Scriptural Reasoning: "Encountering God-1"
2022-02-17 18:30 - 19:45 UTC | Zoom
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) is a practice where Christians, Jews, and Muslims study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet once a month to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning – Introduction Reading Material: Encountering God – 1

This Month’s Study Leader
Dr. Robert D. Miller II, a Secular Franciscan, joined the faculty of the Catholic University of America in 2008 and is now Ordinary Professor of Old Testament. He is Affiliated Faculty at the University of Pretoria and a Life Member of St John’s College, Cambridge.
Professor Miller is a scholar of the history, literature, religion, and archaeology of Ancient Israel in the First Temple Period. His books, Chieftains of the Highland Clans: A History of Israel in the 12th and 11th Centuries BC (2005), Oral Tradition in Ancient Israel (2011), and related articles made him a recognized authority on Early Israel.
Professor Miller has also worked in the interface of science and theology as the recipient of two major grants, Religion and Science in Pastoral Ministry and Science for Seminarians.
He is also active in Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian dialogue at the local and international levels. A practicing archaeologist, Professor Miller is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Schools of Oriental Research and serves as Chair of the Board of Control of the New American Bible for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Rumi Forum presents this event as a collaborating partner of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington (IFCMW) during the 3rd Annual World Interfaith Harmony Week in the DMV.
We are glad that this session of our monthly Scriptural Reasoning program coincides with the annual worldwide observance during the month of February 2022.

We would like to thank Rose Castle Foundation for their permission to use their content.

3rd Interfaith Leadership Forum:Building Interfaith Partnerships Beyond Racism and Religious Nationalism
2022-02-24 18:45 - 21:20 | Youtube
Rumi Forum, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington, and Washington Theological Consortium presented the 3rd Interfaith Leadership Forum: “Building Interfaith Partnerships Beyond Racism and Religious Nationalism” on February 24, 2022.
Event Video

About the Event:
Religious nationalism is on the rise worldwide. In the U.S., it has primarily taken the form of White Christian Nationalism: the affiliation of being White and Christian with belonging and mattering in this country. This program explored the nature of global nationalism and its specific manifestation in the U.S. First, we heard from Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer, who is an expert who has been studying this trend for over thirty years. His keynote remarks were followed by a panel of diverse faith leaders who shared their views on building interfaith solidarity to resist the White Supremacist Christian ideology threatening our nation. This program was a forum for people of faith to learn, become activated, and feel equipped to respond together effectively.

Program Outline:
Opening Remarks
Rev. David Lindsey, Executive Director, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington (IFC)

Keynote
“The Capitol Insurrection and the Global Rise of Religious Nationalism”
Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer, Founding Director of the Orfalea Center of Global and International Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara

Panel Presentations
Moderated by Rev. David Lindsey, IFC
“The Interfaith Imperative”
Rabbi Jack Moline – President, Interfaith Alliance
“Doctrine of Discovery, Manifest Destiny and Christian Nationalism: Nothing New.”
Charles Watson Jr. – Director of Education, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
“The Pro-Democracy Faith Movement”
Maggie Siddiqi – Senior Director, Religion and Faith, Center for American Progress
“Religious Liberty and the Shortfall of Advocacy”
Simran Singh – Vice Chairman, IRF (International Religious Freedom) Secretariat

Rumi Forum presents this event as a collaborating partner of the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington (IFCMW) during the 3rd Annual World Interfaith Harmony Week in the DMV. We are glad that this session of our monthly Scriptural Reasoning program coincides with the annual worldwide observance during the month of February 2022.
The Forum would like to thank you to our sponsor DC Mayor’s Office of Religious Affairs.

In-Person Book Talk: "I Never Thought of It That Way"
2022-03-14 18:00 - 19:30 | Church of the Holy City, 1611 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20009, United States
We think we have the answers, but we need to be asking a lot more questions.
Partisanship is up, trust is down, and our social media feeds make us sure we’re right and everyone else is ignorant (or worse). But avoiding and attacking one another is breaking… everything.
Journalist Mónica Guzmán is the loving liberal daughter of Mexican immigrants who voted—twice—for Donald Trump. When the country could no longer see straight across the political divide, Mónica set out to find what was blinding us and discovered the most eye-opening tool we’re not using: our own curiosity.
In this timely, personal guide, Mónica Guzmán, takes you to the real front lines of a crisis that threatens to grind America to a halt—broken conversations among confounded people. She shows you how to overcome the fear and certainty that surround us to finally do what only seems impossible: understand and even learn from people in your life whose whole worldview is different from or even opposed to yours.
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About the book: “I Never Thought of It That Way“
Drawing from cross-partisan conversations she’s had, organized, or witnessed everywhere from the echo chambers on social media to the wheat fields in Oregon to raw, unfiltered fights with her own family on election night, Mónica shows how you can put your natural sense of wonder to work for you immediately, finding the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want, curiously.
In these pages, you’ll learn:
• How to ask what you really want to know (even if you’re afraid to)
• How to grow smarter from even the tensest interactions, online or off
• How to cross boundaries and find common ground—with anyone
Whether you’re left, right, center, or not a fan of labels: If you’re ready to fight back against the confusion, heartbreak, and madness of our dangerously divided times—in your own life, at least—Mónica’s got the tools and fresh, surprising insights to prove that seeing where people are coming from isn’t just possible. It’s easier than you think.
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Author

Mónica Guzmán is the Director of Digital and Storytelling at Braver Angels, a nonprofit working to depolarize America and host of the Crosscut interview series Northwest Newsmakers. She was a 2019 fellow at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, where she studied social and political division, and a 2016 fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, where she studied how journalists can better meet the needs of a participatory public.
Mónica lives for great conversations sparked by curious questions. Before committing to the project of helping people understand each other across the political divide, Mónica cofounded the award-winning Seattle newsletter The Evergrey and led a national network of groundbreaking local newsletters as VP of Local for WhereBy.Us. She was named one of the 50 most influential women in Seattle, served twice as a juror for the Pulitzer Prizes, and plays a barbarian named Shadrack in her besties’ Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Discussant

Brian Allain founded and leads Writing for Your Life, a resource center and conference for spiritual writers, which includes the Publishing in Color conference series, intended to increase the number of books published by spiritual writers of color. Brian also founded and leads the teams that produce Compassionate Christianity and How to Heal Our Divides. Previously Brian served as Founding Director of the Frederick Buechner Center where he led the launch of Mr. Buechner’s online presence and established several new programs and strategic partnerships.
Brian has developed and led spiritual writers conferences at Princeton Theological Seminary, Drew Theological Seminary, Western Theological Seminary, the University of Southern California, Belmont University, New Brunswick Seminary, and several churches. He led the publishing effort for the book Buechner 101: An Introduction to Frederick Buechner, in collaboration with Anne Lamott, and also the book How to Heal Our Divides. All of this is a second career, coming after business and technology leadership in high-tech. Brian has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar, their highest academic award.

