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Washington Township Rabbi Unites Religious Communities In Solidarity

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — More than a dozen Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities will unite at a Washington Township synagogue to show their solidarity in peace on Dec. 13 — the last night of Hanukkah.

Rabbi Noah Fabricant, far right, and members of Temple Beth Or unite for Mitzvah Day.

Rabbi Noah Fabricant, far right, and members of Temple Beth Or unite for Mitzvah Day.

Photo Credit: Facebook
Religious communities will unite on Dec. 13. to light the menorah and celebrate.

Religious communities will unite on Dec. 13. to light the menorah and celebrate.

Photo Credit: Facebook

The 7 p.m. Unity Gathering in light of the Paris, Colorado Springs and San Bernardino shootings will be at Temple Beth Or on Ridgewood Road.

Temple Beth Or's Rabbi Noah Fabricant, of Ridgewood, last week reached out to officials at the Elzahra Islamic Center — a mosque in Midland Park — before contacting more than a dozen clergies throughout Bergen County.

"I feel the need for a local response that helps us understand that we’re talking about our neighbors," Fabricant told Daily Voice. "When something is abstract it's easy to vilify, but the actual people we know — Christians, Muslims and Jews who live in our communities — are a lot like us."

The idea is to make spread awareness that Islam is a religion of peace, just as Judaism and Christianity are religions of peace, the rabbi said. All people of peace are partners in repairing the world, he said.

"All of us and our religions stand a lot for the same things," Fabricant said. "The easiest way to understand each other is to get to know each other."

Participating communities as of Dec. 8 include:

- Bergen Highlands United Methodist Church of Upper Saddle River

- Christ Lutheran Church of Woodcliff Lake

- Congregation B'nei Israel of Emerson

- Elzahra Islamic Center of Midland Park

- First Congregational Church of Park Ridge of Park Ridge

- Hillsdale United Methodist Church of Hillsdale

- Muslim Society of Ridgewood of Ridgewood

- Pascack Reformed Church of Park Ridge

- Religious Society of Friends of Ridgewood

- Ridgewood United Methodist Church of Ridgewood

- Temple Avodat Shalom of River Edge

- Temple Emanuel of Woodcliff Lake

- Temple Emeth of Teaneck

- Temple Israel of Ridgewood

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