Creating Peace, One Meal At A Time
Although They Rarely Agree, Muslim And Jewish Students At Yale University Foster A Sense Of Understanding, Civility
By ADRIAN BRUNE, September 28 2006

Especially during the holy month of Ramadan, a time in which Muslims re-evaluate their lives in the light of Islamic guidance, people of all beliefs can join in a nightly Iftar, over adukku roti and fattoush.

Similarly, at their annual Passover Seder, Jews have a saying before feasting on matzah and noodle kugel: "Let all who are hungry come and eat."

In the wake of the most recent Israeli-Lebanese conflict and the many others before, these traditions have been more difficult to embrace.

Not so at Yale's Kosher Kitchen in the Joseph C. Slifka Center for Jewish Life, where on a recent Wednesday night Jason Blau, wearing a yarmulke and seated next to a turban-clad Altaf Saadi, munched on spaghetti while chatting about classes and affairs of the day.

"We aren't out to try to save the world or hammer out a Geneva accord here," he said. "We are just here to share, learn and create an atmosphere on campus of mutual camaraderie."

A natural result of two cultures that share similar dietary restrictions, as well as a concerted effort to improve Muslim-Jewish relations in the 9/11 aftermath, nearly every night several dozen students of both faiths sit down together and break bread, even if it symbolizes nothing more than helping friends absorb some extra red sauce.

The group, known as Jewish And Muslims, or JAM, also gathers once a week in a Kosher Kitchen corner to hash out the headlines and attempt to become familiar with each other's culture.

So far, by the judgment of both parties, the endeavor has worked. The same night Blau and Saadi sat side-by-side at the Kosher Kitchen - JAM's first dinner of the year - several Muslim and Jewish underclassmen and even a graduate student rose to express their gratitude not only for the space but also the group.

"When there's weird stuff going on in the world and on campus, it's one of those places we can come and diffuse tensions," said Rebekah Emanuel, a senior who just returned from a year in Uganda and Israel. "It's changed my religious perspective."

The coexistence of Jews and Muslims wasn't always this rosy at Yale.

In the days following 9/11, the sentiments of students of both faiths and cultures largely reflected the world outside academia: brash consternation on campus over the cause and effect of the attacks; advocacy groups on both sides talking past each other; a sense of betrayal among people from the two cultures who had actually struck up friendships.

"From what I understand, it got so bad that it would be really tough to even talk to someone who was a Jew or a Muslim if you were the other," Blau said.

Two freshmen that year, a Jew and a Muslim thrown together in the same dorm room, wanted to remedy the situation.

Finding striking similarities between the two religions - in beliefs, principles and, for practical purposes, eating restrictions - Josh Bender and Aatif Iqbal decided not only to dine together regularly but also to reach out to their Jewish and Muslim friends for an occasional meal. JAM became the result.

Although JAM initially avoided politics, it has since moved into the realm of current events with monthly discussions in the corner of the Kosher Kitchen and even regular outings designed to expand participants' horizons.

"For more than a year, JAM's regular discussions were focused on questions of faith and religion, but since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a real and unavoidable issue for many Jews and Muslims, the JAM leaders felt the need to offer a forum for sincere discussion on the matter," said Arafat Razzaque, an early member who graduated last spring but frequently returns to the dinners. Despite the best intentions, as diplomats from Israel and Islamist countries have discovered, things don't always go smoothly.

"I cannot think of any incident in which the parties had to walk away" from a discussion, " Razzaque said, although Blau said the group held a heated discussion last year about Israeli-Palestinian relations. "It was tough for me to look people in the face who said, `I just don't believe Israel should exist,'" he said.

One sticking point came last year, when JAM took an excursion outside the Kosher Kitchen to see "Paradise Now," the controversial film about two Palestinian friends who split in action and ideology after their suicide mission becomes perilous at the Tel Aviv border. "We had a lot of Jews who were abhorred by the movie; they wanted their money back," said Blau. "But it was good for everyone to hear how and why it touched off such a nerve."

Saadi concurred.

"Some were angry a movie would be sympathetic to suicide bombers; others were thankful to see the side of the argument finally represented," she said. "But it was a great experience at the end for everyone and, as always, thought provoking."

But has the Kosher Kitchen and JAM generally changed centuries-old divides, often taught in the various classes these diverse students attend?

"Not all discussions end in agreement (most don't)," Razzaque answered in an e-mail. "But not all discussions have two sides, either.

"Everyone realizes the complexities at hand. One of the biggest realizations that many JAM members have come to is, for example, that the Israel-Palestine question has little to do with the Jewish and Muslim religious traditions themselves and is more of a modern political development."

Both Kosher Kitchen and JAM look as if they will become permanent institutions at Yale, despite the frenetic pace of university life.

"You have to swim pretty fast just to stay in place," Blau said. The nature of JAM, he added, is to form bonds among participants, which requires serious recruiting and diverse activities and outlets, such as a potential women's group.

"That said, we are probably the only group at Yale that isn't looking to expand in some massive way," he added. "We aren't trying to start other JAM chapters; we aren't trying to push a political agenda; we aren't trying to change the world. Certainly we wouldn't be able to agree on how we wanted to change it.

"We are just doing the best we can to get as much out of the experience as we can. I think it's safe to say for everyone, it's a healthy dose of self-reflection. And that's never a bad thing."