| | Dear Friend, World Interfaith Harmony Week comes right on time this year, the first week of February. You can find the WIHW calendar of events here including one hosted by Tzu Chi at the Chan Meditation Space in NYC. As the number of Asylum seekers hoping to build lives in NYC grows, so do the opportunities to provide hospitality to new New Yorkers. In this newsletter, you will find ways to volunteer with some of the most exciting organizations providing service to migrants on the front lines of this historic moment (see below). Looking ahead, we hope you will share the application with educators in your networks across the country who want to know how to apply for our NEH Summer Institute; The Religious Worlds of New York. We also encourage you to share and participate in a new 3-part workshop series "Disarming Hate" on overcoming violence and hatred in Harlem and the Bronx as part of our Racial Justice initiative. Finally, the Interreligious Committee of the Diocese of New York's Facing Christian Anti Judaism series and the Hotline for Israel/Palestine are two opportunities listed below for New Yorkers to counter hate with education and dialogue. Sincerely, | |  | The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer ICNY Executive Director | | | | | | | | | |  | Summer Institute for K-12 Teachers Religious Worlds of New York July 2024 Applications Due March 5 In today’s climate of religious bigotry and extremism, K-12 teachers can help promote understanding across faith lines. ICNY's Religious Worlds of New York summer institute gives teachers the tools they need to build a more inclusive society. Public, private, and faith-based school teachers are invited to apply for the next Religious Worlds institute – a three-week program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, that helps teachers teach creatively and effectively about religious diversity. The institute will meet from July 8 to 26, 2024, on the campus of Union Theological Seminary. Participants receive a $2,850 stipend to help pay their travel, housing, and living expenses. Past participants describe the institute as “A tremendous experience that will enrich the teaching that takes place in classrooms across the country for decades to come.” (click here for many more evaluations) Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the religious worlds of New York! Teachers, please visit religiousworldsnyc.org to learn more and apply. Applications are due March 5. If you’re not a K-12 teacher yourself, please share this opportunity with teachers in your community – just click the following links for easy-to-share posts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. | | | | | |  | Public Safety Series Save the Date for our "Disarming Hate" Workshops and Dialogue Series Since the spike of gun violence during the pandemic, New York City has seen a slow but steady decline in murders and shootings. More so, we have witnessed more faith leaders and communities engage in gun-violence trainings, especially since our 2021 Marshall Meyer Retreat “New York Faith Communities Respond to Gun Violence.” Though we are moving in the right direction towards less gun-related crimes, we can all recognize a growing trend in hate-crimes and biases — a critical component we must address in our public safety programming. Campaigns, such as #StopAsianHate, and ICNY’s own efforts to “Covenant on behalf on the Newest New Yorkers” demonstrate the need to respond to various forms of hatred and bias embodied in xenophobia, stereotypes, and prejudice. Further, we must also recognize a growing distrust in the government and police, especially in immigrant and asylum-seeking communities. While these the government and police are always available to New Yorkers, we can supplement these outlets with additional conversations on violence interruption at smaller scales (e.g., houses of worship). This year, ICNY aims to equip faith and civic leaders with the vocabulary, methods, and advocacy tools to address harm and violence in their communities. To do so, we will host a three-part dialogue series, partnering with key cure violence organizations, violence interrupters, religious leaders and public advocates. | | | | New Expanded Options & Additional Funding: Houses of Worship & FBO Shelters for Asylum Seekers | |  |  | New York City has recently approved additional food funding and a 15-bed option for houses of worship (HOW) and faith-based organizations (FBO) seeking to partner with NYDIS to shelter asylum seekers that continue to arrive in NYC on a daily basis. - 19 Beds: These shelters are now approved for a $50,000 monthly funding which increases the food allowance. Sites are still required to have a Sprinkler System and Central Monitoring System
- 15 Beds: These shelters are now approved for a $47,500 monthly funding which increases the food allowance. Sites are not required to have a Sprinkler System or Central Monitoring System but are required to meet all other code requirements.
Our Outreach Team looks forward to working with you to determine your eligibility. As a reminder, this program provides a safe haven for migrants and asylum seekers in dire need – and represents a significant service to our community and cost savings to NYC. NYDIS will support you house of worship with training, all shelter supplies, a monthly allowance advance, and regular operational assistance onsite. | | | | | |  | Volunteer Opportunities Want to Volunteer to Help Asylum Seekers? The Interfaith Center is proud to work with so many fantastic social service organizations who provide essential goods and services to the Newest New Yorker. If you, or your community, is looking to give back to this population, consider one of the following volunteer opportunities, or visit ICNY's Volunteer Opportunity page: - Artists Athletes Activists and Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries partner together weekly (Wednesday & Thursday | 10am – 3pm) at Metro Baptist Church 41o W 40th Street, New York, NY 10018 – a safe and inclusive community for recently-arrived immigrants of all backgrounds. Be a part of this incredible aid through volunteer work – assist with in-person resource referrals and sign-ups, programming activities and games, cooking, English lessons and more. Volunteers are welcome for all or part of the day. Fluency in languages other than English is helpful, but not required. To volunteer, please contact Candice Braun at (917) 612-6782 or candice_ben@mac.com
- Afrikana, a resource center in Harlem that assists migrants through a variety of applications, is looking for volunteers Monday through Thursday between 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Located at 685 Lenox Avenue, NY, NY 10030, come with your computer and be prepared for a 2-to-4-hour shift. Sign-up to volunteer through this link: https://shorturl.at/jITU1
- St. Luke’s in the Fields Clothing Closet provides clothing, personal care items, and brown bag sandwich meals to anyone in need. Volunteers are needed every Saturday (except Church holidays/special events) from 3 – 4 P.M. at 487 Hudson Street in Laughlin Hall; Volunteers help sort, set up, and distribute donations, assemble meals, and provide a welcoming atmosphere. You can sign up to volunteer here: https://episcopalcharities.volunteerhub.com/vv2/lp/stluke/
| | | |  | B'Nai Jeshurun Refugee Shabbat Havdalah: An Interfaith Gathering of Support February 3rd, 6:00-8:00 P.M SPSA, 263 West 86th Street Join your neighbors for Refugee Shabbat Havdalah. Alongside interfaith partners and the Synagogue Coalition on Refugee and Immigration Crisis, participants will hear from elected officials and insightful speakers, including NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and HIAS NY’s Vice President of Community Engagement, Merrill Zack. Look forward to diving into some learning, prayer, and collective action as we unite in support of those seeking refuge.
