Muslim, Shliach Strive for Unity

By LORINDA TOLEDO, New York Times Student Journalism Institute

COOPER CITY, Fla. — Inside his office at a Jewish community center in Broward County, Rabbi Pinny Andrusier dials a number. At the Islamic mosque and school next door, the president, Kem Hussain, picks up the ringing phone.

The men exchange pleasantries, then chat about potential collaborations and the nuances of the religious holidays they’re observing with a fast. It’s a moment of unity — one of many the pair has tried to foster between two faiths often divided by belief.

As violence erupted this week between Muslims and Jews in Gaza, the tensions spilled over into some South Florida communities. A mosque was sprayed with bullets, and several groups held highly charged rallies in response to the conflict.

But in an area with one of the highest Jewish populations in the nation, as well as a sizable Muslim population, many are trying to coexist peacefully.

“Our hope is that everyone can get along the way we get along,” said Andrusier, a rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch of Southwest Broward. “We only have the utmost respect for each other and want one another to grow and be successful.”

For the past 12 years, the Chabad and the Nur Ul Islam Academy have shared the same block in Cooper City. The Jewish center is scarcely more than a double-wide mobile home with aging wallpaper and a giant menorah, where more than 100 people attend weekly services. The mosque is a sprawling, gold-domed building prominently displaying a gold moon and star, where about 1,000 people attend services weekly.

But their missions are essentially the same: to lend spiritual and educational support to guide people to treat one another with respect. Their names even reflect that purpose. “Chabad” is Hebrew for wisdom, comprehension and knowledge. “Nur Ul” is Arabic for light.

Throughout the years, the organizations have shared parking lots and offered each other help in times of need; after a hurricane, for instance, they pooled containers of water.

“We have a very fraternal relationship,” Hussain said. “It is kindhearted and supportive.”

There are about 600,000 Jews in South Florida, said Ira Sheskin, director of the Jewish Demography Project at the University of Miami. And the Council on American-Islamic Relations estimates there are 80,000 Muslims in the area.

Interactions between the two communities are not always friendly.

The police are investigating an incident that happened in West Kendall over the New Year’s holiday, during which the Islamic School of Miami, which is under construction, was sprayed with bullets. The shots caused about $2,000 in damage, and the police still do not know who was responsible.

On Dec. 30, supporters of Israel and Palestine tangled at a heated rally outside the federal courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. And on Jan. 4, the groups clashed again, hurling insults at each other during a rally in Miami. The police arrested a dozen attendees on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, according to reports.

But some leaders of these communities say the locals reacting with hostility to one another in light of the Gaza crisis are in the minority.

Sheskin said he was “almost positive” that the people at the rallies “probably don’t represent most Muslims and probably don’t even represent most Jews in South Florida.”

Several groups are working to prevent such conflicts. Earlier this week, the American Muslim Association of North America and the South Florida Jewish Arab Dialogue Association held a joint meeting to denounce the violence in Gaza and the disrespect displayed at the rallies. About 30 people, including Jews and Muslims, crowded into a small room to discuss how to forge peace both locally and abroad.

“Some people are trying to import the violence and the hate to this country,” said Sofian Zakkout, director of the Muslim association. “But we’ve been working together for years.” When the world sees American Muslims and Jews united, Zakkout said, “it will encourage them to take a stand.”

Other local interfaith dialogue groups, including Jam & All, the Anatolia Cultural Center and the Center for Voter Advocacy Foundation, are also working to build understanding between religious and ethnic groups.

Because Jews and Muslims have been living side by side in South Florida longer than in other parts of the country, there is a more solid foundation for unity, said Saif Ishoof, a community activist and founder of the CVA Foundation, which teaches new Americans about the civic engagement process.

“We have a tradition of rich and meaningful dialogue between the Jewish and Muslim communities that has gone on for many years,” Ishoof said.

One day, Andrusier, Hussain and their peers said, they hope the peace they are trying to spread will permeate other communities here and abroad.

“Once the other side is humanized, I think people respect that human element,” Andrusier said. “You understand that these people have a family, they have a life — and why destroy that?”