From Left to Right: ICLA alum Marianne Montero; ICNY intern Brennan Brink; Former Executive Presbyter Rev. Robert Foltz-Morrison; ICNY Exec. Director Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer and other faith-based advocates meet with Assembly Member Al Taylor (AD-71) for NYS Council of Churches Ecumenical Advocacy Day, March 20, 2023.

Dear Friend,

In the coming weeks, we find the confluence of Ramadan, Passover, Easter, and the Sikh celebration of Vaisakhi.  Further down in this email you will find links to iftars, seders, and other celebrations that are open to all New Yorkers, including the Muslim Sisters of Staten Island Community Iftar, the Seder in the Streets for Housing Justice, the Queens Borough President’s Vaisakhi Celebration, and much more.  We hope you will take this opportunity to share in your neighbors' sacred calendars.  For those observing Passover, you can also enrich your own family's holiday by downloading the HIAS Haggadah, which weaves the stories of today’s refugees and asylum seekers into the Passover seder, and by downloading Adamah's sustainable Passover Resources.

Last but not least, ICNY joins our Roman Catholic neighbors—and all people of good will—in offering prayers for Pope Francis's speedy recovery from bronchitis.  Wishing His Holiness a springtime of good health and personal renewal.

The Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer
ICNY Executive Director

PS:  Save the date for the 2023 James Parks Morton Interfaith Awards Gala, which will take place on Monday, June 26. We look forward to gathering with many of you in person in June, and invite you to stay tuned for more details very soon.

ICNY PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Together for a Just and Inclusive City

ICNY's Interfaith Racial Justice Coalition

Vital Update on Rikers

Interfaith Briefing with Commissioner Louis Molina

Thursday, April 20, 11:00 am, Online

Religious and civic leaders are invited to join ICNY, the New York Board of Rabbis, and the Christian Cultural Center for a briefing on the status of Rikers Island from Louis Molina, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction.  Click here or the button below to register.

Powerful Documentary

Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call

Created by a highly decorated and Emmy Winning crew, Colonel Kalsi: Beyond the Call explores the intersection of diversity and religious freedom in the US military.  The screening will be followed by Q & A with the film's subject, Dr. Kamal Kalsi.  Free admission — all are welcome!

Sponsored by: Sikh American Veterans Alliance, NYC Department of Veterans' Services, Fordham University, Interfaith Center of New York, The Sikh Coalition, NYC Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships.

Welcome Asylum Seekers!

Spiritual and Practical Sanctuary for Migrant Families

As fellows in ICNY's Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy, Rev. Lauren Ahava Jacobs and Rev. Shokuchi Deirdre Carrigan are creating Welcome Home baskets for asylum-seeking families relocating to New York City.  The baskets will include a collection of homemaking necessities, along with multifaith, multicultural welcome messages.

They need your help to welcome the newest New Yorkers!  Click here to purchase supplies for asylum-seeking families from Rev. Jacobs and Rev. Carrigan's Amazon wish list.

The baskets will be assembled by the Interfaith Civic Leadership Academy, and distributed to families by Ruth's Refuge.  Together we will uplift the inherent dignity of these migrant families, and let them know that they can feel safe, comfortable, and welcome in their new home.

NYC Needs Your House of Worship

Since last summer, over 44,000 asylum seekers have arrived on their own or been transported to New York City without regard for their wellbeing. Hundreds continue to arrive each week. The NYC shelter system, hotels and alternative housing sites have been overwhelmed as asylum seekers try to find safe shelter while awaiting immigration court proceedings. While most are single men, single women and families with children are also arriving. Many of these fellow global citizens in crisis have fled unimaginable conditions in their country of origin and then experienced an arduous journey on their way to New York City.

The city has been providing hotels, homeless shelters, and other mass care spaces as housing on a temporary basis. We are proposing to fund congregations, of any faith tradition, to provide temporary small group shelter housing to single adult male and female asylees. The program would provide shelter for the next 12-24 months while all of us continue to call on the state and Federal government to help address this need for more permanent housing.

We are seeking houses of worship in all faith traditions that can meet the practical requirements outlined in the flyer above.  In exchange for your hospitality, congregations will be paid a monthly fee -- to cover all required operating expenses related to meeting each asylees' basic human needs and to offset space use costs.

Click here or the button below if your house of worship can help.

