Message from ICNY Executive Director
Dear Friends,
The final weeks of 2014 have had their challenges when it comes to peace-making in the public square. Like many New Yorkers and others around the country, ICNY staff and religious leaders were concerned and consumed by events relating to racial justice and police community relations since the non-indictments of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. This interest goes back several years when we held a Rabbi Marshal Meyer Retreat on Police Community Relations. In December, we helped bring together diverse religious leaders for two interfaith services at First Corinthian Baptist Church and St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem and participated in a die-in at City Hall.
Less than a week later we found ourselves joining in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim prayers at the corner of Myrtle and Tomkins St the weekend that Officers Ramos and Lui were tragically shot. If there were ever a time for more interfaith work on police-community relations, this is it. Rarely have we needed each other more. ICNY continues to pray, protest, and program on these issues and invite you to follow us on Facebook and twitter for further updates.
In other news, ICNY has recently made a new video, “Bridging the Gap: Responding to Religious Diversity in Child Welfare.” This video describes ICNY’s workshops to promote religious and cultural responsiveness in the child welfare sector, as well as workshops to educate Muslim communities about child abuse and foster care.
We are also delighted to announce a grant from the Open Society Institute for a youth program that will allow youth from religiously diverse background to hone their op ed and writing skills and develop their voices in the public square.
Finally, we urge you to make a contribution to the work of ICNY. We need your support and hope that you will make a gift if you have not already done so. Please consider making a donation to the Interfaith Center of New York so that we can continue to do our part making New York and the world safe for religious diversity.
Best Wishes,
Rev. Chloe Breyer
Executive Director
The Interfaith Center of New York
The monthly E-bulletin for January 2015 is available here.