Scriptural Reasoning: “Encountering God-2”
2022-03-24 18:30 - 19:45 | Zoom
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) is a practice where Christians, Jews, and Muslims study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet once a month to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.

Scriptural Reasoning – Introduction Reading Material: Encountering God – 2

This Month’s Study Leader
Margaret A. Johnson, Ph.D. is a sociologist, author, international speaker, and business owner. She manages the day-to-day operations of Transfirex Translation Services, Inc., a global language translation company. She volunteers as an interfaith activist in several capacities throughout the greater Washington, DC area to develop strong communities and advocate for peace and understanding among all people. She has moderated and given talks on several panels in the DC area on Islam, peace-building, and diversity issues. She co-authored with Ori Z. Soltes, Preventing Violence and Achieving World Peace from Peter Lang Publishing, New York, NY.
For over a decade, Margaret worked as a researcher and academician at the University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma State University. Her early career focused on change in nonprofit organizations, small business development, women and minority entrepreneurship, and microcredit programs. As part of her consulting work, she managed the W-BizInsight online survey panel to provide bi-annual metrics on the business confidence of women business owners. She wrote and produced reports for Walmart, American Express, Key Bank, and Women in Public Policy.

Ramadan 2022 - An overview of Iftar programs
2022-04-02 05:00 - 2022-05-01 20:00 | NY
Ramadan 2022 was an extraordinary time for Rumi Forum and its community partners. After two years of social distancing, this special period was the moment to reconnect with our friends and allies, sharing the joy of Iftar while engaging in fruitful conversations regarding future endeavors. Ramadan also became the opportunity to carry our monthly Scriptural Reasoning series into an in-person format, which we would like to continue in the future.

We thank all of our community partners, allies, friends, and volunteers for making Ramadan an invaluable opportunity for reinforcing existing friendships and building new ones.

Iftar with Interfaith Leadership Forum (ILF) Partners

Scriptural Reasoning session on “Fasting” and Iftar at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS)

Iftar with the Church of the Holy City (Washington, DC) Congregation

Iftar with members of the Public Diplomacy Council (PDC)

Iftar with members of Braver Angels-Fairfax County

Iftar with friends from Osher Lifelong Learning Institute – George Mason University (OLLI-GMU)

Iftar w/JAMAAT(Jews & Muslims & Allies Acting Together) & JIDS(Jewish-Islamic Dialog Society)

Iftar with members of the Sikh Foundation of VA

Scriptural Reasoning on “Fasting” & Iftar with the LDS Church Reverse Open House members

Scriptural Reasoning on “Fasting” & Iftar at American University w/Muslim Student Association

Iftar with members of the Interfaith Encounter Association

Iftar with the Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, DC) Congregation

Iftar with Adat Reyim (Springfield, VA) Congregation

Iftar with Peace Catalyst International`s Regional Coordinator

Scriptural Reasoning: “Fasting”
2022-04-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
On April 7, 2022, Rumi Forum held its first-ever in-person Scriptural Reasoning session on “Fasting,” followed by an Iftar with our study leader, Aaron Dunn, from Virginia Theological Seminary.

Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages on a topic from their respective scriptures. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s scriptures and the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Islamic Scripture: Quran

Christian Scripture: New Testament Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

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Program Outline:
6:30 – 7:30 pm – Scriptural Reasoning session on “Fasting”
7:35 – 8:30 pm – Iftar dinner and conversations at the table

This Month’s Study Leader
Aaron R. Dunn is a postulant for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and a first-year Master in Divinity student at Virginia Theological Seminary. Before beginning his seminary training, he served as the Vocal Music Teacher at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD, and before that, as Voice Faculty and Director of an Opera Workshop at Lincoln University. Aaron holds a Bachelor’s of Music in Vocal Performance from Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music and a Master’s of Music from the University of Tennessee. He has worked nationally and internationally as both a vocalist and stage director.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Food"
2022-05-18 18:30 - 19:45 | Zoom
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on May 18, 2022, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Food” with our study leader, Kelly Moltzen, from the Interfaith Public Health Network.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning – Introduction Islamic Scripture: Quran

Christian Scripture: New Testament Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

This Month’s Study Leader
Kelly Moltzen is a co-founder and convener of the Interfaith Public Health Network, which inspires people of faith to be agents of change in transforming communities into ones that promote health and well-being for all. As a steering committee member of the Center for Earth Ethics’ Faith and Food Coalition, she helps bring faith voices to the United Nations Food Systems Summit process. For over 12 years, she has worked on programs that increase access to and consumption of healthy food to address health disparities in the Bronx, New York.
Kelly is a Registered Dietitian and received a Master’s in Public Health from New York University. She was a 2015 Re:Generate Fellow with the Food, Health, and Ecological Well-Being Program of Wake Forest University School of Divinity and was named to Hunter College’s NYC Food Policy Center 40 Under 40 Class of 2020. Kelly is a USA Secular Franciscan Order Ecumenical & Interfaith Committee member, a 2021-2022 Fellow at Abrahamic House in Washington, D.C., and a Rockefeller-Acumen Food Systems Fellow.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Gates and Doors - 1"
2022-06-16 18:30 - 19:45 | Zoom
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on June 16, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Gates and Doors – 1” with our study leader, Rabbi Ilana Zietman, from the GatherDC.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

