IMAM SHAMSUL AREFIN WILL SPEAK ON THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN JEWS AND MUSLIMS AT THE DEDICATION OF A NEW JEWISH AND MUSLIM SACRED SPACE AT BARD COLLEGE March 13 event will feature a dedication ceremony and music and foods from both Muslim and Jewish cultures
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-On Wednesday, March 13, at 7:00 p.m., there will be a dedication of a new Jewish and Muslim sacred space at Bard College. This is located in the southwest basement of Village Dorm A. The event is free and open to the public.
The inaugural address, "Connections Between Jews and Muslims," will be given by Imam Shamsul Arefin of the Ideal Islamic School in Brooklyn. The dedication ceremonies, led by Bard Chaplaincy members Imam Salahuddin Muhammad and Rabbi Natan Margalit, will include readings from the Koran and the ceremonial placing of the Torah scroll in the Ark, as well as placing a mezzuzah (a parchment with scriptural texts) on the doorpost. In addition, the celebration will feature foods and music from both Muslim and Jewish cultures.
Rabbi Margalit says that this new area will serve many purposes--as a place for meetings, meditation, and counseling--as well as being a sacred space for prayer and holiday celebrations for both Muslim and Jewish students.
For further information about the program on March 13, call Rabbi Margalit at 845-758-7544 or e-mail [email protected].
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