Bay Ridge religious groups celebrate unity
Ten years after it was formed, to combat religious and racialprejudice and stereotyping in the wake of 9/11, the Unity TaskForce celebrated a decade of achievement during a breakfast at theBay Ridge Jewish Center (BRJC).
The event, held on Friday, December 9, was emceed by theReverend Khader El-Yateem, the pastor of Salam Arabic LutheranChurch, and speakers included the BRJC’s rabbi, Dina Rosenberg, aswell as Imam Mohammed Albar, the spiritual leader of the IslamicSociety of Bay Ridge. Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, the pastor ofMary Queen of Heaven Church in Flatlands, delivered aninvocation.
The theme of unity within difference – reflected in thediversity of southwestern Brooklyn, where people with differentreligious and ethnic backgrounds live close together — wasrepeated by many of those who addressed the group, which El-Yateemdescribed as individuals striving to be, True champions of peaceand justice who help us to understand all the difference we have,so we can understand how much we have in common.