This Month’s Study Leader
Rabbi Ilana Zietman is a pluralistic rabbi who fosters Jewish experiences and communities that are relevant, thought-provoking, and, most importantly, welcoming. She serves as the Community Rabbi of GatherDC, a nonprofit that connects Jewish 20s & 30s to each other, engages them in Jewish DC, and facilitates their development of meaningful adult Jewish identities wherever they go in life.
She also serves on the advisory council of Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps in DC. In 2019, Ilana received her rabbinic ordination and a master’s degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College. She now lives in Petworth with her husband, Jack, their new baby, Jesse, and their sweet dog, Ella.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Gates and Doors - 2"
2022-09-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on September 15, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Gates and Doors – 2” with our study leader, The Rev. A. Katherine Grieb, Ph.D., from the Center for Anglican Communion Studies.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

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This Month’s Study Leader
The Rev. A. Katherine Grieb, Ph.D. became the Center for Anglican Communion Studies (CACS) Director on July 1, 2021. She has served the Anglican Communion for some twenty years in many roles, on the of Inter-Anglican Theological and Doctrinal Commission (IATDC) and the Inter-Anglican Standing Committee on Unity, Faith, and Order (IASCUFO), among others.
Dr. Grieb received a B.A. in Philosophy and Religion at Hollins University, a J.D. from Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America, an M.Div. at Virginia Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. with Distinction in Theology at Yale University, and an LL.M. in Canon Law at Cardiff University in Wales.
She taught full-time at Virginia Theological Seminary as a Professor of Biblical Interpretation and New Testament from 1994 to 2021 and continues to teach part-time. She taught Biblical Greek in 2021-22 and will teach New Testament Interpretation in 2022-23.

In-Person Book Talk: "Hearts & Minds"
2022-09-29 18:30 - 20:00 | National Press Club, 529 14th St NW-13th Floor, Ballroom, Washington, DC, 20045, United States
This in-person book talked about a comparative and qualitative study of an educational phenomenon, Hizmet, functioning worldwide.
Dr. Parrillo and Dr. Ansari present a cross-cultural study of Hizmet schools in seven countries of varying histories and ethnic compositions. Some are fairly homogeneous, while others are longstanding multicultural, multiracial societies. Some have Muslim-majority populations, others a small Muslim minority. Through hundreds of interviews with students, parents, staff, and financial supporters, the authors explored individual perceptions and experiences, as well as the triad of student/parent/school interaction. Analyzing the commonality of the schools’ structures and processes in different settings, they offer their insights about the schools’ success in achieving their twin goals of offering quality education and promoting interethnic harmony.
Author:

Vincent N. Parrillo is the author of numerous books and journal articles, some of them translated into ten languages. He is a Professor Emeritus of sociology at William Paterson University and a Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Senior Specialist. An internationally recognized expert on immigration, he is the author of two historical novels about Ellis Island: Guardians of the Gate and Defenders of Freedom. His newest book is Hearts and Minds: Hizmet Schools and Interethnic Relations. He is also the executive producer, writer, and narrator of six award-winning PBS television documentaries: Ellis Island: Gateway to America; Smokestacks and Steeples: A Portrait of Paterson; Gaetano Federici: The Sculptor Laureate of Paterson; Paterson and Its People; Silk City Artists and Musicians, and Paterson: A Delicious Destination.
Active in community theater, he directed the Sondheim musical Follies in May 2022 for the Players Guild of Leonia, where he has directed numerous mainstage productions of all genres (comedies, dramas, musicals), as well as appearing in others. He also directed The Comedy of Errors in July 2015 at Bergen County Overpeck Park.

Scriptural Reasoning: “Joseph”
2022-10-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on October 20, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Joseph” with our study leader, Rabbi Hyim Shafner, from the Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

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This Month’s Study Leader

Rabbi Hyim Shafner is the Rabbi of Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue in Washington D.C. Previously, he served as Rabbi of Bais Abraham Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri, as Rabbi of the Hillel at Washington University in St. Louis, and as the Rabbi of India for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He has a Rabbinical ordination, an MSW in social work, and an MA in Jewish philosophy from Yeshiva University and trained as a psychotherapist at the St. Louis Psychoanalytic Institute. Rabbi Shafner has published widely in various Jewish journals, periodicals, and books. He is the author of the Everything Jewish Wedding Book (2nd edition) and many articles in the area of Talmudic narrative, Jewish law and thought, and community building and vision.

In-Person Book Talk: "Between Thought & Action"
2022-10-26 18:30 - 20:00 | National Press Club, 529 14th St NW-13th Floor, Ballroom, Washington, DC, 20045, United States
This in-person book talk by Dr. Ori Z. Soltes was a discussion on “Between Thought & Action”, Fethullah Gulen`s intellectual biography of thoughts, words, and actions including interviews with Hizmet movement followers.
This volume has two goals. One is to explore the life and the thought of Fethullah Gulen and the important educational and peace-inducing activities in which he and those inspired by him have been engaged for several decades. The outcome of those efforts—of creating schools and providing diverse social and cultural services that bring people together people from diverse backgrounds—has been to provide the face of civic and civil Islam as an antidote to the uglier side of political Islam.
The second goal has been to make clear how the accusations against Mr. Gulen by the minions of Turkey`s President could hardly be more false: that what Gulen and the Hizmet (service) movement that he has inspired are ultimately about is improving the world and saving it from its uglier inclinations. A brief discussion of his life and thought has been supplemented by the voices of more than 70 interviews conducted over several years, with individuals intimate and more distant but all inspired to be part of the process of serving humanity.

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About the Author:

Ori Z. Soltes teaches at Georgetown University across a range of disciplines, from art history and theology to philosophy and political history. He is the former Director of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum and has curated more than 85 exhibitions there and in other venues across the country and overseas. He has authored or edited 25 books and several hundred articles and essays. Recent volumes include “Our Sacred Signs: How Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Art Draw from the Same Source”; “Searching for Oneness: Mysticism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam”; “Untangling the Web: Why the Middle East is a Mess and Always Has Been”; “Tradition and Transformation: Three Millennia of Jewish Art & Architecture”; and “God and the Goalposts: A Brief History of Religion, Sports, Politics, War, and Art”.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Leadership"
2022-11-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on November 16, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Leadership” with our study leader, Hurunnessa Fariad, from the Multifaith Neighbors Network.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

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This Month’s Study Leader

Hurunnessa Fariad is the Director of Outreach at Multifaith Neighbors Network (MFNN) and has overseen the Multifaith efforts at the ADAMS Center. She is an active D.C. Muslim Jewish Advisory Council and Peace Catalyst International member. Ms. Fariad serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors at Virginian Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Leadership Circle Advisor for the One America Movement, Muslim Member of Fairfax County`s Interfaith and Equity Committee, Muslim Member of the Fairfax County Public School Religious Observances Task Force and member of the TSA Multicultural Coalition.
Ms. Fariad is the founder and Music Director of America`s First Mosque Youth Choir, The ADAMS Beat, which is actively involved in multifaith and advocacy work. As Director of Outreach at MFNN, she is responsible for building relationships outside of the organization to more effectively reach the organization’s goals. This also includes working with clerics in their cities to better equip them to lead in their city, communicate with local partners, and help mobilize women in MFNN programs.

