Sherrie Klein chose God as the theme for her Sunday school class this year.
The teacher at Congregation Beth Chaim in Danville posed the questions to her fifth-graders, “Who is God?” and “What does God want from us?”
Then came Sept. 11.
Klein allowed her students to talk about their reactions to the terrorist attacks. But they wanted to do more than just talk; they wanted to help.
They were too young to give blood, or donate money. But they could send their prayers.
So they wrote them and colored them, and sent them to New York.
“They were feeling really empowered,” said Klein. “I thought this was a real opportunity. These kids are just beginning to realize that they can make a big difference.”
Klein wanted to continue along that vein. So when she read that in the aftermath of the attacks hate crimes were on the rise — specifically that a Sikh man was killed in Arizona — she had an idea.
Emphasizing that she deplores the targeting of all religious and ethnic groups, Klein decided to reach out specifically to the local Sikh community. Lately, as was the case in Arizona, Sikhs have sometimes been mistaken for Muslims, or more specifically, the same sect as Osama bin Laden, who wears a turban.
Looking on the Internet, Klein found the nearest Sikh community and then placed a phone call. The man she reached was Jagrup Singh Judge, secretary of the Sikh Temple of Hayward/Guru Granth Sahib Foundation.
“I explained who I was and where I was coming from,” said Klein. She invited him and others from his community for a friendly gathering at the synagogue. “From the get-go, he was receptive to the whole idea.”
Sikhism is a 500-year-old, monotheistic religion that was founded in the Punjab state in northern India. With 27 million adherents worldwide, and around 50,000 in the Bay Area, it is considered the fifth-largest world religion.
Sikh men are recognizable for their turbans, which they wear to cover their hair. They are forbidden to cut their hair or trim their beards, acts that are considered against the law of God and nature.
Klein said that Judge was so enthusiastic about the two groups meeting that he asked whether the gathering had to be limited to the children, as he thought their parents could also benefit from such a meeting.
It is a Sikh belief that men and women of all races and religions are equal in the eyes of God.
The meeting took place a few weeks ago, with a brunch. Beth Chaim parents prepared only vegetarian dishes for their Sikh guests.
The Sikhs came in their traditional dress, and had prepared a presentation about their religion.
The kids worked together on an art project that was conceived by Beth Chaim congregant and quilt artist Cori Rosman.
“I wanted something that had hands and hearts together,” she said, adding that hands are good for children, because they can trace their own and decorate them.
The kids were divided up at the different tables, and paper hearts were split into two halves. The children wrote their wishes to repair the world on the two halves, and then pieced them together.
The hearts and hands were mounted on top of each other, onto watercolored paper.
Klein said the entire religious school seemed excited by the meeting. “A lot of parents who dropped their older kids off stuck their heads in to see what was going on.
“The reaction has been so positive, all of them said how wonderful it is, and that they want to be involved in something like that.”
That leaves Klein wondering what the next step will be.
“This friendship between two small groups could certainly turn into something much bigger,” she said. “We can bring in the wider community, and that’s what it’s about, meeting people face to face. You realize you’re more similar than different.”
While Judge said he had not met with Jews before, he found some similarities between the two faiths. “Both believe in one God, and neither religion tries to convert anyone. If people want to convert, it’s fine, but we don’t proselytize.”
Judge said members of his Sikh temple, which is called a Gurdwara, are now eager for the Beth Chaim children to come visit their house of worship.
Shelby Margolin, a Beth Chaim fifth-grader, is eagerly looking forward to that visit.
She said that the steel bracelets Sikh men wear have a similar function to the kippah that covers a Jewish man’s head.
“Their bracelet is like our kippah because it’s a symbol of God, that they’re respecting him.”
Shelby said she looks forward to meeting her new Sikh friends again.
“They have a very different accent, but in their hearts they’re very much the same.”