Breaking Bread and Building Bridges: A Night of Friendship and Solidarity
Reflection by: Opher Moses
On Tuesday night, March 17th, Holy Blossom warmly welcomed our friends from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI), composed primarily of Turkish Muslims, to celebrate the sacred month of Ramadan. Joining our two communities were elected officials, including the Solicitor General, Michael Kerzner; our MPP, Stephanie Smyth; and our City Councillor, Josh Matlow. We learned about each other’s cultures, listened to live beautiful Turkish music, and then broke the fast together in the spirit of solidarity and sacred friendship. The current president of the IDI, Serdar Alic, expressed his community’s total and complete condemnation of the antisemitic events that have engulfed Toronto, pledging love and support at this challenging time.
Opher Moses is one of our members who attended and represented Holy Blossom at the event. He writes the following.
“Growing up in a community with families from different faiths, some of my most cherished memories as a kid were going over to my neighbours, trying their food and being fascinated by their traditions. The ‘Ramadan Friendship Iftar Dinner’ brought back a flood of good memories from my childhood, and I am eternally grateful to the energetic Rabbinical team at Holy Blossom and The Brotherhood for making this possible.
This event could also not come at a more opportune moment, where relations between Jews and the Muslim world is being severely tested. I personally was struggling to feel optimistic about the future of our relationship based on the news lately, but this event really was a boost of optimism, real soul food. On that note, the great food and music, along with the very friendly Turkish community, are not to be missed! One of the more memorable conversations of the night was with a Turkish community member who visited Israel and the West Bank a few years ago, and hearing his perspective on how current events are unfolding also reassured me that we are not alone.
This is an event not to be missed, and I encourage members to bring their families next year, a truly heart-warming melting pot of cultures.”
Thank you, Opher! We look forward to welcoming our friends from the IDI back again next year for Ramadan. But we don’t need to wait an entire year, there will be more opportunities to gather, learn, build friendships and stand in solidarity coming up.
We are grateful to the Holy Blossom Temple Brotherhood for their generous sponsorship of the Iftar Friendship Dinner, to all of our members who attended, to the elected officials who gave of their time to join us, and to our wonderful guests for their friendship.
