New Ground Project
Welcome
NewGround is a joint PJA and MPAC program that engages diverse groups of Muslims and Jews in an innovative community-building process of intra- and inter- faith education and reflection, leadership training, and civic engagement. Scheduled to be launched in January 2007, this program utilizes a creative and dynamic new approach to Muslim-Jewish community-building, and is the result of extensive research of previous Muslim-Jewish dialogue efforts conducted in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
Equal Partnership – NewGround is an equal partnership between two community-based organizations (MPAC and PJA) with a similar mandate – fostering a strong sense of civic engagement in their respective communities. Past dialogue efforts in Los Angeles have either originated in one community or have reflected an imbalance in resources or institutional capacity. To avoid repeating this mistake, MPAC and PJA AFWG each have a full-time staff member planning and coordinating this program together each step of the way.
Intra-communal Reflection and Inter-communal Dialogue – Before engaging with one another, Jewish and Muslim participants will engage separately in intra-communal education and reflection in order to address issues that pose both opportunities and challenges for understanding the “other.” Issues will include ethnic and religious diversity as well as anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Participants will then be prepared for the next stage of the process: meaningful interaction and honest discussion about issues of concern to both communities.
Civic Engagement – NewGround works to create a shared sense of civic engagement on issues affecting the City of Los Angeles. Each set of participants in NewGround will learn about and act on a joint issue of concern that reflects their traditions’ common commitment to social justice.
Sweeping Change – NewGround aims to create a sweeping change of attitude within the Muslim and Jewish communities, rather than solely among leadership. Through intensive learning, skills-training, and reflection, NewGround will build small groups of committed and trained individuals who will bring what they have learned to their larger communities. Hydroxatone NewGround will generate new Muslim-Jewish community-building leaders, with the expectation that alumni will act as trainers/facilitators for groups in coming years.
The Elephant(s) in the Room – The purpose of NewGround is to create an effective model for Muslim-Jewish interaction that neither ignores nor becomes hostage to the ever-shifting realities in the Middle East. NewGround will create innovative ways to approach the challenges in the Middle East, while acknowledging that each community maintains a diversity of perspectives and level of concern for these issues. The goal is to train Muslims and Jews to engage in open and frank dialogue on these issues with the goal of mutual understanding, not political conversion. To this end, NewGround will seek to share the astounding work of grassroots efforts in the Middle East that serve to foster mutual understanding and coexistence.
Benfits of ethnic groups working together in America
United we stand, divided we fall – these are only a few words but very powerful. They govern the benefits of people working together as one in order to achieve their goals and foster unity in a nation. America can be categorized as a diverse country. This is due to the fact that it has so many different people from different parts of the world residing in it. There are many immigrants and minority groups that reside there. All these people working together with the natives of America will only yield to peace and understanding. Since America has several ethnic groups, there is every reason for them to work together. Ethnic groups working together as a community have a lot of advantages and benefits to the people and the country at large. Many people have never sat down to reflect on this point.
There are many benefits of Ethnic groups working together in America. The first point on the list is that it will bring about peace and understanding between the various ethnic groups. When people work together, there is usually a sense of understanding that comes along with it. This gives them a chance to bond by working mutually and it will actually help one to understand why a certain community does what they do. It will bring people closer to one another thereby encouraging friendship between one another. A good example of two ethnic communities that have portrayed this humane gesture are the Jews and the Muslims of America. They saw that there is every need to come together in order to stop any kind of misunderstanding that was there between them. They have organized groups that have helped in preaching peace between them and this has actually worked very well.
The other advantage of ethnic groups working together in America is unity. This is based on the saying that unity is strength. If ethnic groups start working together, they will forever be united. All the conflicts that arise from the hatred of some ethnic groups will not be there. Conflicts bring about war and where there is war, there is no peace. People that are united do not have the time to start conflicting, they will only be focusing on those things that will help them grow and make their society be better than it was before.
