Below is the October 2007 ALEPH News Service. We hope you run one or more of the following articles and look forward to hearing from you if you do. This release contains:

1.      ALEPH Participates in Fast for Peace on October 8
2.      ALEPH Participates in Strategic Visioning with The Shalom Center’s Green Menorah Covenant       
        on October 23

Let me know if you have any questions!
Deb Kolodny
DebraRuth@mac.com
301-565-0719
www.aleph.org
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ALEPH Participates Fast for Peace on October 8

On Monday, October 8, Jews, Muslims and Christians around the USA affirmed their support for peace and broke fast together after a day of abstaining from food in the name of justice.

ALEPH leaders and communities participated in several of these events, helping raise awareness of religious support for ending the war in Iraq, building bridges across faith communities, and sharing the holy celebration of Ramadan with our Muslim brothers and sisters.

In Florida, ALEPH’s Pnai Or Gainesville affiliate joined with local Christian and Muslim communities in an event entitled, “Pitching our Tents Together,” to share the gifts of fasting, prayer, and then a meal as a means of transformation and empowerment for peace.

Maryland affiliated community Am Kolel co-sponsored a discussion with the Interfaith Committee of the DC Friend’s Meeting House, helping raise awareness of how the core religious teachings of the Abrahamic faiths have been manipulated to support war and imperialistic interests. Am Kolel’s rabbi and Ohalah’s President, Rabbi David Shneyer also attended Iftar on both Sunday the 7th and Monday the 8th where he spoke with other religious leaders about building greater interfaith understanding and cooperation and opposing the US war in Iraq. He said, “For so many Mosques around the country to open their doors on Ramadan to the interfaith community is a beautiful step toward bridging our worlds. May these efforts continue.”

ALEPH member and activist Marlis Beier hosted Imam Mamadou Toure, the head of an Islamic peace group, in her capacity as President of the Interfaith Ministries of Central Oregon. This seventh generation religious teacher from Senegal lives in Portland and spoke at several venues in Bend, Oregon on December 7 to help lift up the vision of the day.

Rabbis Arthur Waskow and Phyllis Berman played leadership roles in an event at the Foundation for Islamic Education in Philadelphia. About 70 people attended to discuss fasting and peacemaking, pray and share Iftar.

In Tuscon, long time ALEPH member and peace activist, Carol Kestler participated in a breakfast with PeaceWalk Tuscon. They davenned Mincha together, broke fast and prayed the traditional Muslim prayer followed by a lovely feast.  They then closed with Sikh prayers and those who felt called went to the local mosque to continue their celebration of Ramadan.

The organizations who helped sponsor this day, including the National Council of Churches, The Shalom Center and ALEPH, are looking at ways to continue the interfaith collaboration on peace and other critical issues of our day.

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ALEPH Participates in Strategic Visioning with The Shalom Center’s Green Menorah Covenant

After joining The Shalom Center’s Green Menorah Covenant Coalition in September, ALEPH attended a strategic visioning meeting for the Covenant on October 23rd. Executive Director Debra Kolodny met with representatives of several national and local Jewish organizations committed to stopping global climate change.

The group included representatives from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, COEJL,Jewish Funds for Justice, the Conservative and the Reconstructionist Movements. It heard a legislative update on the Lieberman/Warner bill on American Climate Security from David Waskow of Oxfam and evaluated whether and how to work together legislatively, both federally and locally. Recommendations were made for sending out legislative action alerts at the federal level and for compiling and distributing information about effective local coalitions to Covenant partners, who could then activate their local constituents on these issues. Suggestions for events and visibility during Chanukah were also discussed.

You can find out more about the Green Menorah Covenant at:www.shalomctr.org <http://www.shalomctr.org/>  and click on campaigns. To inquire about it, write to: Greernmenorah@shalomctr.org