The Muslim-Jewish Tipping Point

By Eboo Patel - Washington Post, On Faith
Monday, July 14, 2008 - Web Link
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July 14, 2008

“Nobody believes you guys actually exist,” I said to the group I was eating dinner with.

I was sitting with the North American Board of Reform Judaism’s youth movement (called NFTY) at their summer leadership camp, Kutz.

These five teenagers were responsible for leading programming for thousands of young Reform Jews across the country. This year’s study theme: Muslim-Jewish Relations. And these young leaders couldn’t be more excited it.

I do interfaith work with young people for a living, and even I was taken aback by their enthusiasm.

“Tell me why this is so important to you?” I asked. The reasons spilled forth:

“Making new friends.”

“Making peace.”

“Sharing lessons on what it means to be religious in a secular society.”

Susan Sontag once wrote, “Whatever is happening, something else is always going on.” While newspaper headlines are dominated by stories of hatred and violence between Jews and Muslims, there is a quiet revolution taking place off the radar screen.

Last year witnessed an historic warming in Muslim-Jewish relations in America. Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (the largest Jewish denomination in America, with 1.5 million members and 900 congregations), gave a well-received keynote presentation at the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).