Jews, Muslims and "Mitzvah Day" in Michigan

[Dr Mordrid]

An excellent move given how many of each faith live in this region.

It's been building for some time, and it's not unusual to see Christian Churches, Synagogues, Mosque's and even Buddhist Temples all lined up along the same street in many area cities. At a lower level we already visit each others facilities, go to each others festivals, play each others sports teams, use each others businesses etc. Hell, the mayor of our neighboring city is Muslim and was my late stepfathers best friend for 20+ years. Still is a close family friend.

Michigan Muslims join Jews for Christmas Day Mitzvah

By The Associated Press

December 24, 2009, 7:36PM

DETROIT -- Many Jews consider Christmas Day an opportunity to serve their community while Christian neighbors celebrate their holiday. This year, what's also known as Mitzvah Day in southeast Michigan is getting an added boost from Muslims.

For the first time, about 40 Muslims are expected to join 900 Jews for what they call their largest annual day of volunteering. Leaders say it's a small but significant step in defusing tensions and promoting good will between the religions-particularly on a day that is sacred to Christianity, the third Abrahamic faith.

Mitzvah Day, a nearly 20-year tradition in the Detroit area also practiced in other communities, is so named because Mitzvah means "commandment" in Hebrew and is generally translated as a good deed.

The new partnership stemmed from a recent meeting between members of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit-which said it was unaware of any similar Mitzvah Day alliances.

The Jewish groups organize Mitzvah Day, which consists of volunteers helping 48 local social service agencies with tasks such as feeding the hungry and delivering toys to children in need.

Victor Begg, chairman of the Islamic council, said he was seeking a public way for the two faith communities to "build bridges of understanding and cooperation," which led to joining the Mitzvah Day effort.

"The general public is what we need to give the message to, our entire community," he said.
>

[TransformX]

It's nice to see when inter-faith communications take on a positive and productive path

[Evildead666]

Putting religion to the side, and proving that we are all human beings.

I think its a great initiative on their part.

[Dr Mordrid]

A follow-on...

(Note: The Gleaners is a large food bank with chapters in many US cities and one of two we work with, the other being our Lutheran church.)

>
Approximately 80 people helped out in Pontiac, though Mitzvah Day includes more than 60 sites — and 900 volunteers — across the region, according to Robert Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council. The Gleaners session was scheduled to end with enough time for the Muslims to make it to their mosques by 1:30 p.m.; this year, Christmas fell on Islam’s weekly day of prayer.

The Pontiac volunteers sorted and packaged close to a ton of food, according to Gleaners Food Bank spokesman W. DeWayne Wells.

As large cardboard boxes all around him were filled with everything from bottled water and peanut butter to canned orange slices and tomato sauce, Eid Alawan, outreach director of the Islamic Center of America, explained, “Working together, we’re all of the Abrahamic faiths.”

“There’s so much hatred in the world today and it’s really sad; we all believe in helping people,” Mary, a Cranbrook sophomore, said. “A holy day is a holy day. It doesn’t matter to who.”