Working together helps to avoid racial discrimination or ethnic racism. This is a very bad culture that has been reduced as ethnic communities work together. It has actually made some people to realize that we are all the same and that there is no person that is greater than the other. It helps people from different backgrounds come up with different ideologies that are going to help in taking them forward. If people allow racism to take over, then America will lag behind and the peace that is there will all go down the drain.
Ways that American communities can make ethnic minority groups feel welcome
The issue of integration of ethnic minority groups in a country has become a vital topic of discussion in America. Over the past years, America has recorded a large number of different ethnic groups coming from all over the world. Most of them largely find themselves in America for a variety of reasons. There are some that go there as students, others to work and others relocate there because of the vast opportunities available. Whatever the reason is, they should all be made to feel at home. This will enable them to feel comfortable and carry on with their duties very well without feeling any pressure or oppression. There are various ways American communities can make ethnic minority groups feel welcome. Some of them are going to be discussed below.
The first way of making them feel at home is by accommodating them. How can this be done? It is very simple. Do not make them feel as if they do not belong. In most cases, a minority group usually feels inferior and tends to withdraw from the rest of the community. In case you notice such an incident, it is appropriate that you go talk to that person and make them see the fact that America is their new home. In this way they will not feel left out and they will be able to make new friends.
Giving them job opportunities by employing them will make them feel welcome. Some of these people come to America to seek employment opportunities. A good welcome that they can be given is by offering them equal opportunities as the natives. Some people have the tendency of giving the American people jobs and leaving others out because of their minority status in a country. This can be a big mistake as many people from overseas have excellent skills that can be utilized by the local market whether it be sales people for resveratrol, tradespeople for flooring Garland or IT specialists for CRM software. By ensuring that Ethnic minority groups are “given a go” in the job market this will not render them jobless and they will be able to also start their lives very well adapted to the environment.
Involving them in communal projects can also serve them well in accommodating them. Involving them in this aspect ensures that you allow them to participate in communal projects or decision making processes in the society. It will allow their voices to be heard and their opinions responded to. Some of them normally have bright ideas that might help in moving the nation to greater heights. Some of them also have the capability of being sturdy leaders and some of them have the ability of being the change that the American people deserve.
The minority groups also deserve to have equal rights. They should be able to enjoy the same rights that everybody else is enjoying and be protected the same way the other people are being protected and be served just as the other people are being served, equally. They should not be discriminated upon racially. It is inevitable that anywhere you go you might find people that are being hated upon. Hatred will not yield peace, it will only foster cold war among the minority and the majority groups.
All humans being were created equal. Though we all have different affiliations it is important that everyone is accepted in America and made to feel at home.
The many different religious faiths of the American people
America is a land for all. Get into this country and you are assured of finding someone, from the “majority” group to the “minority”. People of all races, all tribes, people from all over the world and of all faiths. When you talk of Christians you find both the catholic and the protestants, and there are also other faiths such as the Jews- Judaism, and of course the Muslims.
The human race wants peace. Most importantly, in America we need peaceful co-existence between the Americans - not only Jews and Muslims but other religious groups too, for a peaceful and prosperous America. Through the years, there has always been a cloud of tension and mistrust between the American Jews and Muslims. Thus, the New Ground project came into creation with the aim of creating a national framework that will enhance and foster peaceful co-relations, participation in productive activities and social interaction between American Muslims and Jews. Six years since its inception, the New Ground project has developed to be an independent organization receiving sponsorship from several community partners with its headquarters at the Human Relations Commission, Los Angeles UPSA.
In America today, people of different religious backgrounds and beliefs live together. The challenge lies squarely with us to work together in order to build a society based on true values such as openness, mutual respect and trust. It basically means finding suitable ways for us to live and practice our faith and beliefs and allowing other people to exercise their religious beliefs too without discrimination. Each religion emphasizes the importance of healthy relations with others through compassion, honesty and kindness of spirit.
In view of the New Ground project’s vision that aims to eradicate the current cloud of suspicion and instill honesty and partnership among Muslims and Jews, the organization embarks on its mission of equipping American Muslims and Jews with the relevant relationship skills through the creation and introduction of fellowship programs for alumni and young professionals, public events, workshops and consultations in an effort to improve the relationship and teamwork between Muslims and Jews in their day to day lives.
