Bridging the religious divide

In the last two years, anecdotal evidence, surveys, police reports, rallies and counter- rallies have all indicated that the acrimony and distrust between the Canadian Jewish and Canadian Muslim communities has reached an all-time high.

In spite of this, a number of organizations and individuals across the country have been attempting to bridge the deep political divide between the two communities by encouraging respectful dialogue, compassionate listening and a search for common ground.

Yafa Sakkejha and Avi Finegold are two of those individuals.

Last month, Sakkejha, a Muslim Torontonian entrepreneur of Palestinian heritage, and Finegold, a Jewish Montrealer and rabbi, launched a new limited series podcast. Appropriately entitled In Good Faith, the podcast features interviews and discussions with representatives of the Muslim and Jewish communities about Israel, Palestine, the war in Gaza, and the challenges and concerns of their respective minority communities here in Canada.

“Mainstream Jewish and Muslim communities have grown quite polarized, with activists wanting to shut down the other side,” asserts Michael Fraiman, director of the Canadian Jewish News podcast network, which is producing In Good Faith. “Open dialogue and a free exchange of ideas are not just the cornerstones of the news media, but also Canada as a democratic society.”

In platforming good faith, open-hearted conversations and peace-building and interfaith initiatives, In Good Faith aims to present a third narrative, one that is neither exclusively pro-Palestine or pro-Israel, or pro-Jewish or pro-Muslim, but is simply anti-violence, pro-peace and pro-humanity.

In Canada, that third narrative community includes peace activists, politicians, students, academics, community organizers and conflict resolution experts, many of whom will be guests on In Good Faith.

Those guests will be Muslims, Jews, Palestinians, Israelis, Canadians, and representatives of organizations like Friends of Standing Together, which advocates for security, equality and social justice for everyone in Israeli and Palestinian communities.

Among others, they will include a Muslim diplomacy expert and decolonization activist, a Muslim leader of the dialogue group Bridging the Gap, and an Egyptian member of the Muslim Canadian Council. They also will include a Jewish parent advocate of the Jewish-Muslim school Hand in Hand, a Jewish activist with the anti-occupation movement Women in Black, and Yonatan Zeigen, the son of slain peace activist Vivian Silver, who grew up in Winnipeg.

“Some listeners may be offended by the opinions in this show,” Fraiman says candidly, “but if we succeed in humanizing a Muslim person to a Jewish one — and vice versa — then that’s a success.”

In Canada, Finegold adds, people used to argue good-naturedly and respected each other’s politics, but that is no longer the case.

“I think there will always be a need for dialogue, and now more than ever if we start to break down some of the walls between the average citizens, perhaps the effect will be felt higher up in government,” he elaborates. “Even if talking to someone with different views than yourself did nothing other than broaden your own view of the world, then it would be worthwhile enough.”

As co-hosts of In Good Faith, Finegold and Sakkejha are serving as an example of two people who manage to speak to one another and listen to one another respectfully in spite of different cultures, different faiths and sometimes different viewpoints. What they share in common, as Canadians, is a desire to see an end to the polarization and siloing that has occurred in both the Jewish and Muslim communities across the country, and an end to the racially motivated hatred that has become more commonplace in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Vancouver especially.

“As a Canadian Palestinian, I want my kids to live in this beautiful nation with a positive experience,” Sakkejha says. “This includes having their identity affirmed, their voices heard, and also having positive relationships with Canadian Jews and Israelis, without asking people first to identify their political affiliations before engaging with them as a fellow citizen; this is the same grace I hope is extended to my children as well by their peers.”

The path towards reducing racial hatred and depolarization,” she emphasizes, “is a marathon, not a sprint.”

No matter the length of the race, by co-creating and co-hosting In Good Faith in good faith, Sakkejha hopes to demonstrate that she is optimistic that Canadian Muslims and Canadian Jews can reach the finish line together.

swchisvin@gmail.com

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