We visit Oasis of Peace, a small village in Israel where Jews, Muslims and Christians intentionally live together and promote a message that peace is possible. “I’d like people to know that there are a lot of people in this country who are into dialogue, education, getting to know one another, trying to, trying to live together,” says Rabbi Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Jerusalem.
Author Archives: Fred Yi
Churches and Domestic Violence
“Priests generally do not talk about it. And most dioceses in the United States have no services, or very limited services, for victims of domestic violence,” says Father Charles Dahm, who is leading a campaign in Chicago to change that.
LDS Pageant
Last year was the 75th anniversary of the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant near Palmyra, New York, a lavish outdoor theatrical production of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based on the Book of Mormon.
Brent Hanson Extended Interview
The primary goal of the annual Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, New York “is to reach out to people who might be curious about what makes Mormons tick…It’s really a non-threatening way to get some connection to this religion,” says Brent Hanson, artistic director of the pageant.
Papal Trip to Brazil, Sikhs One Year Later, Artist Tobi Kahn
A conversation with Rev. Thomas Reese SJ about pope’s visit to Brazil; one-year anniversary of Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin; and Jewish artist Tobi Kahn and his spiritual “end-of-life” art.
Papal Trip to Brazil
Latin American liberation theologians, according to Rev. Thomas Reese, SJ, say the pope may not use the words liberation theology, ”but he certainly talks the talk: his concern for the poor, his desire to empower the poor to take responsibility and to be part of the community—this is very important for him. He doesn’t use the word liberation theology, but his message is very close to it.”
Sikhs One Year Later
When Sikhs began to restore their gurdwara in Oak Creek, “I saw the spirit of chardi kala, everlasting hope and optimism, in the community,” recalls activist Valarie Kaur.
Valarie Kaur Extended Interview
“In more than 100 years of living and working in this country it was the first time the Sikh community entered national attention. It was the first time we stood in the national spotlight. It took a butchering for it to happen but it was a moment when the kind of love and support that was expressed was something that made Sikhs feel like they too were seen as fellow Americans.” Watch more of our interview with Valarie Kaur, a Sikh activist and founding director of Groundswell.
Major Kamal Kalsi on Sikhs as Soldiers
“You can not have a peace without justice. So we learned to defend not only ourselves, we were taught to defend the defenseless,” says U.S. Army officer Major Kamal Kalsi. He spoke with us about the challenges of serving in the military as a Sikh.
Artist Tobi Kahn
“God moves through the artist,” says Rev. Walter Smith, president of the HeathCare Chaplaincy in New York City, and the paintings, sculpture, and installations that result are “avodah”—a single act of both work and worship.