It is imperative to show respect and goodwill when engaging with other human beings of different beliefs and practices. The law allows freedom of worship thus we should respect other people’s beliefs and practices. Respect of other people’s religions and beliefs calculates an understanding of their beliefs and the goodwill to allow them to practice their convictions. A person should not be judged based on their religion but on the basis of their character value. In case there are disagreements between different religious factions, we should ensure it does not end up being a conflict or resulting in violence. In the quest to strengthen the relations between Muslims and Jews, the New ground project stands firm behind the values that encourage sensitivity, openness and sincerity when dealing with matters of religion. Under the fellowship program, both listening and speaking are exercised for proper discussions. No person or religion is disparaged during the conversations and acknowledging the right of others not to agree on certain religious matters. By using young, talented and influential leaders from different religions in its work, the New Ground Project strives to establish a strong, long-term platform for continued mutual relations between American Muslims and Jews. It is in respect to God’s commandment that we as part of the human race are commanded to reach out to people of different faiths and practices amongst ourselves not in an effort to convert them, but to live and share beneficial things together in love and peace for the good our society. We have plenty of important things to learn from each other in spite of our religious differences. The New Ground project promotes projects and programs that engage American Muslims and Jews together in order to come up with ways that recognize their religious differences but promote their shared values.
A Brief History of the Jewish Faith
The 20th century was a century of immigration for the Jewish people and their faith. Vast numbers of Jews fled countries such as Russia, Poland and obviously Germany. The Jewish population in the UK increased by nearly a quarter of a million in just thirty years. The 20th century has seen a massive burden placed on the faith of all Jewish people. The creation of Israel was a watershed moment in the Jewish faith and one that has not been a solution for all the followers of Judaism.
The Jewish faith has seen a great amount of change in the 20th century. The fleeing of persecution has led to strains being placed on the Jewish faith and its followers. The Jewish faith has undergone fundamental changes in its make up as it has established itself in new communities.
Today, there are three major Jewish faith movements or beliefs namely, Conservative, Reform and Orthodox ES. Many will also cite a fourth, the Reconstructionist movement though this has a smaller following than the three main movements. Orthodox and sometimes conservative Judaism are seen as more traditional beliefs whilst the Reform movement is viewed as being more liberal.
The orthodox belief is made up of several different groups and all are very similar in their beliefs. It includes the modern Orthodox movement who whilst retaining their observance of halakhah have integrated themselves into the modern society. The Orthodox movement is also made up of more ultra orthodox followers such as the Chasidim who dress more traditionally and tend to live separately within society. The differences between the groups who follow the Orthodox faith is hard for outsiders to understand. Most believe that Moses received the whole Torah from God at Mount Sinai. The whole Torah being both the written and oral Torah. They believe that the message of the Torah is complete and unchanged. Their faith believes that the word of the Torah is binding for all Jews but not for non Jews.
Reform Judaism differs in articles of faith. Reformists do not believe that the Torah was written by God nor do they believe in the following of the commandments but they do retain and observe the ethics of Judaism. Reform is the most liberal of the Jewish faith movements but it is more complicated than this and not necessarily true for all Reformist Jews.
The Conservative movement grew from tensions between followers of the Orthodox faith and the Reform movement. Similar to the beliefs of Orthodox Jews the movement accepts the principles of the halakhah but believes that the Law is flexible and can be changed to fit in with different cultures. There is usually a great deal of variation in Conservative movement synagogues but most are very traditional.
Orthodox Judaism is the only movement accepted in Israel but as in all faiths things and beliefs change or are modified. The Jewish faith has seen upheaval on a massive scale and the 20th century saw major changes in the outlook of Jews. The creation of the state of Israel as seen in the Jewish faith and beliefs again is placed in a delicate position. In which direction Israel, Judaism and its followers take in the 21st century remains to be seen but there is no faith that is perhaps more resilient to adversity.
Working together for repairing the world
America is a country with one of the highest concentrations of religious diversity and experiencing a high level of tolerance. In the territory of the United States of America you will find represented almost every religious denomination or faith group, big or small, new or old.
