Cindy Sandler is a busy woman. A Columbia psychologist with four adult children and six grandchildren, she might’ve passed on a new project at her temple if not for a disturbing event she witnessed in 2010.
“I was on a women’s trip to Israel and the rabbi in charge made special arrangements for us to tour around the Arab-controlled outer walls of the Temple Mount,” Sandler says. “The rabbi was emphatic: ‘Stay on the sidewalks and don’t sit down.’ But one woman sat down anyway. The rabbi asked her to stand up three times before she did. She asked, ‘Is this a tombstone?’ The rabbi said, ‘Yes.’ She turned around and spit on the grave.
“It blew my mind.”
Sandler returned home to an email from the program director at Temple Isaiah in Howard County’s Fulton community.
“A local mosque contacted the synagogue about starting a study group. `Would someone be willing to lead it?’ I saw the email go around, but couldn’t let it drop,” Sandler says. Her experience in Jerusalem convinced her interfaith dialogue was essential, so she agreed to represent Isaiah.
Sandler and a congregant from Silver Spring’s Baitur Rehman Mosque were joined by a member of the Montgomery County-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The three women became fast friends, learning a tremendous amount in the process.
This fall marks the sixth year of their partnership, which evolved from a small study group into a communitywide interfaith program for women called Soul to Soul. The mission is “to strengthen bonds, peace and understanding through interfaith dialogue and learning.”
Soul to Soul presents four events annually. Each year, a particular theme is chosen and related sessions are offered.
Previous topics include “Creation of the Soul,” “Mothering: Passing on Traditions and Faith” and “How My Observance Takes Courage.” “A Celebration of Food and Song” was open to women and their families.
The typical program commences with adherents of each faith speaking on the selected topic for 10 to 15 minutes. Presentations are followed by questions and discussion. Sometimes there is an experiential component, such as cooking or music.
“Often, the first 10 minutes after the presentations will be spent with everyone saying, ‘I can’t believe how similar we all are,’” says Sandler.
Temple Isaiah congregant Marilyn Handwerger says Soul to Soul enhances tolerance and fellowship among the faiths.
“In a world that seems to be filled with fear and hatred of the ‘other,’ our Soul to Soul group has bucked the trend by promoting understanding between Jews, Mormons and Muslims,” she says. “I have gained understanding and respect — and new friends.”
‘With Open Arms’
This year’s theme is “Feeding Our Soul.” The season began with a challah-making and biryani-tasting program in September. Future sessions will explore ways in which participants meet their spiritual needs and how life’s challenges shape them.
New this year, Soul to Soul offers facilitated, concurrently run programming, a book group for middle school students and a discussion group for high school girls.
The latter came out of last year’s Soul to Soul event titled “Voices of Our Youths,” in which Jewish, Muslim and Mormon teens shared their experiences.
Sarah Fischbein, a congregant of Temple Isaiah who attends River Hill High School, wrote about her “Voices of Our Youth” experience in her confirmation essay. The essay told of Sarah’s curiosity about Islam and her initial apprehension about how she and her family would be received by Muslims.
“We were received with open arms,” wrote Sarah. “Not all Muslims are terrorists and the women [at the mosque] were sad that the words ‘Muslim’ and ‘terrorist’ are becoming synonymous.”
Sandler says her involvement in Soul to Soul has strengthened her Jewish identity.
“The other day, I was walking around Centennial Lake [in Columbia] and saw a young Muslim woman walking with a baby carriage,” she says. “It was the Feast of Eid, which follows Ramadan. I walked up to her and said, ‘Eid Mubarak.’ It’s like Jews saying chag samayach [happy holiday]. Her face lit up. It felt so good to know what to say.”
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