2022 Annual Gala and Dialogue Awards Ceremony
2022-11-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Meridian House, 1630 Crescent Pl NW, Washington, DC, 20009, United States
Rumi Forum works towards strengthening the culture of peace, religious pluralism, and social harmony among faith communities and individuals of diverse beliefs, ethnicities, and backgrounds. The Forum strives to achieve this goal by building, informing, and mobilizing an active interfaith dialogue community.
A traditional component of Rumi Forum’s endeavor is recognizing the lifetime dedication of inspirational public figures who have championed its cause. The Rumi Forum Dialogue Award honors successful practitioners with outstanding track records in interfaith engagement, community service, human rights, and education.
Thank you for joining us and many distinguished guests as we reconnected and renewed our commitment to interfaith work!
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2022 Rumi Forum Dialogue Award Honoree
Rev. Mansfield “Kasey” Kaseman
Interfaith Community Leader
Pastor Emeritus, Rockville United Church
Rev. Mansfield “Kasey” Kaseman is the former Interfaith Community Liaison for the Office of Community Partnerships in Montgomery County, Maryland. Since his student days, he has been engaged in ecumenical and interfaith ministries to create “a beloved community.” His engagement in the Civil Rights Movement included providing security for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and helping to implement “Racial Justice Now.”
Award presented by
Josephine Garnem
Executive Director, Healey International Relief Foundation
Josephine Garnem is the Executive Director of the Healey International Relief Foundation. Previously, she served as the Program Manager for Montgomery County Government’s Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center and the Director of Montgomery Moving Forward, Nonproﬁt Montgomery’s collective impact initiative. She founded, and until recently led, the Khalil Garnem Foundation, dedicated to promoting equitable health care, education, and economic development in Sierra Leone. There, she leads volunteer diaspora medical, surgical, and training initiatives. She comes from the international non-profit sector and has served as the Strategic Outreach and Partnership Coordinator. Her passion is strengthening community links through partnerships to improve their health and well-being.
MC of the Night
Noa Baum
Speaker, Storyteller, Author & Coach
Born and raised in Jerusalem, Noa offers a unique approach to storytelling in communities and organizations. Since 1982, she has inspired and educated audiences of all ages with her performances, keynotes, and workshops. Her one-woman show for adults, A Land Twice Promised, received a grant from the National Storytelling Network. She has received several Individual Artist Awards from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland. Noa’s recently published book, A Land Twice Promised – An Israeli Woman’s Quest for Peace, won the Anne Izard Storytellers’ Choice Award. With her storytelling, Noa captures the drama of a nation at war and her discovery of humanity in the enemy.

Community Event: "Lox&Vodka and Tabla for Two" Concert
2022-12-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Tikvat Israel Congregation, 2200 Baltimore Rd, Rockville, MD, 20851, United States
A special evening crossing cultures is probably exactly what we need right now – and the music is pretty good too! Please welcome the Klezmer sounds of Lox & Vodka and the Afghani and Indian beats of Tabla for Two. Tabla for Two’s motto of “playing for peace” would probably be a good tagline for a show of healing music that will lift spirits and calm souls, promoting understanding and connection through music.

Lox & Vodka started because of their love of the music, the rich traditions, the wonderful holiday celebrations, and the deep spirituality Judaism offers. Klezmer music, which they define as Jewish soul music, has been in existence since the Middle Ages when klezmorim (itinerant musicians) would travel from shtetl (village) to shtetl to play for Jewish weddings and other celebrations. Today, Lox & Vodka travels from simcha to simcha where our horas are always action-packed, with your guests lifting the honorees high on chairs. And we teach fun and simple Israeli folk dances, an incredibly memorable experience for everyone.
Learn more about Lox & Vodka at www.loxvodka.com and sample their music at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wDl8KUj17k

Tabla for Two is a unique duo consisting of Masood Omari and Abigail Adams Greenway. They play traditional and classical music from Afghanistan and India, old Bollywood favorites, as well as Omari’s original compositions, which blend classical Eastern beats with Western-style beats — a fusion of East and West that is mirrored in their own partnership. They call it “New Music for the New World.”
Their music has been described as mesmerizing, energizing, transcendent, and healing. Masood is blessed with the remarkable skill of playing the tabla and singing at the same time, a feat that is generally seen as impossibly difficult. Masood is from Ghazni, Afghanistan. Abigail is from Erie, Pennsylvania. Learn more about Tabla for Two at www.tablafortwo.com and sample their music at youtube.com/watch?v=bbMbPjFc5z0&t=3s

Scriptural Reasoning: "Light"
2022-12-15 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on December 15, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Light” with our study leader, Cassandra Lawrence, from the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.

Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

This Month’s Study Leader

Cassandra Lawrence serves as Communications and Community Engagement Manager with the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign, a multifaith coalition-based campaign to connect, equip, and mobilize faith communities and people of goodwill to counter anti-Muslim bigotry in the United States. Cassandra worked with the diplomatic and mediation community to identify training gaps and design training processes to better engage religious and traditional peacemakers for more sustainable peace processes. She teaches negotiation and conflict transformation primarily to faith communities.
She worked with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs on the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge International Program. She is a mediator, dialogue facilitator, and interfaith and racial justice community organizer. She has a BA in Religious Studies from the University of British Columbia and a master’s degree in comparative ethnic conflict from Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 2021, she completed a master of divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary with honors, specializing in Public Theology, and received the Excellence in Public Theology Award.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Marriage"
2023-01-12 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on January 12, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Marriage” with our study leader, Rabbi David Greenspoon, from Jewtique Concierge Rabbinic Services.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Islamic Scripture: Quran

Christian Scripture: New Testament Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

This Month`s Study Leader

Rabbi David Greenspoon is a rarity among clergy: he’s a veteran of the United States Navy—twice. 1981-1985, he was enlisted and deployed on a guided missile cruiser and an aircraft carrier. In 1989, he was appointed an officer in the United States Navy Reserve and was a chaplain until 1996. These experiences lead Rabbi Greenspoon to ground his rabbinic work in relationships; he understands his rabbinate is a “rabbinate of presence.” His approach to servant leadership, in particular, has resulted in numerous awards for the congregations he served and has been transformative for congregations and communities, especially in the realms of interfaith work and civic engagement.
Rabbi Greenspoon has held numerous leadership positions within and beyond the Jewish community. In 2021, he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa, by the Jewish Theological Seminary for his 25+ years of service to the Jewish community. Always learning and growing, Rabbi Greenspoon is undertaking specialized training for credentials in healthcare chaplaincy while growing his recently launched business, Jewtique Concierge Rabbinic Services.

Partner Event: IRF Summit 2023
2023-01-31 08:00 - 2023-02-01 17:00 | Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave, N.W., Washington, DC, 20009, United States
Rumi Forum is a proud Convening Partner and Steering Committee Member of the IRF Summit 2023, which will bring together a broad coalition that passionately supports religious freedom around the globe for a two-day in-person event in Washington D.C., January 31st–February 1st.
Together we will raise the profile of international religious freedom on a wide variety of issues using an array of mechanisms best suited for each circumstance. The Summit will connect resources and advocates interested in religious freedom and highlight the personal testimonies of survivors of religious persecution and restrictions on religious freedom.
Bringing attention to the plight of religious adherents who are persecuted, individually and collectively, will grow the grassroots and global movement for religious freedom. Breakout sessions hosted by the convening partners will go deep on important IRF topics.
Together we will gain political support for the global religious freedom movement and encourage civil society, people of faith, and governments to take a stand for religious freedom.
Event Photos

Rumi Forum welcomed participants at the booth and supported the ‘Documenting After IRF Violations’ panel.

Summit Co-Chairs

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett serves as President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, established in 2008 to continue the legacy of her father, the late Congressman Tom Lantos. Under her leadership, The Lantos Foundation has rapidly become a distinguished and respected voice on key human rights concerns. Dr. Lantos Swett is the former Chair and Vice-Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom and teaches Human Rights and American Foreign Policy at Tufts University. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Board of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) and the Budapest-based Tom Lantos Institute.
Dr. Lantos Swett also serves on the Advisory Board of UN Watch, the annual Anne Frank Award and Lecture, and The Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy. Lantos Swett earned a Political Science degree from Yale University at the age of 18, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a Ph.D. in History from The University of Southern Denmark.
Sam Brownback served as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from February 2018 to January 2021. He served as Governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Prior to that he represented his home state in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. While a member of the Senate, he worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Prior to his public service, Ambassador Brownback practiced law and taught agricultural law at Kansas State University. He earned a B.S. from Kansas State University and a J.D. from the University of Kansas.
Ambassador Brownback currently serves as co-chair for the International Religious Freedom Summit and as a Senior Fellow at Open Doors USA. He and his wife Mary have five children and six grandchildren.

Community Event: Help for Victims of Earthquake in Southern Turkey
2023-02-07 08:00 - 2023-04-07 17:00 | NY
The people of Turkey are in urgent need of help after a major earthquake struck on February 6, 2023. Rumi Forum is supporting the relief efforts of Embrace Relief. Donate today to help the victims and rebuild in the aftermath.

Embrace Relief has launched an aid campaign to meet the urgent needs of the victims of the devastating February 6, 2023 earthquakes, and to help support the rebuilding efforts of the people of southern Turkey. Please help us in healing the wounds of earthquake victims.
A series of powerful earthquakes struck southern Turkey in the early morning hours of Feb. 6, 2023. These quakes have caused the widespread destruction and collapse of buildings, with likely thousands of deaths and many thousands more injuries in Turkey and northwestern Syria. The epicenter of the quake was in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş, and tremors were felt intensely in the surrounding provinces and cities such as Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Kilis and Adana. Embrace Relief has launched an aid campaign to meet the urgent needs of the victims of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquakes, and to help support the rebuilding efforts of the people of southern Turkey. Please help us in healing the wounds of earthquake victims.
* You can also double your support for the people of Turkey by asking your company about Employer Matching Donations. Companies of all sizes will often match donations to a charitable 501(c)(3) organization like Embrace Relief on a 1:1 (or 2:1 or even 3:1) basis, as part of their corporate social responsibility. So ask your company today about making a matching donation to Embrace Relief’s Turkey Earthquake Relief, and together we can save even more lives.

Conference: "The Hizmet Movement: Responses to Contemporary Challenges"
2023-02-16 08:00 - 2023-02-17 17:00 | California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd, Long Beach, CA, 90840, United States
On February 16 and 17, 2023, The Department of Religious Studies at California State University, Long Beach, organized a conference on the Islam-inspired Hizmet Movement (a.k.a. Gulen Movement) entitled “The Hizmet Movement: Responses to Contemporary Challenges.” The conference mainly focused on the Hizmet Movement’s status in Turkey and around the world, as well as how the Movement responds to the challenges which are posed or exacerbated by global trends and events. This includes the Movement’s status and direction both transnationally and locally.
Conference Schedule
Academic Board
Presenter Bios
Event Photos

Organizing Institution:
The program in Religious Studies develops students’ critical understanding of the forms of religious phenomena in their cultural and historical contexts and a sensitivity to different value systems. The program provides students with an introduction to the major religious traditions and to religion in the modern world. Because religion infuses human cultures in visible and invisible ways, Religious Studies place special emphasis on relating the religious dimension of human life to the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Mediation"
2023-02-23 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on February 23, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Mediation” with our study leader, Imam Talib Shareef, from Masjid Muhammad, The Nation`s Mosque.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) is a practice where Christians, Jews, and Muslims study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

This Month`s Study Leader

Talib M. Shareef is President and Imam of the historic Nation’s Mosque, Masjid Muhammad, in Washington, D.C. Imam Shareef is a retired U.S. Air Force member with 30+ years of service; he has a Doctorate Degree from Global Oved Dei Seminary and University, an MBA from American Intercontinental University, a Diploma from the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Arabic and Middle East studies. Imam Shareef served 30 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a chief master sergeant.
He used his extensive interfaith leadership experience to help reform the military’s frequently fraught relationship with its Muslim personnel. With others, Shareef played a pioneering role in introducing Muslim chaplains to the U.S. armed forces. He was also the first Muslim to serve as a chaplain for the FBI.

