Building community

“We are your neighbors,” from left Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, Jewish Theological Seminary; Sandra Montes, Union Theological Seminary; Abigail Asgaralli, Union Theological Seminary; Ian Rottenberg, Columbia University Office of Religious Life; The Rev’d Chloe Breyer, Interfaith Center of New York; and, Henry Goldschmidt, Interfaith Center of New York Photo: Interfaith Center of New York

[Episcopal News Service] The final weeks of the spring semester at Columbia University were disrupted by Pro-Palestinian protests and tense negotiations between university administrators and student leaders. The clashes, which involved law enforcement clearing an on-campus encampment, caused the university to cancel its main graduation ceremony.

The crisis divided the Columbia community and eventually led to the August resignation of President Minouche Shafik.

To begin the 2024-25 academic year and welcome back students and seminarians, leaders from the religious and academic institutions in Columbia’s Morningside Heights neighborhood, which includes the Jewish Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary, decided to host an hourlong, agenda-free event, aimed at highlighting the community’s beautiful and diverse faith traditions.

Over 100 people attended the September 16 interfaith service held at the Interchurch Center, aka, “the God Box.” It was a “chance for people to get to know each other, listen to music and break down the animosity that existed at the end of last [school] year,” The Rev’d Chloe Breyer, an Episcopal priest and executive director of the Interfaith Center of New York, told Episcopal News Service. It was organized “in the hopes that this year, we can set off on a little bit firmer footing.”

“There isn’t an agenda besides sacred music from Islam, Christianity, Judaism, halal and kosher food,” she added.

Ari Slomka, a senior attending both Columbia University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, learned of the event from a flyer posted near Riverside Park. Slomka said he has been searching for a place to have dialogue, especially with people who share a different belief. But the polarization on campus made it “really hard to find anyone to talk to.”

During the service, Slomka who’s a conservative Jew, was seated at a table where he was the only non-Muslim. He also said he had a lengthy discussion about religion and spirituality with a Roman Catholic priest.

“Normally I tend to be in rooms full of Jews from different backgrounds,” Slomka told ENS, commenting on the the gathering, “This was special for me.”

The Interfaith Center, a citywide coalition of grassroots religious and civic leaders, was founded in 1997 by The Very Rev’d James Parks Morton, the late dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and a well-known interfaith and civil rights leader. Breyer has led the center since 2012 and also serves as an associate priest at St. Philip’s Church in Harlem.

Karissa Thacker, a program associate for religious life at Columbia and a divinity student at Union Theological Seminary, said the evening aimed to bring together people who share a “vision of healing” for the neighborhood.

“It’s an interfaith service, but it’s also about building community and a chance for us all to step back and to think about how we’re embarking on a new school year,” Thacker said.

Sandra Montes, an Episcopalian serving on the church’s Executive Council and dean of chapel at Union Theological Seminary, told ENS there’s a lot of desire among students to be connected in an interfaith setting. In terms of religiosity, however, Thacker added, Columbia students reflect the upward trend of those who identify as religiously unaffiliated.

Thirty minutes before the 6:00pm start, participants shared kosher and halal refreshments.

Breyer opened the service by introducing the center’s partners, including The Rev’d Frederick Davie, a Presbyterian minister who advises the president of Union Theological Seminary on racial justice and equity, social justice and community engagement.

“I’m thrilled to see many people out tonight,” said Davie. “There’s no agenda other than to show that in the midst of a fairly turbulent world, we can find time to take time out and just enjoy each other.”

Speakers and performers avoided mention of Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, the country’s response and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, or even the student protests.

Ahmed Mahmud, a Columbia engineering student, recited two Surahs from the Qur’an. “Surah Ad-Duha reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we are never alone,” he said. “Surah Ash-Sharh complements this message by emphasizing that with every hardship comes relief.”

“The first thing that Islam teaches us is to remain grounded within yourself and remain grounded in your community,” Mahmud, who was attending his first-ever interfaith event, told ENS.

Following Mahmud, the St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Harlem Choir brought a burst of energy as they rendered selections from the hymnal Lift Every Voice and Sing. Anna K. Sardar, a 2024 Union Theological Seminary graduate, read a passage from Thich Nhat Hanh’s 1967 book, Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. The late monk and activist’s work presents the Vietnamese people’s perspective on what they refer to as “the American war.”

“The war,” she read, “has destroyed not only human lives but all human values as well,”

Caitlyn Shannon, a cantorial student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, sang V’al Kulam—a song about gratitude that declares all blessings come from God—with music set by Cantor Meir Finkelstein.

As the service ended, Breyer encouraged attendees to continue to engage in conversation. Stephen Erich, a chaplain with the Seventh-day Adventist Church said, “It was rich to experience something from all traditions.”

“Students have expressed concern, outrage and fear as the terror of the last year has unfolded,” Erich, who on October 7, 2023, was leading a Bible study with students, told ENS in a follow-up email. “Religious groups (including my own) have not yet done enough to engage in the Israel-Palestine crisis. We have resources to lead this conversation if only we can find the courage.”

—Caleb Galaraga is a freelance journalist based in New York City. His work has appeared in Christianity Today, Broadview Magazine, the Times of Israel, and Rappler.