After nearly five years of partnership, it was time for the Jews, Muslims and Christians involved in a Contra Costa County interfaith group to gather in a fun, casual setting and break bread together. And latkes. And lasagna. And tabouleh.
So an Oct. 17 picnic was organized at the Lafayette Reservoir Recreation Area, and approximately 225 people attended.
It was the first picnic held by the interfaith group Neighbor to Neighbor, which was formed in 2011 by members of three faith communities: Temple Isaiah and the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, both in Lafayette, and the San Ramon Valley Islamic Center in San Ramon.
The grassroots group has been dedicated to eradicating stereotypes and deepening ties among the people of different faiths — through lectures, workshops, attending one another’s services and joint social justice work.
And, now, through picnicking.
It’s all about “knowing each other,” said Maram Bata of the Islamic Center. “When you know each other, it’s not ‘the other.’ People can go out of their comfort zone and know each other’s religion, social status, color and race. That’s diversity, and it would add so much to your life. When you start small, the ripple effect happens.”
The 3½-hour Saturday event included a Shabbat service, a sing-along, games, music and multifaith teachings on protecting and healing the Earth. Plus a lot of eating — as there were nearly 50 dishes contributed to a vegetarian potluck buffet.
“I think food is a fun way of connecting,” said Sabra Suharwardy of the Islamic Center. “Not everyone wants to come if there’s no food,” she added with a laugh. “And we all love [trying] foods from different cultures.”
Though the event was held under threatening skies, it offered a ray of hope for many of the attendees.
“If I didn’t have this kind of organization, I would feel hopeless about the world today,” said Rabbi Judy Shanks of Temple Isaiah. “I can only impact my neighborhood. The only hope is for small groups to get together and say, ‘We want to change the world. We want to repair the world.’ ”
Rachel Mylan, a musician from Oakland and former Temple Isaiah staff member, echoed Shanks’ sentiment about changes occurring on a neighborly level.
A picnic attendee, for example, might “see someone in the grocery store that they might not have necessarily connected with before,” she said. “Starting on a small scale may be the only way of making any amount of change.”
Terry Clark, a coordinator of Neighbor to Neighbor and a member of the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, said the foundation of the group is simple: “The Christian perspective is ‘Love thy neighbor,’ and you can’t love your neighbor unless you know your neighbor.”
Rebecca Callahan Klein of Temple Isaiah said the picnic’s attendance was nearly double what was expected.
“It achieved our goals,” she said. “And it gave people a chance to learn about different traditions … and planted the seeds of friendship.”
One of the challenges of the event was having a Shabbat service that Christians and Muslims could connect to, and trying to find songs everyone could sing together, Mylan said. For the Torah reading, Shanks, assisted by her husband, James Gracer, read in Hebrew. Lauren Gully, an associate pastor, read in English.
After that, participants lined up and filled their plates from the many choices at the potluck buffet. They were asked to sit at specific places at the picnic tables according to the first letter of their last name so they would be near a stranger.
Shanks hoped participants left “with a knowledge and respect for what Jews do on Shabbat morning. And I hope our neighbors have had real conversations with those of different faiths so they recognize them on the streets, at the soccer field and at the grocery store.”