“We are right and you are wrong!”
That sentiment, shouted back and forth between two groups of teenagers, surely could reflect how different religions view each other.
But in this case, there is at least one Christian, Muslim and Jew in each of the opposing groups. And they came together to explore what unites them in a play called “Peace Petals,” which they will perform during Shabbat services at Oakland’s Temple Sinai on Friday, March 18.
Though the play begins with a contentious line, its young actors found that in working together, they had a whole lot more in common than they originally thought.
An administrator at the Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, Sally Juarez, brought the teens together. Juarez, who is also a seminary student, had long been interested in interfaith work. But after 9/11, her mission took on greater urgency.
“I began to think about how important it is for young people to have different models of how to get along in the world. This was a dream that came to me.”
As the director of a “drama ministry” at the church, Juarez decided to get some teenagers of different faiths together to do a play. Going around to schools, churches and synagogues recruiting teens for the project, she came up with four Muslims, three Jews and two Christians.
The project has evolved over the past few years. The teens have already performed at Montclair Presbyterian Church and the Islamic Cultural Center in downtown Oakland.
The group first got together via e-mail, in the fall of 2003. Juarez asked participants to keep a journal, also asking them guided questions to get dialogue going about certain issues.
There was a lot of disagreement, Juarez said, particularly over gay marriage — sparked by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s decision to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry — and the outcome of the presidential election. There was also quite a heated discussion about Mel Gibson’s controversial film, “The Passion of the Christ.”
“They had been discussing interfaith dialogue and why it was important, and suddenly it was real, with a lot of conflict,” she said.
When the teens finally got together face to face, they discussed their interpretation of the Abraham story. They discussed their ideal utopia. They still disagreed on many topics. But in getting to know one another, they learned how to disagree in a respectful way.
“We’ve really been able to sit down with each other and talk about controversial issues without hostility,” said Alyssa Diamond of Oakland, who is Jewish.
Elaya Jenkins-Adelberg, also Jewish and from Oakland, said: “We all believe in one God, but we have different ways of showing it.”
The play is a montage of the teens’ own words. It tackles the topic of genocide, with the teens offering statistics about the Holocaust, Rwanda, Cambodia and Armenia. They give statistics about anti-Muslim attacks in the United States post 9/11 and the number of casualties so far in the war in Iraq.
The play will be performed at Sinai on the second anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.
Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh, a Muslim from Pleasanton, said she’d been pleased to learn that the Jewish participants in the group also opposed the war in Iraq.
“There’s a lot of hatred between Jews and Muslims,” she said. “But we share so much, even our political views. I thought the Jews would be more conservative, but we agreed about the war in Iraq and about our president.”
Chris McCoy, a Christian from Alameda, said that he now knows more about the meaning of the world “jihad.” Before meeting any Muslims, McCoy only associated the word with killing people, he said.
“I learned that it can be interpreted in a number of different ways,” he said. “It can also be the inner struggle to better yourself.”
Most gratifying to Juarez was seeing the personal relationships that flourished throughout the process.
“They really got through the difficulties and have developed a caring for one another,” she said. “There’s an interest in staying connected.”
“Peace Petals” will be performed during Shabbat services, which begin 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Temple Sinai, 2808 Summit St., Oakland. Information: (510) 451-3263.