This event is part of HIAS’ annual Refugee Shabbat—an initiative inviting members of Jewish and other faith communities to express solidarity and support for refugees, asylum seekers, and anyone who has been forcibly displaced from their home country, and an opportunity to step back, reflect, and celebrate the work we have already done. | | | | | | OTHER EVENTS & ANNOUNCMENTS | |  | Tzu Chi Center 2024 Interfaith Harmony Week February 2nd, 3:00-6:30 P.M 229 E 60th St New York, NY 10022 The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform – one week in a year – when interfaith and other groups of goodwill show the world what a powerful movement they are. On February 2nd, during the World Interfaith Harmony Week, the presenters invite you to contribute to an intergenerational conversation and share experiences, knowledge and values founded on your faith tradition that fosters mutual respect, understanding, and collaboration. “Collaboration” in this context is a call to action. We believe your unique perspective and expertise will greatly contribute to the meaningful exchange of ideas and experiences, bringing new perspectives and understandings to the day’s issues. The event will begin at 3:00pm at the Tzu Chi Center for a 60–90 minute conversation with the other participants and interaction with the audience. We hope you will stay longer for tea and meditation at Chan Space, and back to the Tzu Center for a final gathering, with light food and prayers. Tzu Chi Center and Chan Space are located on the same block on East 60th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Click the button below to learn more. | | | |  | Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church CONNECT Brooklyn Interfaith Clergy Breakfast February 19th, 10:00 A.M Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church 230 Decatur Street Brooklyn, NY 11233 Join us for a morning of dialogue and theological reflection as we explore the pivotal role that faith communities play in preventing and addressing domestic violence. We will gather to share stories, experiences and resources that will support our collective effort in building safe families and safe communities. We encourage clergy to bring a leader from your congregation that assists in ongoing efforts to prevent and address domestic violence.
Space is limited! RSVP TODAY!
Breakfast will be provided.
ALL FAITH LEADERS ARE WELCOME! Click the button below to RSVP. | | | |  | Interreligious Commission of the Diocese of New York A Series of Five Educational Forums on Facing Christian Anti-Judaism January 18th, February 15th, March 14th & 21st, April 18th 7:00-8:30 P.M Zoom Forum Session 2: Thursday February 15th, 2024
The Lectionary Orientation to the creation, structure, and intentions of the current lectionary. Moving from the theoretical to the practical — discussion of a specific problematic lection, conducted interactively. Session 3: Thursday March 14, 2024
Sacred Music and Hymnody This session will focus on sacred music that directly or indirectly implies or advances anti-Judaism and supersessionism. The music we sing in our liturgies, whether hymns or anthems form us and are a reflection of our theology. However, poetry is not always as clear cut and sometimes affords us room for broader interpretation. Sometimes it does not. Session 4: Thursday March 21, 2024
Preaching: John’s Passion Gospel The impact of standard Christian preaching on Jews and Judaism. This session will include more Bible study, so please have your Bibles ready. We will focus on issues with the Gospel of John’s Passion Narrative, which we hear on Good Friday every year. Session 5: Thursday April 18, 2024
A Peace Proposal for Jews and Christians Dr. Charry is working on a new book — a peace proposal for Jews and Christians. She will introduce us to the themes of the book and her hopes in writing it. Click the button below to register. These forums are free of charge. | | | |  | Volunteer Opportunity/Educational Resource The Hotline for Israel/Palestine The Hotline for Israel/Palestine is recruiting volunteers to answer questions, research content for our newsletter, and help with communications and fundraising. We also welcome inquiries from individuals looking to utilize and share our service in their communities, and/or interested in consulting on best practices for conversations across difference. The Hotline for Israel/Palestine, a project of the Institute for Multipartisan Education, is an educational initiative dedicated to transparent, multi-partisan, and dialogue-focused engagement with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe that lack of information and preconceived notions are barriers to nuanced conversations — barriers that can lead to hate on all sides — and that education and dialogue are the best ways to counter that hate. However, it’s often hard to know where to start. Through our texting hotline service and educational resources, we teach people how to educate themselves by answering questions, providing resources from many perspectives, and helping people develop their own informed and nuanced positions. With volunteers from different religious, political, and national backgrounds, we have already answered over 300 questions. Each volunteer is trained in dialogue skills, as well as in how to provide a range of resources from multiple perspectives, to help people come to their own conclusions. We also put out a biweekly digest called Perspectives, which you can see archived here, and list FAQs on the website. You can learn more about it on our press page, and on social media @hotlineforip. If you are interested in getting involved, please fill out this form, click the button below or email info@hotlineforip.com. | | | | The Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) works to overcome prejudice, violence, and misunderstanding by activating the power of the city's grassroots religious and civic leaders and their communities. | | | | | | | | © 2022 The Interfaith Center of New York | | | | | | | | | |
