Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

The last nine months have been an exercise in endurance. Aside from great waves of antisemitism, most Jews have also struggled with feelings of alienation from longstanding allies—particularly in interfaith spaces.

That’s why I found an event I attended yesterday evening so nourishing. Held at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Conversations & Cuisine: An Interfaith Community Dinner convened about 100 people from eight world religions* for cross-cultural dialogue. I was joined there by ten other members of the Jewish community; and, I am especially shepping naches since one of the core planners, Rev. Melanie Slane, is a former Cohen Family Leaders in Light Fellow.

Broken up into various tables, we all enjoyed a communal meal (including food that all participants, even those who adhere to kashrut, could eat**). Our task was to discuss the many ways food enters into our religious traditions. Even in the cases where I heard that Israel/Palestine seems to have come up, I’m delighted to report that conversations were civil and meaningful.

If you’ve chatted with me over the last nine months about interfaith dialogue, you’re probably aware that I’ve come to believe that we’ve too often missed the mark in the past. Particularly, I’ve groused that our interfaith spaces have focused too frequently on “feel-good” programs, at the expense of having the tough-but-deep discourse that’d have better prepared us for a post-10/7 world.

For me, last night was a reminder that we can—and must—do both. While we do need to be more courageous about having the challenging conversations we’ve historically avoided, we also need to take time to come together for moments of shared joy. Our relationships may be thin if we always avoid the difficult topics…but we won’t have any relationships upon which to build if we don’t take the time to simply come together with care.

As we began to conclude the evening, while enjoying dessert, attendees offered toasts. As Rev. Slane noted to me—encouraging me to share some words myself—the goal was to focus on the “sweetness of shared life.” Listening to the beautiful words shared by others (including another Cohen Family Leaders in Light Fellow, Aasees Kaur), I opted not to speak and instead to practice tzimtzum—to create space for others’ voices. However, I’ll share here a version of what I would have toasted:

As I’m sure most of you know, in Hebrew the word for life is hayyim. It’s a plural tantum—a noun which only exists in the plural form. At the risk of sounding too midrashic, perhaps that’s because good life is only lived in the plural, rather than the singular. Whether we are nourishing our bodies or our souls, we most obtain the nourishment we need to live when we are together. So here’s to more opportunities for interfaith dialogue, conversations both tough and easy, and—God-willing—lots of reason to join in celebration.

*If you’re curious: Bahá’ís, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians all were present.
**Again, if curious: The food was catered by Shaan Indian Cuisine, Milya Café, and Café Alma. All leftovers were donated to a free community meal at Lotus Temple in Pleasant Ridge.