We also share and network with programs from the Multifaith Collaborative of the Open Spirit​ Center of Framingham, Peace Islands Institute and The Nejaf Islamic Center
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New Interfaith Project to Reach Out to Ukrainian War Refugees in Framingham

PictureYuhliia just arrived to her new apartment from Ukraine, via Poland. Her husband and cat will follow next month. Susan Nolan and Fr. Carl Chudy are pictured with her who helped coordinate efforts with the Interfaith Refugee Committee.

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​Collaborating with Jewish Family Services, the Metrowest Interfaith Dialogue Project is looking to organize an Interfaith Refugee Committee to assist in efforts with Ukrainian war refugees in Framingham. If you would like to join, please contact us for more information
Interested in joining in or donating? Let us know!

Special Showing of "My So-Called Enemy"

What would you do if you had a friend on the other side?

Join Jewish Family Services of Metrowest and Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston for a special screening of the award-winning film, My So Called Enemy (89 minutes).  It takes place Thursday, June 7 at 6:30 pm. Hebrew College, Newton, MA.

Directed by Emmy®-Award winning documentarian and Boston Jewish Film Artistic Director Lisa Gossels (The Children of Chabannes), My So-Called Enemy is a seven-year coming-of-age story about six Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls who reach out across personal, political, religious and cultural divides to know their "enemies" as human beings. The film provides a platform for multi-faith and multi-cultural understanding and addresses issues of identity and "othering.”

Following the screening, stay for a conversation moderated by JCRC CEO, Jeremy Burton with director & producer, Lisa Gossels, along with two of the film's participants.
The upcoming Baha’i festival at the end of April and beginning of May is the most holy festival in the Baha’i calendar and it is known as the Festival of Ridvan.  In 1863, Baha’u’llah (the founder of the Baha’i Faith) stayed for twelve days in a garden on the banks of the Tigris River.   It was during this time that He announced to the friends and companions present there that He was God’s Messenger for a new age and proclaimed some of the spiritual principles that are at the heart of His teachings.  He called the garden “Ridvan” which is an Arabic word which means “paradise”. 
 
This festival commemorates that time.  Of the twelve days, the first, the ninth, and the twelfth are of special significance and are observed as Holy Days by the Baha’is.  I noticed that they were listed in the Interfaith Calendar that you shared in your April newsletter.
 
The Baha’i calendar is a solar calendar and there can be one or two days of variation in how it matches up with the Gregorian calendar.  This year, Festival of Ridvan is celebrated from April 21st through May 2nd.  It is a joyous time for Baha’is all over the world and they usually celebrate by hosting gatherings.

Susan Nolan, Dialogue Partner

OneInterfaithVoice Blog: ​Spiritual Journeys of Christians and Muslims that Intersect at Holy Week and Ramadan

The author, Dorothy Buck is the USA coordinator for the Badilya Prayer Movement. Badaliya is an Arabic word that means to take the place of or substitute for another. It is a spiritual term that lies at the heart of the Christian faith experience and refers to the mystery of the image of God as Jesus sacrificing his life for all of humanity. To be a follower of Christ is to offer oneself out of love for the well-being of others.
Louis Massignon and Mary Kahil established the Badaliya prayer group in Cairo in 1934. At that time Christians in Egypt were increasingly marginalized as Islam became the dominant religion in the region. The Badaliya was a way to open themselves to befriending and praying with and for their Muslim neighbors. It embraced Massignon’s own understanding that by learning the language and experiencing the traditions and culture of those of other religions our own faith life is enhanced. The Badaliya prayer was a testimony to the universal love of Christ. A Badaliya prayer group formed in Paris joining the one in Cairo, and eventually Badaliya prayer groups arose in many other cities around the world. They met monthly and many individual lay persons and members of religious communities joined this prayer movement in spirit as well. For more information, see the article “A Model of Hope: Louis Massignon’s Badaliya”.
In 2003 the Badaliya prayer movement was re-created in the United States. Letters are sent via email to members gathering in Boston and Washington, DC as well as a growing list of people praying in solidarity around the U.S. and in other countries. The following monthly letters include inspirational material for the prayer and invitations to the gatherings.

