Both the Sikh and Jewish communities’ identities have been
shaped by extensive oppression and violence. This past Sunday,
members of each community had a chance to come together to learn
about one another’s histories. Members of UNITED SIKHS and Park
Avenue Synagogue gathered to brighten the day of elderly
Holocaust survivors here in New York. The afternoon was filled
with festive music sung in Hebrew, English and Yiddish, cookies
in honor of the recent holiday, Purim, and much conversation. I
want to honor the communication that occurred between the Sikh
and Jewish communities at this event, for I believe it is a
beautiful example of interfaith action, the goal of the Faiths
Act movement: As members of the Sikh community sat down with
survivors of the Holocaust, they practiced an often forgotten
act that is key to positive human interaction: listening.
Listening is powerful. It is intentional, as opposed to the more
passive act of hearing, and it holds up and amplifies the voice
of the person to whom one is