Three women, one in purple, smiling for a photo

November 1-3, 2019

The Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom celebrated its 6^th Annual Gathering on the first weekend of November at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The weekend started off with a community service day, Jummah prayers, and Shabbat services and dinner on Friday. Saturday was a day of creative experiences and casual get-togethers, followed by a concert and dessert reception in the evening and a full day of conference activities on Sunday. The numerous hands-on learning labs, workshops and table breakout sessions were highlights of the day, and helped connect so many Muslim and Jewish women. Seeing over 300 Muslim and Jewish women and teenage girls coming together to Rise and Respond gave us immense hope for the future.

Spoken word artist Hannah Hasan, first Latina Jewish Representative Alma Hernandez, and panelists Farah Pandith and Hannah Rosenthal shared powerful words, personal stories, and productive ways to combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Our teens spoke confidently about their own stories and their hopes and dreams of bringing about change in the future and working together as one to overcome hate.

We thank all who attended for making this weekend so special. You are helping us to change the world, one Muslim and one Jewish woman at a time.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 7th Annual Gathering!

Rokeya Akhtar, Conference Chair

This year’s gathering took place over the course of three days, starting on Friday with a day of service benefitting A Woman’s Place, a local domestic violence shelter, and First Friends, an organization serving refugees and asylum seekers, and a full day of training for our regional coordinators, followed by Shabbat services and dinner Friday evening with members of the Sisterhood and Doylestown’s many faith communities.

On Saturday, attendees had the option of attending Shabbat services and lunch, arts and music workshops, or casual get-togethers before convening on Delaware Valley University’s campus for a concert by Interfaith Music Project and a dessert reception.

On Sunday, over 300 Muslim and Jewish women and teenage girls gathered at Delaware Valley University. The morning kicked off with keynote presentations by Alma Hernandez, of the Arizona House of Representatives, who shared the inspiring story of her childhood and journey into politics, and Hannah Hasan, powerful spoken word artist and poet.

Women chose from a dynamic list of workshops that included authors, interfaith leaders, artists, and academics, and spent several hours in small groups discussing issues of great importance to both the Muslim and Jewish communities. During this time, our teens created artwork that represents their connection to the Sisterhood and to each other. In the afternoon, panelists Farah Pandith and Hannah Rosenthal joined us for an honest discussion about their time as special representatives combating Islamophobia and anti-Semitism under the first Obama administration and their role as leaders and friends.

Teen leaders from Pittsburgh, Providence, and Princeton spoke of their experiences as religious minority teens and what the Sisterhood means to them, and we debuted a mini-documentary film featuring our teen chapters and their commitment to social justice.

In all, it was a day of learning, of coming together, and of reaffirming our commitment to the Sisterhood and to each other. We can’t wait for you to join us at our 2020 gathering!