SPRING HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

This is a month of multifaith celebration, with Ramadan, Passover, Easter, Vaisakhi, and other religious holidays.  ICNY is glad to share upcoming holiday events that are open to all New Yorkers.  Click the links for more details:

Ramadan Iftar Dinners:

Muslim Sisters of Staten Island Community Iftar, Wednesday, April 5, 6:30 pm, at Port Richmond High School, 85 Saint Joseph’s Avenue, Staten Island

Arab American Federation Community Iftar, Thursday, April 6, 6:30 pm, at Leif Ericson Park, 5th Avenue and 67th Street, Brooklyn

Muslim Democratic Club of New York Iftar, Tuesday, April 11, 6:00 pm, at Farida Central Asian Cuisine and Grill, 32 Cedar Street, Manhattan  (ticket purchase required)

LGBTQ+ Community Iftar, Wednesday, April 12, 6:00 pm, at the Lesbian & Gay Community Services Center, 208 West 13 Street, Manhattan

Bronx Borough President’s Annual Iftar, Thursday, April 13, 6:00 pm, in the Rotunda of Veterans Memorial Hall at Bronx Borough Hall, 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx

Iftar on the Go, various dates and locations.  7,500 free halal meals will be available at grab-to-go sites across the five boroughs – sponsored by the Office of NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, Islamic Relief USA, and a wide range of community organizations, elected officials, and hunger relief organizations.

Passover Seders:

Seder in the Streets for Housing Justice, Monday, April 3, 6:00 pm, at Tompkins Square Park, East 10th Street, Manhattan.  Sponsored by Tirdof: New York Jewish Clergy for Justice, Jews For Racial and Economic Justice, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

Freedom Feast: Lab/Shul's Multifaith Liberation Seder, Wednesday, April 5, 5:30 pm, at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, Manhattan (ticket purchase required)

Click here for a list of many more community seders, compiled by UJA-Federation.

Easter Celebrations:

Easter Brunch at Riverside Church, Sunday, April 9, immediately following the 10:45 am worship service, 490 Riverside Drive, Manhattan  (ticket purchase required)

Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival, Sunday, April 9, 10:00 am, on Fifth Avenue from 49th Street to 57th Street, Manhattan

Easter Egg Hunt at Trinity Church Wall Street, Sunday, April 9, 10:00 am, Trinity Churchyard, 89 Broadway, Manhattan

Vaisakhi Celebrations:

New York City Council’s Sikh Heritage Month and Vaisakhi Celebration, Thursday, April 6, 6:00 pm, in the Council Chamber, City Hall, Broadway and Chambers Street, Manhattan

Queens Borough President’s Vaisakhi Celebration, Tuesday, April 11, 6:00 pm, at Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens

OTHER EVENTS & ANNOUNCMENTS

Nurturing Collective Liberation

Freedom Rising Conference

Essential Training for Religious Leaders

Responding to Domestic Violence in Communities of Faith

Religious leaders, spiritual activists, and people of faith from all traditions are invited to participate in this two-day in-person training, to gain a basic understanding of the complex dynamics of intimate partner abuse, intervention strategies, and the role of the faith community in preventing domestic violence. Training will be facilitated by Rev. Dr. Sally MacNichol and Danielle Williams, M.Div, and will also explore theological, pastoral, and spiritual issues raised in responding to domestic violence. 

Training is free for participants, but space is limited.  Click here or the button below to register.

Enrich Your Practice in Mental Health or Pastoral Care

Summer Certificate Program in Spiritually Informed Psychotherapies

The Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute’s summertime continuing clinical education certificate program in Spiritually Informed Psychotherapies gives qualified professionals providing mental health or pastoral care services an opportunity to holistically inform their practices through the study of the key intersections between spiritual wisdom and psychological insight.

In a virtual seminar setting, students will consider a wide array of topics – including intimacy, family life, LGBTQIA+ issues, cultural diversity, addictions, conflict, grief, and trauma – incorporating spiritual perspectives into each area. A brief final integrative reflection paper will allow students to apply what they have learned to their own work.

This program is meant to enrich professionals’ clinical practice and deepen their understanding of how spiritual dynamics figure in holistic care. 18-CECs are available to NYSED certified LMSWs, LCSWs, LMFTs, LCATs, and LMHCs. Graduates of the summer certificate program will become PSI alumni and program affiliates.

Community Teach-In

Gavels off Our Medication Abortion

This community teach-in event will center community care and education, and how we can push back against this current attack on reproductive rights and ensure sexual and reproductive healthcare access for all. Due to a baseless lawsuit filed by anti-abortion actors, a drug called Mifepristone that is used in most medication abortions might be pulled off the market. These attacks are strictly politically motivated - Mifepristone is safe and effective, and has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it over 20 years ago.  

© 2022 The Interfaith Center of New York

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