Scriptural Reasoning: "Migration"
2023-03-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on March 16, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Migration” with our study leader, Dr. Thomas Martin Conroy, from Virginia Theological Seminary.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

Christian Scripture: New Testament Islamic Scripture: Quran

This Month`s Study Leader

Dr. Thomas Martin Conroy is a middler in the Master of Divinity program at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) and a member of the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria, VA. Tom is a Companion Member of the Center for Anglican Communion Studies. He was the VTS student representative for The Compass Rose Society annual meeting this past November in London. The Society for the Increase of Ministry welcomed Tom as one of their scholars for the 2022-2023 academic year. His vocational focus is on interim ministry work, and he presented a workshop on Congregational Discernment at the Interim Ministry Network annual conference this past November.
Before his move to Alexandria, Tom served Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Pittsburgh, PA, as organist, choir director, and bell choir director. His Catholic upbringing comprised Maronite and Roman rites, and he began playing for services at his Lebanese parish, St. Maron Church in Youngstown, Ohio, at age twelve. He completed his master’s degree in composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2003, where he also was a faculty member from 2009 to 2013; he earned his doctorate of musical arts in composition at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He served on the faculties of Texas A and M University, University of Houston, and Ball State University.

Community Event: Rumi Night-A Journey of Sufi Music and Rumi Poetry
2023-03-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Church of the Holy City, 1611 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20009, United States
Rumi Forum organized a live Sufi music performance by “Sufi Melody” together with Rumi poetry by Dr. Sara Towe Horsfall on March 18, 2023.
Event Video

Event Photos
Music by Sufi Melody

Sufi Melody is a spiritual music ensemble that aims to establish a web of love and a sense of connectedness through music among cultural groups. Inspired by the inclusive tradition of Sufism, Sufi Melody aims to create and cover pieces from various faith traditions, including but not limited to Islam, to build bridges among diverse communities.
Rumi Poetry by Dr. Sara Towe Horsfall

Before joining the academia, Dr. Sara Towe Horsfall worked as a foreign correspondent and international journalist in India, Greece, and England for the New York City Tribune and the Middle East Times. This gave her unique insight into social problems and their solutions around the world. She taught Sociology at Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth, Texas for 15 years, before retiring in 2013. She is co-editor of Chaos, Complexity, & Sociology and Music Sociology and author of A Neighborhood Portrait & Social Problems.
She worked as a music teacher while completing her Ph.D. in Texas, and is currently a member of the Baltimore Classical Guitar Orchestra. She also teaches part-time at Frederick Community College in Frederick, Maryland, and is the organizer of the monthly Rumi Poetry Reading and Sharing group around the Baltimore region.

Ramadan 2023 - An overview of Iftar programs
2023-03-22 05:00 - 2023-04-20 20:00 | NY
Ramadan 2023 was an extraordinary time for Rumi Forum and its community partners. After three years of social distancing, this special period was the moment to reconnect with our friends and allies, sharing the joy of Iftar while engaging in fruitful conversations regarding future endeavors. Ramadan also became the opportunity to carry our monthly Scriptural Reasoning series into an in-person format, which we would like to continue in the future. We thank our community partners, allies, friends, and volunteers for making Ramadan an invaluable opportunity to strengthen and build new friendships.
Ramadan Reunion Iftar

Iftar w/friends from George Mason University Carter`s School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Iftar w/Institute for Interreligious Study&Dialogue students from Catholic University of America

Iftar with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Congregation (Alexandria, VA)

Iftar with St. Mark Presbyterian Church Congregation (Rockville, MD)

Iftar with Burke United Methodist Church Congregation (Burke, VA)

Iftar with Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation (Bethesda, MD)

Iftar with members of the Sikh Foundation of VA

Iftar with members of the Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA)

Iftar w/Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington,Shoulder 2 Shoulder&Baptist Joint Comm

Scriptural Reasoning session on “Neighbors” and Iftar at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS)

Iftar with Braver Angels-DC Project with “America`s Public Forum”

Panel Discussion: Interfaith Bridges, Intrafaith Divides, and Polarization
2023-03-30 17:00 - 20:30 | Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Decatur Pl. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, United States
On March 30, 2023, Rumi Forum and the Braver Angels D.C. Project organized a special America’s Public Forum event on interfaith alignments, intrafaith divisions, and the experiences of religious communities in American polarization in our time.
Discussants were Rich Tafel, Minister of the Church of the Holy City in downtown Washington, D.C., and Ibrahim Anli, Executive Director of Rumi Forum. Between their interfaith and pastoral and intellectual work, they brought decades’ worth of experience to questions of the place of religion in American public life amid all the divides of the recent past. Luke Nathan Phillips of Braver Angels hosted a conversation with them examining the ongoing divides in and between religious communities, the lasting common ground and prospects for new bridges among them, and the ways religious communities’ navigation of these divisions might inform approaches to American polarization as a whole.
Following the conversation, including audience Q&A, participants joined an Iftar dinner courtesy of the Rumi Forum. The event took place at the Friends Meeting of Washington, DC.
Event Photos

Scriptural Reasoning: "Neighbors"
2023-04-11 18:00 - 20:45 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle, followed by an Iftar, on April 11, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Neighbors” with our study leader, Imam Refai Arefin, from the Islamic Community Center of Potomac.
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Christian Scripture: New Testament

Islamic Scripture: Quran Jewish Scripture: New Testament

Program Outline:
6:00 – 7:30 pm – Scriptural Reasoning session on “Neighbors”
7:45 – 8:45 pm – Iftar dinner and conversations at the table

This Month`s Study Leader

Refai Arefin is the Imam of the Islamic Community Center of Potomac. He previously served in Connecticut as Imam of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford for eight years, in addition to performing duties as the Deputy Chaplain of the Connecticut State Legislature. He has wide exposure to Islamic law and Sharia education. He has taken courses at and been associated with the Al-Azhar University in Cairo and Al-Balqa Applied University in Amman. He studied under various scholars in Fez and Damascus.

