A Rosh Hashanah Dialogue : A Year Since 7th October 2023

A year later, we continue to renew our commitment to one another—to maintain a space for genuine interfaith dialogue, striving to understand different and conflicting perspectives, shaped by identities, our lived experiences, and the echo chambers we inhabit, while navigating the challenges of politics, extremism, and polarising narratives.

This past year has been dreadful for all of us. I feel the pain that so many on all sides are enduring. I’ve witnessed confusion, fear, and trauma across various fronts. With each dialogue, I’ve absorbed the hurt within different communities, both near and far, and there have been times I’ve found myself in despair, losing hope.

Yet, in those moments, friends like Yoni and many others have shown remarkable courage, keeping the dialogue alive, creating spaces where we can talk, clarify, and even share our confusion together. Thanks to them, I’ve been able to return to my role and purpose—preserving interfaith relationships, sustaining dialogue, and offering a safe space where we can connect through our faith, values, and opinions.

There will be a day after this war—soon, insha’Allah, G-d willing—when we must come together to heal ourselves and our communities.

With this token of friendship, we remind ourselves that what makes our interfaith relations rich is the shared understanding that we must care for family, friends, and faith—collectively, and together.

The 7th of October stands as a reminder of our vow to one another, and to our interfaith friendship. For this we must remain strong, and keep our faiths and spirit strong.

We smile not because we are complicit, ignorant or apathetic, but because we feel stronger, together.