Stressful times for interfaith community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/11/2023 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A number of years ago I interviewed Alan Green, former rabbi at Shaarey Zedek, about what made Winnipeg special for him.

Green, who had moved here from California, quickly said one thing he appreciated about Winnipeg was the commitment by people of faith to interfaith collaboration and co-operation.

It was, he said, a model for other cities in Canada about how to “love one another, despite our differences.”

I’m not sure we are much of a model these days.

With war raging between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, love for others seems in short supply. In its place is a growing gulf of fear, mistrust and suspicion that threatens to overwhelm and dismantle decades of positive interfaith collaboration in this city.

Instead of conversation, we have polarization as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups hold separate rallies, marches, vigils, teach-ins and webinars.

People who have been involved in interfaith activities say there have been challenging times before, during other conflicts in the Middle East. But this time it seems the pain is too deep to try to reach out to talk about ways to bridge the gaps.

One person I spoke to who has been involved in interfaith relations for over 50 years — I ’m withholding his name, and the names of others who I spoke to so they won’t have to worry about being personally attacked for what they said — told me he has never seen relations between faith groups as strained as they are today.

“This is the most discouraging time I’ve experienced,” he said, adding that social media is one of the biggest contributors to challenges since it “gets people all heated up.”

What worries him are those who feel the need to speak out publicly on the conflict; their words only seem to be making it worse.

“The best thing people can do right now is to say nothing publicly,” he said, adding “it is not a time to speak when the conflict is occurring.”

What gives him hope is that he knows some people are still making private efforts to reach out. “People are still at the table,” he said. “That is the best we can hope for.”

He suggested that this might be something for the mayor’s new interfaith circle to take on. “Can that group help us develop appropriate strategies?” he asked. “Can it help us find ways to avoid conflicts in other parts of the world impinging on relations here?”

His more immediate concern is whether Winnipeg can feel like a safe place for Jews and Palestinians alike — and how people from those groups can resume talking when the war ends.

Another person with deep roots in interfaith relations in the province wondered what role the Manitoba Multifaith Council might play.

“This is a moment a group like that was made for,” he said, adding he knows “it will not be an easy task, but it could make a difference.”

The council could be in a unique position to create a space for the “two sides” to come together and have a discussion regarding a path forward, he suggested.

He acknowledged it would be hard to do, and not everyone would welcome the initiative. “But I strongly feel eventually they would realize there is not a better choice,” he said.

While groups are struggling to know what to do, some individuals are acting quietly to try to bring peace to this unpeaceful situation.

This includes a Palestinian friend who has worked for years to build bridges with members of the Jewish community. His approach is to simply check in on his Jewish friends, sometimes bringing them dinner or other baked goods.

“I just want to make sure they are OK,” he said, adding he tells them the situation is “hard on all of us … the least I can do is make a phone call.”

He agrees that this is not a time for grand public statements, or for talking about solutions. “It’s hard to think of a resolution to conflict when the conflict is going on,” he said.

For him, the war is making things more difficult in Winnipeg than any conflict before.

“Even rational people can’t talk rationally now. They have stopped listening to each other, everything that is said sparks an argument,” he said.

When people do try to talk about ways to build bridges, they can be “attacked by others, including members of your own community,” he added.

But that doesn’t stop him from reaching out one-on-one. “I tell my Jewish friends I see their pain, that I have it too, that our stories are similar in so many ways, that we can search together for our common humanity,” he said.

His actions give me hope that maybe one day we can, despite all that has happened, find ways to once again be that special place that Rabbi Green found when he moved here — a city where faith groups work, celebrate and collaborate together like they did before.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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