Shalom, Salaam, Peace

Greetings in this blessed month of renewal, Ramadan, Rosh Hashonah, EID, Yom Kipur.
The past few years these holy times have overlapped; each uses a different lunar calendar, while the Jewish High Holy Days are always in September/October, Ramadan is earlier each year by ten days.
My Hebrew name is Rahel Nehamah, I am the proud Jewish grandma of three beautiful Muslim children. By necessity I have learned a great deal about Islam. First, that much of what we in the Western World know about Islam is bullshit and propaganda. Second, besides the glaring differences, Islam and Judaism are surprisingly similar in many respects. This might not work well for you if you are anti-Semitic/Islamaphobic, but that's too bad; I am here to testify that Islam does not not equal terrorism; Jews do not run the world .
L'Shanah Tovah May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year
September 18th is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the beginning of the Days of Repentance, the ten-day High Holy Days, examining one's deeds, repairing the soul, giving charity, deep prayer.
Ramadan Mubarak (mubarak means greeting )
Ramadan began on August 22nd, and will end on Sept 20th. Muslims fast from sun up to sun down, no food or water, a symbol of sacrifice and purification, self-restraint, humility and patience, compassion for those without. It is a time of deep prayer, examining one's deeds, repairing the soul. Charity is emphasized with donations of food and a percentage of their abundance to the poor. When Ramadan ends, EID (Eid al-Fitr) begins. EID is a three day festival celebrating the end of the month of fasting, lots of gifts, decorations new clothes and joy.
They certainly are cousins, these children of Abraham and his wives; Sarah, mother of the Jews, and Hagar, mother of the Muslims.
Jews say: Shalom Aleichem and reply with Aleichem Shalom. Peace be upon you/Upon you be peace.
Muslims say: Salaam Aleikum and reply with Aleikum Salaam. Same phrase, different accent.
Both stress what in English is called Charity- Tzedakah in Hebrew and Zakat in Arabic. While charity infers a top-down benevolence by the powerful haves to the vulnerable have-nots, in contrast, Tzedakah/Zakat signify an act of righteousness and justice, the performance of a duty/obligation/mitzvah, sharing with the poor their portion.
When I go to Vancouver I meet Muslim sisters- all are sisters and brothers in Islam. Many of the sisters are converts, some were born Muslim but were never really religious before. They wear the scarf (hijab) and cover up, seeing liberation in the right not to display their flesh. I've met women from Mexico, Philippines, Caribbean, Canada, Morocco, Japan, South Africa, Korea, First Nations from Alberta, Pakistan, Mauritius, and I've probably forgotten a few. Many have married men who were not at all from where they are from. The children, the beautiful children are mixtures and blends of many continents.
I find it all vaguely retro 60's, all that world-changing energy, serving God, the helping others vibe, consciousness raising .... When they pray, standing or knelling shoulder to shoulder, you can see the beauty and the power in sisterhood, the power in community ....
The demographics of the major cities in Canada reflect the mobility and technology of the 21st century. People from all corners of the world are hooking up, getting married and having kids, old rules lose their grip in the face of so much love .... Yes, Canada is so diverse even our money is multi-coloured. In Richmond, when I asked what about racism with all the different cultures and religions and colours, my query was met with a shrug, "No one cares".
What could be better than that? No one cares ... bring that idea back to the boonies of Vancouver Island, where we still have ugly YouTube moments, but where most incidences of racism remain undocumented. ..
Yon Kipur
The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, fasting from sun down to sun down, confessing our sins, feeling sorry for the miss-steps, praying that the slate will be wiped clean so we can try again. It is an ancient tradition, binding us to the past and to the future. But in this tradition, we confess in the plural: our sins, because we are not only responsible for our personal sins, but the sins of each other. As a community, we are responsible for each other, the bad deeds as well as the good. I think of my people who have suffered so much, and who in spite of nation, army, airforce, are still afraid and who have yet to learn the most terrible of lessons, that violence begets violence, always.



Even if days of repentance, prayer and fasting are not on your agenda, taking stock can still be a good idea. As summer ebbs, sliding into the equinox, darkness slowly increasing, leaves falling ... looking back ... looking forward, can be good exercise for the heart and mind. Jewish tradition says: 'The righteous of many nations will have a share in the world to come,' so you don't have to sign up for anything new.

Or in the words of one neither Muslim nor Jew, 'One love, One heart, let's get together and feel alright' ~ Bob Marley

Judaism 101 www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm
Islam 101 www.what-is-islam.org