The Jewish community of Oak Park Temple and Muslim community from the Muslim Leadership Academy of Islamic Foundation (Villa Park) came together on December 22 to express unity during times of great division. The “Tzedakah and Sadaqah“ program allows Muslims and Jews to share and learn about each other through a number of activities including dinner, children reading books by Muslim and Jewish authors, middle schoolers discussing principles of their respective religions, and a discussion on “What God wants from me” for teens and adults.
“Our world today is so divided that it’s really important that we do projects that bring people together.” said Rabbi Mike Weiss of the Oak Park Temple. Omer Mozaffar, Muslim Chaplain at Loyola University, said “In this contemporary political context, it’s especially important to build bridges with each other.”