In-Person Book Talk: "Profiles in Peace"
2023-05-02 19:00 - 20:30 | Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC, 20003, United States
This new book traces the lives of Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs in Israel and Palestine who have dedicated their lives to building peaceful relations among the two peoples and between individual people who seek to live in peace and harmony with one another. These people have acted courageously and consistently in their work for peace.
In this book, the author profiles the lives, thoughts, feelings, and actions of six important peacebuilders — men and women, secular and religious, 3 Jewish Israelis: Rabbi Michael Melchior, Professor Galia Golan, and Mrs. Hadassah Froman; and 3 Palestinian Arabs: Professor Mohammed Dajani, Ms. Huda Abuarquob, and Bishop Munib Younan.
The reader learns about their visions for peace and their activities to bring their ideas to fruition in the real world of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Too many people have given up on peace. In contrast, the people in this book persevere for peace, thus keeping a flicker of hope alive for Israelis and Palestinians who live in the same land for people everywhere who continue to yearn for a peace agreement to be reached in the region.
Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a coalition of over 170 organizations—and tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis—building people-to-people cooperation, coexistence, equality, shared society, mutual understanding, and peace among their communities. We add stability in times of crisis, foster cooperation that increases impact, and build an environment conducive to peace over the long term.

Author
Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish is an independent scholar, writer, blogger, lecturer, teacher, and mentor. For several years, he has been a Library Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. From 1991-2015, he served as the Founder and Director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), Israel’s premier interreligious institution.
He was educated at Brandeis University (BA), Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the editor of Coexistence and Reconciliation in Israel: Voices for Interreligious Dialogue (Paulist Press, 2015) and the author of The Other Peace Process: Interreligious Dialogue, A View from Jerusalem (Hamilton Books 2017) and Profiles in Peace: Voices of Peacebuilders in the Midst of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (2022).
He writes a regular blog for The Times of Israel and is a contributor to The Jerusalem Report. He teaches courses about Interreligious Dialogue and Peacebuilding at the Schechter Institutes for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, in the Department for Adult Education, and at the Drew University Theological School (via Zoom) in Madison, NJ.

Moderator
Rabbi Gerry Serotta served as Executive Director of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington from 2014 through 2020, where he continued his work as a leading voice for interfaith cooperation, religious freedom, and human rights. He is the founding rabbi of Shirat HaNefesh from 2008 to 2014. Rabbi Serotta has served as Executive Director of the interreligious organization Clergy Beyond Borders, Associate Rabbi of Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase, and Director of the Hillel Foundation at George Washington University. He was the founder and chair of Rabbis for Human Rights – North America, and he chaired the Board of Chaplains of George Washington University.
Rabbi Serotta has received many awards for his communal work. He was named a Public Policy Conflict Resolution fellow by the University of Maryland School of Law and served as a senior rabbinic scholar in residence at the Religious Action Center of the Union for Reform Judaism. Rabbi Serotta received a master’s degree in Hebrew Literature from Hebrew Union College, a Master of Sacred Theology from New York Theological Seminary, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Hebrew Union College.

Discussant
Ibrahim Anli is a civic entrepreneur with a career record that bridges nonprofit and academic experience. He was a visiting researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem from 2007-08. Ibrahim joined the Journalists and Writers Foundation’s (JWF) Ankara office as the diplomacy coordinator in 2010. In 2013, he became the secretary-general of Abant Platform, JWF’s Istanbul-based forum of intellectuals. Ibrahim Anli was a lecturer and acting chair at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy at Tishk International University in Erbil in 2016-17. He is currently a volunteer instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at George Mason University, a member of the Braver Angels Scholars Council, and a member of the Public Diplomacy Council of America.
Ibrahim Anli writes opinions in his independent blog and has published peer-reviewed book chapters and articles. He holds a BA in Economics from Istanbul University, an MA in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from Sabanci University, and a certificate in Strategic Management for Leaders of NGOs from Harvard University.

Exhibit: "Un-Muted - The Silent Voices of Political Persecution in Turkey"
2023-05-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Friends Meeting of Washington, 2111 Decatur Pl. NW, Washington, DC, 20008, United States
This exhibit and presentation was a powerful and moving visual experience of a highly harsh reality happening in Turkey now.
The Hizmet people are seekers of peace and justice; they are committed to education and the eradication of poverty throughout the world. The government, led by President Erdogan, has evolved into a brutal, military regime that tortures and imprisons the Hizmet people linked by membership or affiliation with a peaceful and liberal Islamic faith expression. Under the guise of Islamic law, President Erdogan has misused political power to isolate and eliminate opposition, resulting in quashing voices of dissent in a country once a bastion of liberal democracy. Many Hizmet and Kurdish people have lost their lives at the hands of this injustice.
The exhibit consists of around 40 pieces and their detailed stories, such as Kurdish political prisoner Garibe Gezer who was sexually harassed, tortured, and killed in jail; dismissed professor Haluk Savas who was denied his right to travel to get medical treatment for cancer and eventually died, 11-year-old Kurdish girl Cemile Cagin who was killed by a sniper during a curfew and whose dead body had to be kept in a freezer by her mother for days, and Ahmet Burhan Atac, a young boy who died of cancer before his mother was denied her right to travel with him to get treatment.
The artifacts in this exhibit were generously donated by the families of voices silenced by torture, persecution, and death. We are grateful for this opportunity to unmute their voices and share their stories through this presentation.
Event Video

