The Israel-Hamas war has sparked protests and renewed fears of bigoted attacks against Jews and Muslims.
Rabbi David Fine and Imam Mahmoud Hamza say it’s important for Jewish and Islamic communities in New Jersey to engage in dialogue about sensitive subjects, even if it leads to disagreements, maybe especially if it leads to disagreement. And they’re hoping to unite Jewish people and Muslims.
Fine and Hamza, who live a block apart in Ridgewood, have been friends for 15 years.
“We are fortunate to call the United States our home where we live in peace, safety and freedom amongst our diverse faiths, ethnicities and viewpoints,” said Fine of Temple Israel.
“We built a relationship. … We’re brothers and sisters. We care about each other. We have the same dreams,” said Hamza of the Muslim Society of Ridgewood.
“There are many significant things that we don’t agree on, but we agree that we pray for peace and we agree that we are friends, that we’re not fighting with each other,” Fine said.
Added Hamza, “While we may disagree on political and other issues, we are all bound by a common decency as neighbors and as Americans.”
Ridgewood has avoided large-scale antisemitism and Islamophobia. Fine and Hamza hope to keep it that way.