According to the official polls, almost 83% of Americans claim belonging to a religious denomination and around 40% declare they are regularly attending a religious service. This situation opens the gates for further evaluation of the possibilities of a long-term valuable inter-faith dialogue.
Constitutional guarantees:
The freedom of religion is guaranteed by the fundamental law. The first amendment of the US Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” As a group or as an individual, we are free to manifest our belief and to share our values with others.
Following the principle stated by J. J. Rousseau and the philosophers of the Enlightenment, “one person’s freedom ends where another persons freedom begins”. Thus, each group should use this right as a tool enabling dialogue and mutual respect.
The religious belief and trust is engraved on the bills we are operating with daily, a symbol that our richness is not only material, but also spiritual and each dollar we spend may be used for good deeds and helping those in need.
The basis for the inter-faith dialogue:
Despite the violent historical episodes of the past and, unfortunately, of the present, the religious background may constitute a proper basis for common understanding and dialogue. Each religion shares the same ideas of good and honesty, respect towards difference and human integrity.
Free will is the main element that we should take into consideration when addressing the issue of religious communality. We are born free to choose doing good deeds or not. At any moment of our lives, we are able to decide that we need to change our lives to find a new and better paradigm of understanding the world.
America as an example:
Due to its diversity and exposure to tolerance, America may turn into a good example of inter-faith dialogue. The high concentration of mixed marriages, for example, where parents maintain their faiths are revealing to the children a rich world of shared values among which mutual respect is one of the most important standards.
America can show the world that far from representing an impediment, the differences constitute a rich reservoir of ideas and inspiration for finding the best practices and solutions in order to make the world a better place for all of us, independently of the ways and languages inwhich we address our prayers. Hence, we need to fully use all the good practices existent at the level of the various religious communities existent in America nowadays.
The common language of love and kindness may be harder to learn, but once we learn it, it is almost impossible to forget.
Jews and Muslims in America working together
We have all been looking forward to that day when the Jews and Muslims in America start working together as a team. Finally, it has come to pass. America is a large country that has several ethnic groups residing in it. The Jews and the Muslims are among some of the ethnic groups that are in America. The climate of tension and the lack of trust that was there between them saw the need of them coming together to quell this tension down. It also helped in creating a healthy relationship between the Muslims and the Jews living in America. The peaceful negotiations also helped in bringing about a productive engagement and social change between the two communities.
Their mission of working together is to equip the Jews and the Muslims in America with the necessary resources, skills and the relationships that are needed in improving the Jewish-Muslim relations and the corporation of concerned issues that are shared. They widely do this through a fellowship of young people, consulting and public programming. Their interests impact many people from liberals and conservatives to organizational leaders.
The Jews and the Muslims in America working together have seen a number of productive things happen. They work together to achieve a number of things that have not been seen before in America. This humble act has seen positive changes experienced in America by helping in doing activities that bring about peace, giving back to the society and helping members of the community. They work together in a number of areas some of which we are going to see below.
The first area is in the education of communities and the public. This is whereby they go together to the universities that have escalating rhetorics on Jewish and Muslims relations. They do this by modeling the civil associations for students and offering them a paradigm. This is helpful because they take the skills learnt back to the mosques and synagogues and create opportunities for the Jews and Muslims to understand each other through teaching and dialogue.
They also work together to fight discrimination. They organize many people to attend support rallies that empower people in fighting discrimination. They also conduct outdoor teachings on the negative effects of discrimination together in a bid to make people see that all communities and ethnic groups should work together in order to promote peace and understanding.
Some Jews and Muslims come together to organize Muslim-Jewish festivals. They engage the people in universities mostly who have upcoming talent in the movie industry. They help in promoting them and also coming up with features that promote peace between them. The feature creates awareness of the need of peace between these two societies in any part of the world.
They have also involved themselves in doing a number of community projects and services together. They have built houses for the needy and helped them to meet their points of need. These are some of the ways in which the Jews and the Muslims work together to bring peace and understanding between their communities.