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Pittsburgh Chapter: September 2018

August 28, 2018 by admin

Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Pittsburgh Chapter
Aniya Akhtar and Simone Rothstein

As young Muslim and Jewish girls, religion never really came up within our friendship. As we got older, however, and started to consider our identity more, we began discussing our cultures, traditions, and ideologies with each other. It became apparent to us that we had more in common then we realized.

On our annual school trip we both felt excluded at the campfire night, since neither of us could participate in the camaraderie of making (un-kosher and non-halal) s’mores with our classmates. Our friendship is based off this bond that started to form when we recognized our many shared experiences. As we moved onto the same high school together, and we had to introduce ourselves, and explain our religions to a whole new group of people, we felt secure in the knowledge that the two of us would always listen and understand each other.

In high school, we entered a divisive political climate, and as our communities became increasingly attacked we knew we had to do something. We needed and wanted to create a change not only in Pittsburgh, but also have a positive influence on the world. We started to discuss the idea of creating a program for Muslim and Jewish teens,  where we could  share our stories, and realize the similarities between our two religions.

We wanted to take action, so when we heard of Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom we knew we had to reach out. When they told us that they wanted us and a few other girls to launch the teen branch of Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, in the US, we were ecstatic because their ideals of bringing together two marginalized groups to create more unity was exactly the type of action we wanted to take. Having our first meeting, and being able to bring together a group of Muslim and Jewish young women was an empowering experience for all of us, and being able to talk with all the new teen leaders across the nation, just added to the excitement. As a Pittsburgh chapter we are ready to volunteer in many different communities, have meaningful discussions about Islam and Judaism, and make a lasting difference.

 

Filed Under: Teen Chapter Updates

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Abe Film Screening and Director's Talkback on January 17, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 pm EST

You’re invited to watch the recently released film, Abe, and participate in a Zoom panel discussion with film director, Fernando Grostein Andrade, and Palestinian/American screenwriters and film producers. The story focuses on twelve-year old Abe (Avraham/Ibrahim), the child of a Jewish mother and Muslim father (Israeli and Palestinian background).  Abe is torn by his family’s fighting over cultural and political issues during every family meal. Follow Abe as he goes on a culinary journey to find himself and familial peace, using food to bring all sides of his family together. For more detailed information, please read this press kit.

We’ll provide you with a link to watch the film ahead of time (please watch prior to January 14th). Then, join us on January 17th for a live Zoom event where you’ll have the opportunity to learn from Abe’s director, producers, screenwriters and meet other women from across the Sisterhood. Once you register on Eventbrite, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to view the film and a Zoom link for Sunday Jan. 17th’s live event.

Click here to register!

Town Hall Facebook Live With One of The Sisterhood's Greatest Supporters inThe U.S. Senate!
Cofounders, Sheryl Olitzky and Atiya Aftab, in dialogue with Senator Cory Booker as we focus on the issues facing us as Muslim and Jewish women in this challenging time in our history. Click here to watch.