Ways We Can Help Ukraine

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We come together as peoples of different faiths and secular points of view to protest, pray, and act in justice over the blatant and unjustified invasion of Russian troops into the sovereign nation of Ukraine. As we gather in prayer, we also would suggest other ways we may help the people of Ukraine. Below are a few possibilities.

Charity organizations are offering a wide range of support for those affected by the war. Here are a few that have received high marks (three to four stars) from Charity Navigator, which assesses groups’ efficiency, transparency and other factors.
  • ​Donations through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Eastern Europe Crisis Response.
  • Donations the Catholic Relief Service.
  • Global Giving supports non-profits around the world through crowdfunding. Its Ukrainian crisis relief fund is working toward a goal of $7m to provide food, water, shelter and other assistance to refugees.
  • ​​Direct Relief is working to fulfill a list of medical needs provided to the organization by Ukraine’s health ministry.
  • For local media in Ukraine, you can support the English-language Kyiv Independent and the New Voice of Ukraine directly. There is also a GoFundMe page to support Ukrainian media more broadly as journalists risk their safety.
  • An array of Resources to help Ukrainian refugees, especially those who cross the Polish border.
  • ​Nova Poshta Global launches the Humanitarian Nova Poshta project — to help the Ukrainian defenders and people in need. We collect humanitarian aid from international organizations and volunteers all around the world.
  • Download the Peace in Ukraine Dove below, designed by Russian designer Natasha Alimova. She created this icon of peace using shapes from the national symbol of Ukraine. The logo is free to use for any purpose. It can be posted on windows, reproduced on t-shirts, and many more uses.
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Here are some pics from our Candlelight Vigil for Ukraine. More resources for helping Ukraine will be posted as more efforts are organized on the ground. Let's continue our prayer, action, and advocacy.
Download below a Ukrainian prayer used during our prayer vigil and an interfaith compilation of prayers for peace.
ukraineprayer.docx
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interfaith-prayers-of-peace.pdf
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Statement of Support for our Jewish Neighbors after the Latest Attack on Members of the Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas

The two links above are: Metrowest Interfaith Dialogue Project and Rabbi Cytron-Walker of Congregation Beth Israel

Responding to Racist, Homophobic, and Antisemitic Incidents in the Local Public Schools

​In light of recent racist, homophobic, and antisemitic  incidences in the public schools of the town of Holliston, school and town officials, along with local religious leaders have been in dialogue about responding with opportunities for community forums in town. The Metrowest Interfaith Dialogue Project, with members deeply involved, will be publishing a statement in this regard and providing online listening sessions during the week of November 14. 
We are holding a listening session for all those who wish to share their own thoughts and prayers in light of these hateful incidences. Join us November 17, Wednesday at 7 pm. Contact us for the zoom link.

Active Bystander's Training 

The Metrowest Interfaith Dialogue Project is collaborating with The Jewish Family Services and Open Spirit Interfaith Center to offer Active Bystander's Training to faith communities and other organizations and individuals. Using the Quabbin Mediation Model, the Training Active Bystanders (TAB) program helps participants recognize when they are bystanders, analyze situations, and evaluate the consequences for everyone involved. TAB heightens bystanders’ power. It teaches how bystanders can interrupt harm-doing and generate positive actions by others. Active bystandership does not mean aggression against the harm doer. It means taking responsible action to help people in need instead of remaining passive and becoming complicit. Bystanders gain the competencies they need if they decide to take action when they witness something they feel is unfair, or wrong, or troubling.

Metrowest Interfaith Dialogue Project in the Local News

Dialogue that Crosses Faiths

Twelve members of faith organizations in MetroWest, including Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Holliston, work on a regular basis to make their communities more inclusive. They called it the MetroWest Interfaith Dialogue Project (MIDP).
“Our hope is to the honor the religious and nonreligious diversity of our communities and neighborhoods by creating an interfaith community within communities of different faiths. We focus on three goals: Foster opportunities to come together in order to come to know one another and the faiths that inspire us; Gain insight on how much we share in common through our faiths and values; Discover how interfaith dialogue and action can make a difference in our communities and neighborhoods and helps us all flourish together,” he said.
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