Speak http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081215-051746 No Author Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:17:46 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081210-154735

Musa Syeed showed Al-Iman and Schechter students his award winning documentary, "A Son's Sacrifice", that was co-produced with his close friend Yoni Brooks. He spoke about the process of making this film and how it was received by the Muslim community, current film projects, and the value of producing films/projects with inter-faith partners. ]]> Speaker Series http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081210-154735 No Author Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:47:35 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081201-202228
Later, we watched a movie, “Promises,” portraying “the conflict” in the Middle East. We attacked a topic which was very emotional to all the students in the Room. I personally believe the movie did a fair job showing the hatred in which the youth of Israel as well as Palestine is raised. Whether Jew or Muslims, the kids are taught to hate the other from a very young age. I really liked the fact that both the students from Schechter school as well as the students from AL-Iman agreed on the fact that teaching the young ones to hate rather then to love and respect the difference at such a young age is utterly wrong. I think there methods should be developed to teach both groups to accept one another’s difference and celebrate the similarities. The carnage of death must be stopped.

Both the schools found a fair ground and tried to be very open minded about “the conflict” . I was happy and am very thankful that a program like the unity program was created. It gives us (the youth) a great opportunity to question what we’ve been taught. The outcomes of the open discussion were better then what I had expected. We managed to create the intensity of the battle grounds of Palestinian and Israeli territory in the room of Columbia University. It was a very heated talk and a brilliant experience. I had finally heard the other side of the story; a side that I wasn’t aware of. All in all, this was an exceptional experience and I am thankful to Abraham’s vision for allowing me to be a part of this amazing journey.

-Aisha Ashfaq
]]> Students Speak http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081201-202228 No Author Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:22:28 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081127-020920

Rabbi Michael Feinberg, Executive Director of the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition spoke to the Al-Iman students about his work with the Muslim School Holidays Coalition, his committment to inter-faith work, and the Palestine/Israel conflict. He also answered many questions about Judaism and what inspired him to become ordained as a Rabbi. ]]> Speaker Series http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081127-020920 No Author Thu, 27 Nov 2008 02:09:20 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081126-195933

During the third interschool meeting, students from both schools watched the movie documentary "Promises". It was a great way to get the students to speak about the Middle East Conflict and share with each other their perceptions and beliefs that revolve around it.




Seffi from the Schechter School speaks to the group about his views about the realities on the ground concerning the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how he thinks it should be solved.




After students watched the movie, they formed a big circle so they can discuss what they thought about the documentary. Both groups of students had very interesting things to share with the other group. The discussions were thought provoking and honest.



Female students from both schools respond to each others' questions in a very honest way and both groups share how they personally relate to the conflict and what it means to them. They reflected on the differences of opinions that arose in the meeting and what it really means when we relate it to Muslim and Jewish relations.



Students speak casually to each other before leaving to their respective schools and share contact information. ]]> Photos (inter-school mtgs.) http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081126-195933 No Author Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:59:33 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081124-231858
To see two of the presentations click on the links below:

Shazib Syed from Al Iman
Arielle Herzberg from Solomon Schechter Day School
]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081124-231858 No Author Mon, 24 Nov 2008 23:18:58 GMT http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081124-212017
It was very interesting to answer the girls' questions about Judaism and its traditions. They posed questions to me that I hadn't really considered before, and I had to ponder them for a while before answering. The questions that they asked brought up things that I had never really thought of questioning, things that I did out of habit and custom. I found that even when I was supposed to be the expert in the synagogue, I was learning, too.

While we were in the Islamic center, I was highly impressed by Brother Ali and by everything that I learned while there. It was very interesting for me to put on a makeshift Hijab, as I've wondered about the feeling of having one on since I've known about them. For me, being in the presence of Muslims without any conflict being invloved was a new and enlightening experience. I felt that here, there was a chance that we all might just get along.

On all of the drives (to, from and in between our two destinations) had the chance to freely discuss anything we chose to, with no relation to religion or conflicts of any type. For me to get a chance to just banter and laugh with my new friends was amazing to me. When I first arrived and met the students, I was worried that there would be awkwardness between the two groups- that we wouldn't know what to say. But what happened is the exact opposite. We quickly bonded and talked as if there were no differences between us. I wish that it was easy for Israelis and Palestinians to talk to each other. Then, the problem that exists today could be resolved much faster.

I am very excited for our next field trip!

-Dana Yovel]]> http://www.abrahamsvision.org/unityweblog2008-09/index.php?entry=entry081124-212017 No Author Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:20:17 GMT