Hillel's Sukkat Salaam Celebration Hosts Two Faiths

Members of Harvard’s Jewish and Muslim communities chatted over plates of sushi and falafel in the courtyard of Harvard Hillel Tuesday night to celebrate the beginning of the Jewish holiday Sukkot and belatedly celebrate the close of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting that ended in August.

The annual Sukkat Salaam dinner tradition—started nine years ago and sponsored by Harvard Hillel and the Harvard Islamic Society—is part of an ongoing effort to encourage dialogue between the two communities.

“It’s an opportunity to get folks around a table who may not always have the opportunity to talk to one another,” said Nuri Friedlander, associate chaplain for the Islamic Society. “The dinner is a fixed part of the yearly events for both faiths.”

Rabbi Jonah C. Steinberg, the executive director of Harvard Hillel, said that sharing a meal and making personal connections is vital for strengthening the relationship between the two communities.

“The dinner is so important because at the end of the day, there is nothing quite like friendship,” said Steinberg. “We can try to connect the two communities in different ways and achieve dialogue and recognition and respect and tolerance…but none of these things are a substitute for friendship.”

Asmaa Rimawi ’14, president of the Harvard Islamic Society, stressed the importance of creating and maintaining a bond between the two groups since relationships between Jewish and Muslim communities outside of Harvard are sometimes tense.

“The event has the aim of maintaining Muslim-Jewish community relations on campus, in light of everything else going on in the world,” Rimawi said. “A lot of people who don’t usually come to Hillel for dinner come just this one time a year simply out of respect for that bond of the two communities.”

Around tables seated under a makeshift awning, Muslim and Jewish students and community members shared personal anecdotes and discussed the role religion played in their lives. At the informal kosher dinner, leaders of both faiths gave notes of solidarity between the two faiths, with Steinberg harkening back to the origin of the Jewish holiday and comparing the gathering to a “family reunion” of sorts.

David F. Sackstein ’14, president of Hillel, noted that the turnout of the crowd was especially robust this year.

“I’ve never seen it quite like this, and I helped plan it one year,” said Sackstein.

The dinner is just one of many interfaith events anticipated for the 2013-2014 academic year.

According to Hassaan Shahawy ’16, director of Islamic learning for the Islamic Society, the group plans to host a monthly dinner series with the Harvard College Faith and Action group later in the semester.

—Staff writer Anneli L. Tostar can be reached at anneli.tostar@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @annelitostar.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

CORRECTION: Sept. 26, 2013

An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Jewish holiday Sukkot as Sukkat Salaam. In fact, Sukkat Salaam is the name of the Harvard Hillel eventthat brings together members of the Jewish and Islamic communities to celebrate Sukkot.