The goal of the event was to emphasize the important role young people play in Jewish-Muslim dialogue, discuss the disruptive nature of social media as a tool to fuel tensions amongst the youths, and examine the role of religion in combating antisemitism. The LIVE moderated by Lika Torikashvili brought together Jewish and Muslim religious leaders and peace activists.
Together with Ramiz Bakhtiar, Former Youth Delegate of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Randall Friend, Jewish Communal Professional, WJC, Diplomatic Corps, Imam Abdullah Antepli, professor at Duke University, Rabbi Michael Cohen, professor at Bennington College, and the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Torikashvili discussed how peace can become a reality, and what young people are doing to localize peace efforts.
The conversation started around anti-semitism and combating hate. Imam Abdullah, who is a Senior Fellow on Jewish - Muslim relations at Shalom Hartman Institute, shared his journey from being an outspoken anti-semite to realizing the true message of Islam and taking “poison out of his system.” At present, Imam is a leader of cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue in American higher education and in the nonprofit world.
“I am really grateful that I recovered, I am grateful that the love of God did not allow me to live with that rage and with that poison, and put me on a journey that enabled me to take that poison out of my system.”
- Imam Abdullah.
Rabbi Michael Cohen gave the analysis of positive and negative peace, John Galtung’s approach to conflict resolution, and the importance of controlling the misuse of religion and “bad faith messages,” which can become extremely dangerous when young people are a part of the conversation. Rabbi currently teaches conflict resolution, and biblical classes, along with extensive writing on the impact of environmental issues on the Middle East peace process.
Randall Fried joined the conversation in his capacity as a Jewish Communal Professional, and Jewish and Holocaust history educator. He was a part of the delegation of the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps (JDCorps) that visited the United Arab Emirates, meeting with future Emirati diplomats, government representatives, think tanks, and faith communities. When asked about the Jewish-Muslim dialogue Randy shared that “the first step is to try to find those people that are willing to stand up or at least engage in a conversation.”
“This is a second Jewish-Muslim Peace Talk, organized as a response to the August 2022 Gaza-Israel Clashes. The idea to organize these talks came after the outbreak of violence, in May 2021, when the Israel-Palestine Crisis escalated. I saw severe tensions between Jewish and Muslim students, hatred on social media, and polarization which led to even more violence between young people. I wanted to do something about it, send a message of peace. Because that is what religions teach us, peace, love, and compassion. I wanted to explore the possibility of peace, even though my peers are skeptical about this idea and believe that peace is not possible in the near future. My response to this war is to bring religious leaders together, and discuss the Jewish-Muslim peace, through interfaith dialogue.”
- Lika Torikashvili
Lika Torikashvili, who is also the founder of the international youth activist organization Paint the World, launched the Network of Former Youth Delegates to the United Nations with Ramiz Bakhtiar, a fellow UN Youth Delegate from Afghanistan. This Network is a rare example of interfaith dialogue in action: it has been initiated and is led by Lika Torikashvili and Ramiz Bakhtiar, who are ethnically Jewish and Muslim.
About the speaker: Abdullah Antepli is an associate professor of the Practice of Interfaith Relations at Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. He is a leader of cross-religious and cross-cultural dialogue in American higher education and in the non-profit world. He has built multiple organizations and initiatives to facilitate religious and spiritual life across America’s college campuses, sowing seeds of understanding between religions while upholding their cultural integrity and dignity.
About the speaker: Michael Cohen is a visiting faculty member at Bennington College’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action, as well as a faculty member at The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies in Kibbutz Ketura, Israel. Since 2000, he has divided his time between Vermont and Kibbutz Ketura, Israel, teaching classes on Conflict Resolution and different aspects of Biblical Studies. Rabbi Michael is a longtime environmental activist and has written extensively on the impact of ecological issues on the Middle East peace process.
About the speaker: Randy Fried is a Jewish Communal Professional based in Los Angeles. Randy is the Director of Philanthropic Engagement & Communication at Tzedek America. For the past twenty years, Randy has also been engaged in Jewish education as an educator for teens and adults, working for a number of the most notable synagogues in Los Angeles. Specifically spending the past 13 years teaching Holocaust history and the Jewish history of Poland. Through Randy's communal work, he has also become involved in local politics and community outreach. He is currently an elected official in the City of Los Angeles and has advocated for both communal and Jewish interests at the City and State level.
A WJC Cadet organizes for peace: Jewish-Muslim interfaith dialogue
Meet the Invited Speakers
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Randy Fried
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Abdullah Antepli
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Michael Cohen