Project Links Jewish, Christian and Muslim Teens
Boston, MA – Feb , 2009 – Leading local community organizations Art Builds Community (ABC, Islamic Society of Boston (ISB), Center for Jewish-Muslim Relations (CJMR), Congregation Dorshei Tzekek (CDT), the Al Huda Society (AHS), and Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM) have created the 2009 Boston Interfaith Youth Mural. In a time when interfaith relations have been been strained, the project has brought together teens from Muslim, Christian and Jewish backgrounds to engage in a joint mural art project which will be displayed and celebrated publicly as a tool for building bridges of understanding. The first of several unveilings will take place on Friday, February 6, 2009 at 7:00 P.M. at Congregation Dorshei Tzedek in Newton (http://dorsheitzedek.org/directions.htm).
“The mural is a key milestone on the journey of the ‘interfaith youth movement’ in greater Boston,” according to Alexander Levering Kern, executive director of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries, the region’s oldest interfaith social action coalition. “Never has there been a more important time for young people of faith to join in deepened dialogue and effective action. As we witness interfaith strain spanning the globe- from the Vatican to Gaza to the Roxbury Mosque conflict- we celebrate this sign of hope: young people standing together and building a shared future of peace, justice, and understanding. The mural is a poignant vision of the peace that the Creator intends for us all.”
The project has taken shape over the last two years, with a steering committee including Anyahlee Cañas and LeeAnn Love-Price from ABC; Aziz Elmadi, originally representing the ISB and now Co-Executive Director of CJMR; Stuart Snyder, a member of CDT; Omar Hakkaoui of AHS and the Interfaith Youth Initiative (IFYI) of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries (CMM); and Alexander Levering Kern and Matt Carriker, of the Interfaith Youth Initiative of CMM.
Since October 2008, fifteen teen representatives (5 from each faith group) have been meeting weekly at the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston to create a series of collaborative art pieces focusing on the commonalities and differences in their religions, with particular attention to faith-based imagery. Based on discussions within the group and with visiting religious leaders, the teens designed and created a large scale mural on panels to be displayed in the participants’ religious centers and in other mosques, temples or churches until a permanent location is identified.
Motivation for these efforts is easily found within the texts sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. But, it is also found in a quote attributed to Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Funding for the 2009 Boston Interfaith Youth Mural was provided by the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), the ISB, and the Charles S. and Zena A. Scimeca Foundation.