Event Photos
Co-Sponsored by:
Advocates of Silenced Turkey`s mission is (1) to address all human rights violations in Turkey regarding civil, political, economic, social, and cultural as contained in the basic human rights documents; (2) to prevent genocide, crime against humanity, arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment, and discrimination and to defend the right to life, rule of law, right to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, freedom of associations, and (3) to utilize all human rights advocacy tools, mechanisms, and systems that can possibly be used to protect and promote the human rights of those whose voices are being silenced in Turkey and beyond.
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Scriptural Reasoning: "Noah"
2023-05-18 18:30 | Virginia Theological Seminary-Addison Academic Center, 3630 Bishop Walker Cir., Alexandria, VA, 22304, United States
Rumi Forum had its monthly circle on May 18, 2023, to study Abrahamic scriptures on the topic of “Noah” with our study leader, Rabbi Chana Leslie Glazer, from Temple Brith Achim (King of Prussia, PA).
Scriptural Reasoning (SR) allows Christians, Jews, and Muslims to study each other’s sacred texts. SR participants meet monthly to read short passages from their respective scriptures on a certain topic. Facilitated by a study leader, each session is an opportunity to listen and share various perspectives. SR sessions help participants reflect on a curious list of topics within the Abrahamic tradition. The result is often a deeper understanding of others and one’s own scriptures, as well as the development of strong bonds across faith communities.
Scriptural Reasoning: Introduction Christian Scripture: New Testament

Islamic Scripture: Quran Jewish Scripture: Hebrew Bible

This Month`s Study Leader

Rabbi Chana Leslie Glazer is the Interim Rabbi of Temple Brith Achim (King of Prussia, PA) and is a pluralistic Jewish spiritual leader and educator of all ages. Rabbi Glazer was raised in the Reform and Conservative movements and was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) in 2013. She has led Reconstructionist, Conservative, Traditional and pluralistic, non-denominational congregations, including serving as a college-campus rabbi with Hillel. She has also spent significant time studying with the Jewish Renewal movement – over more than ten years. She brings wisdom from all these communities into her rabbinic work. Most recently, before TBA, Rabbi Glazer served as spiritual leader of Congregation Adat Reyim of Springfield, VA.
Rabbi Glazer served as the spiritual leader of Congregation Am Haskalah of the Lehigh Valley, PA (Reconstructionist); Beth Sholom Synagogue of Memphis, TN (Conservative); and Beth Israel Synagogue of Roanoke, VA (Traditional). She was the Chaplain for the Jewish Community at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, serving as the campus rabbi, Hillel director, and director of Jewish Life. She also spent a year as a student chaplain at the Abramson Center for Jewish Life of North Wales, PA, a senior living residence – an invaluable experience working with Jewish elders.
Before that, Rabbi Glazer spent more than a decade working as a journalist, foreign correspondent, and editorial manager, most of which was served covering Latin America and the Caribbean. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University with an interdisciplinary degree in Government, International Relations, and Latin American Studies.

4th ILF: Interfaith Engagement with the Environmental Crisis
2023-05-31 18:30 - 20:45 | Zoom
Rumi Forum, Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington, and Washington Theological Consortium present the 4th Interfaith Leadership Forum: “Interfaith Engagement with the Environmental Crisis” on May 31, 2023. The program features keynote speaker Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, an interfaith panel, and an opportunity for small group dialogues.
Event Photos

Keynote by:
Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, D.Min. started at Adat Shalom when the synagogue was only eight years old, and meeting at the JCC – he was still in rabbinic school, Founding Rabbi Sid was part-time, Shabbat morning services were every other week, and cell phones hardly existed. Upon ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1997, he became its first full-time rabbi and has joyfully served here ever since.
Rabbi Fred currently serves as Chair of the National Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life and is on the boards of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment and Interfaith Power and Light (The Regeneration Project). Fred has also been deeply engaged in social and racial justice (including Jews United for Justice), multi-faith (a past board member of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington), and Israeli-progressive (J Street and more) efforts.
Panelists:
Growing up in Alabama surrounded by woods and creeks, Sevim Kalyoncu discovered at an early age that her most direct connection with God came through nature. To this day, she still finds peace in natural surroundings and holds a deep concern regarding humankind’s responsibility as vicegerent of the earth. She is involved with multiple local climate action groups and is dedicated to helping educate youth about the importance of environmental awareness for spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. She holds a B.S. from Georgetown and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and has many years of nonprofit experience in Washington, DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area. She is also a naturalist interpreter and a yoga instructor.
Rev. Dr. Gilson Waldkoenig teaches methods for understanding ministry in context and applied theology rooted in the resilient grace of Christ. As Director of the Town and Country Church Institute (TCCI), Dr. Waldkoenig teaches courses in rural and Appalachian ministry and is sought out by synods, judicatories, and other seminaries for consultation and teaching. His research has included multiple-church ministries, environmental ministries, and a variety of other topics, all reflecting his practical theology of “means of grace and scenes of grace.” He belongs to St. James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg. His books include Cooperating Congregations and Symbiotic Community; The Lost Land and his reviews appeared in Agricultural History, Journal of Appalachian Studies, Journal for Study of Religion, Nature & Culture, Christian Century, and others.
Dr. Rajwant Singh is the founder and President of EcoSikh, a global organization working on the climate crisis facing the planet. It has engaged the worldwide Sikh community to take action on environmental issues. He also co-founded the National Sikh Campaign, an initiative to inform Americans about the Sikh identity. Dr. Rajwant Singh is also the Chairman of the Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE), an organization that has worked with the White House and the members of the United States Congress. He organized a large gathering of the Sikhs to interact with political and elected leaders at Capitol Hill. He was instrumental in organizing the first-ever celebration of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary at the White House in 2009.
Kristin Barker is co-founder and director of One Earth Sangha whose mission is to cultivate a Buddhist response to ecological crises. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program and now teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. As a co-founder of White Awake, Kristin has been supporting white people since 2011 with a Dharma approach to uprooting racism in ourselves and in our world. With a background in software engineering as well as environmental management, she has worked at several international environmental organizations. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and serves on the advisory board of Project Inside Out. Kristin was born and raised in northern New Mexico and currently lives in Washington DC, the traditional lands of the Piscataway people.
4th ILF is part of “IFC Days of Unity”:

The Interfaith Leadership Forum (ILF) presents its 4th program during Days of Unity, entitled “Interfaith Engagement with the Environmental Crisis”. Rumi Forum and its partners are glad to be collaborating with the Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington (IFCMW) for the 4th ILF, which coincides with their 6th Annual Days of Unity during the month of May 2023.
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