Religious Clubs Hold Interfaith Dialogue
Members of the JSU, MSU, and CSU gathered in Room 155 on November 15 to talk about their faiths and exchange ideas. Photo: Jamee Rudsky
By JAMEE RUDSKY and LUKE WALSH
Midwood’s three religious clubs the Jewish Student Union, Muslim Student Union, and Christian Student Union opened up a new chapter by holding an interfaith dialogue on November 15. Principal Robert Quinlan and COSA Lawrence Kolotkin were also present.
“Many students within the [religious] groups have expressed a desire to have an interfaith meeting,” Dr. Quinlan said. “Our groups are really amazing and other schools could stand to gain from our initiative.”
“We’d be excited to bond with the different religious clubs in our school,” MSU President Rikza Fatima said.
At the meeting, each group’s designated representative spoke about what religion meant to them. “From a young age, religion has been a big aspect of my life,” Fatima said. “I wanted to share that and educate others.”
“The fact that I can help gather people who love the Jewish religion and work to expand our knowledge together is amazing,” JSU President Deborah Zeleny said.
The clubs took turns sharing what goes on during their respective weekly meetings. The students signaled a very open and welcoming attitude, making new members feel comfortable with their faith. “We read scripture, have discussions, and play games,” CSU President Kezia Lee Smith said. “We like to keep it fun and hear from everyone.”
After sharing a bit more about their various religious duties and responsibilities, they each weighed in on the similarities and differences they seemed to notice.
“We could all stand to benefit from learning more about each other's religion,” Zeleny said. “We probably have more in common than we realize.”
The groups are always looking for ways to impact their community. “We do a lot of stuff, inside and outside of school,” Fatima said, including volunteering, food drives, and fundraisers.
Dr. Quinlan proposed the idea of a joint fundraising event. A Thanksgiving or holiday food drive seemed to be a popular idea amongst the students. “Charity and sacrifice are common themes amongst most religions,” said Mr. Kolotkin, who also suggested that the groups take a trip to a significant New York City landmark that is important to their religion.
The clubs have already observed outreach from students in their most recent interfaith petition. “We received 1,300 signatures,” Fatima said. “It was beautiful seeing the comments supporting the idea of a religious community.”
The clubs are set to meet again in the near future to continue solidifying their plans. The Muslim Student Union has already scheduled a charity week, in cooperation with the Key Club, for December 12-17. “A toy drive will be held and potentially a few more community events,” Fatima said.
The meeting came to a conclusion with promising goals in mind and a positive outlook for the future. Maybe the world can take a lesson from these clubs’ example!