• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom™

Enriching Women's Souls, Shattering Stereotypes

  • About Us
    • What We Do
      • Mission and Vision
        • Validation of Our Impact
      • Membership
        • Sisterhood Adult Chapters
        • Sisterhood Teen Chapters
        • Community Members
      • Annual Conference
        • 2020 7th Annual Sisterhood Conference: Together We Rise
        • 2019 6th Annual Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Conference
          • Hands-on Learning Lab Workshops- Gathering 2019
        • 2018 5th Annual Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Conference: RaiseYourVoice
        • 2017 4th Annual Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Conference: Rising Up
      • Building Bridges Trips
        • Virtual Building Bridges 2020: Civil Rights and Racial Justice Journey
        • Building Bridges Trip 2020: Tuscon, Arizona
        • Building Bridges Trip 2019: Germany and Poland
        • Building Bridges Trip 2018: The American South
        • Building Bridges Trip 2017: Azerbaijan
        • Building Bridges Trip 2016: The Balkans
      • Social Justice Action Groups
        • Immigrant Communities Action Group (ICAS)
        • Racial Justice Action Group
        • Uyghur and India Action Group
      • Tzedakah/Sadaqa Day 2020
      • Stranger/Sister Documentary Film
    • Who We Are
      • Founding Executive Director’s Letter
      • Board of Trustees 2021
      • Staff
      • Regional Coordinators
      • Position Statements
        • Israel Palestine
        • Israel’s annexation plan of the West Bank
        • Racial Injustice
        • Uyghur Statement and Fact Sheet
        • Statement on Forced Hysterectomies
        • Statement Regarding Genocidal Practices Imposed on Uyghur Women
        • Sisterhood Statement On Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene
  • Calendar
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Resources
    • Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom Membership Manual
      • Introduction
      • Guide to Starting a New Chapter
      • Co-Leader’s Guide
      • Successful Dialogues and Effective Meetings
      • Suggested Meeting Themes
      • Sharing Holidays
      • Toolkits for Special Projects
      • Guidelines for Endorsements, Media Coverage and Social Media
      • Resources
    • Rise and Respond: Guide to Responding to Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism
    • Videos & How-to Guides
      • Engaging in Difficult Conversations: Series 1
      • Spiritual Activism and Community Service: Series 2
      • Responding to Biased or Offensive Comments by: Judith Kaye Training and Consulting
    • Holidays
    • Best Practices for Meeting Members’ Needs on Zoom
      • Zoom Friendly Meeting Ideas
  • In the News
    • Awards and Recognitions
    • Press
    • Our Newsletter
    • Updates from Our Teen Chapters
  • Join Us
    • Contact Us
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Donate
  • Voluntary Dues
  • Shop
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

A letter from our Founding Executive Director

A letter from our Executive Director, Sheryl Olitzky, on changing perceptions:

In 2010 I went on a trip to Poland. I was not prepared for the impact that this trip would have on my emotions. Nor was I prepared for the enormity of the planned hate and destruction that I saw.

I left Poland knowing that I had to do my part to stop hate and negative stereotypes. It was the hate of the “other” that created the devastation of the Holocaust. The Talmud (oral law) asks, “Who is a hero?” and answers “One who makes one’s enemy into a friend.” The Rabbis communicated that it’s possible to change people’s attitudes and that it is desirable to strive to do so.  I knew I had to change attitudes.

During the summer of 2010, I co-founded the first chapter of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom® with Atiya Aftab. This group has blossomed into a real sisterhood; we share in public advocacy, participate in life cycle events and holiday celebrations, and have regular get-togethers.

As other women heard about our group, they regularly asked us to help them start a new chapter. It was clear that there was a need to take this successful model and expand it to include more women. We had proven that you could take women from two faith groups who had little, if any, contact with one another, and bring them together to create something much greater than the sum of their parts!

That is how the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom® started and it is my personal vision to build chapters of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom® with women and teenage girls throughout North  America.

Women navigate the world through relationships. The relationships that are built by bringing together Muslim and Jewish women, who share so many practices and beliefs, are life-changing and can help put an end to anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish sentiment. We influence family, friends and the general public about our strength in coming together to build bridges and fight hate, negative stereotyping and prejudice. We are changing the world, one Muslim and one Jewish woman at a time!

Sheryl Olitzky, Executive Director

Footer

About Us

  • What We Do
  • Who We Are
  • Press

Get Involved

  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Annual Conference
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Donate Now
  • Privacy Policy
  • WordPress Site Credits

© Copyright 2021 — Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom™

Virtual Benefit Celebrating Sheryl Olitzky