Winter 09 - Fasting in Different Faiths

Fasting is an ancient practice still carried out regularly today by many faith communities. It is mentioned in the Bible, Quran, and the Hindu scriptures. Buddhism requires an ascetic lifestyle by its monks, including fasting. It was practiced by many of the ancient communities, including Native Americans and Africans. Certain lifecycle events in those communities, such as wedding, reaching puberty, and mourning are accompanied by fasting. Fasting for health reasons was practiced for thousands of years, and has well-known benefits.

Fasting is broadly defined as partial or total abstinence from food and drink for a certain amount of time. The amount of time and the types of food or drink fasted from differs tradition to tradition. Certain types of fasting exclude specific acts as well: such as wearing certain garments, shaving, or sexual intimacy.

Apart from religious and medical fasting, people also fast for political agendas, to raise awareness regarding a certain issue. This article focuses on fasting as a religious practice in the Abrahamic Faiths-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and synthesizes the insights from these three traditions regarding the benefits and purposes of fasting.

Judaism

According to the Jewish tradition, fasting is total abstinence from food and drink. There are two major fasting days in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av, but conservative Jews fast up to six days per year. Only Yom Kippur is biblically ordained, while the others are rabbinically ordained. Fasting on a Sabbath is prohibited unless it is Yom Kippur, in which case it is observed. Sexual relations are also prohibited on the two major fasting days.

Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, is the most important of the Jewish Holidays. It is the tenth and final day of the Ten Days of Repentance, starting with Rosh Hashanah. Every man and woman who is of age (above the age of bar/bat mitzvah) and whose health permits fasting, should fast on this day. The fasting lasts 25 hours, from sunset of the day to the nightfall of the other. In addition to total abstinence from food and drink, prohibited activities on this day include those prohibited on an ordinary Sabbath, such as striking fire and using tools. Additionally, leather shoes are not worn on this day, and women and men wear white garments, to remind themselves of burial shroud and the Day of Judgment. The mood is solemn, humble, and repentant, but also happy with the knowledge that repentance brings redemption. The day is spent at Synagogue services, and holds five prayers, compared to three on regular days and four on Sabbath.

Tisha B'Av is the ninth day of the month Av of the Hebrew calendar. Similar to Yom Kippur, this fast lasts 25 hours. Some Jews also observe additional prohibitions on certain daily activities. The mood is deeply sad.
In addition to those two major fasting days, there are minor fasting days, when fasting is from dawn to sunset. There are also fasts tied to certain occasions, such as fasting of the bride and groom before their wedding ceremony, fasting of firstborn, fasts of repentance of certain acts, or fasts to stave off an impending calamity. It should be noted that unlike some other traditions, the fasts in Judaism, specifically those that commemorate and mourn important events, are not ended with feasts.

Three purposes of fasting are commonly quoted by Jewish scholars.First is the atonement of previous wrongdoings: Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.14 (Joel, 2:12-13).

The second purpose of fasting is mourning, at individual and collective levels. Fasting and mourning has an implied connection .when a loved one dies, we do not feel like eating, food becomes insignificant to us. Also, we repent for the mistakes we did to that person, and seek forgiveness. The following verse is an example of individual mourning: When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. (I Samuel 31:11-14)

Collective mourning for catastrophes that befell earlier communities is also an important dimension of fasting, such as the events mentioned in the following verses: On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ( Jeremiah 52:12-13)

Mourning results in awareness in what is lost, and in rejoice when the loss is regained. It also creates a spiritual unity with earlier generations, and a renewed commitment to common goals.

The third purpose is one of gratitude. By abstinence from basic needs, one realizes his/her dependence on God, and appreciates all the sustenance provided by God to His creation.

Christianity

Fasting has different meanings in different Christian denominations. It is mostly a partial fasting, so practice widely differs.

Roman Catholics define fasting as reduction in food intake for one full meal and two small meals (morning and evening). Solid food intake between meals is not permitted. Abstinence is defined as avoiding meat for a particular day, and partial abstinence is consuming meat only once during a day. The regulations of fasting evolved several times according to the decrees of Vatican. According to today's regulations, there are two obligatory fasting days for Roman Catholics: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence. Voluntary fasting is encouraged and practiced. In addition to those, Roman Catholics also observe Eucharistic fasting, i.e. avoiding all food and drink except water for the duration of an hour before receiving the Holy Communion during the Mass, according to current regulations. Some Catholics still live by the older regulations, which prescribed fasting start time as the midnight of the previous day.

The Anglican Church follows a similar definition of fasting, but there is no distinction between fasting and abstinence, and regulations are less-specific. The Book of Common Prayer lists four periods as fasting days, which includes forty days of Lent and all the Fridays in the Year, except Christmas Day. There is no universal Anglican rule on fasting, so the provinces are free to choose what fasting days to recommend. Usually, fasting of the Lent and Fridays are observed. The measures of abstinence are left to the individuals.

In eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholicism, fasting is an important discipline to protect oneself from gluttony- indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or intoxicants to the point of waste. Fasting is accompanied by almsgiving and prayers, and fasting without such acts is considered worthless. There are four main seasons of fasting, including Lent, but fasting continues throughout the year, on Wednesdays and Fridays. Fasting individuals cannot consume meat, dairy products, oil and alcoholic beverages, although precise definition of these categories differs in practice. Eucharistic fasting is observed from midnight of the previous day to Holy Communion. There are also periods during which fasting is prohibited.

While early Protestants frowned upon fasting as an external practice, currently fasting is widely acknowledged and encouraged as an important spiritual experience among Protestant churches. For example, Lutherans encourage fasting during Lent, while United Methodists fast from sundown-to-sundown on Mondays-to-Tuesdays and Thursdays-to-Fridays.
The Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints defines f
asting as total abstinence from food and drink, including water. The first Sundays of each Month is called Fast Sunday, during which members fast for two consecutive meals and donate the money saved as a result of fasting. The purpose of fasting, in this tradition, is achieving mastery of spirit over body. The members who want to solicit special help, including for earthly benefits, or those who want to become closer to God, are encouraged to fast.

Jesus warned his followers against fasting only to make others admire them. He suggested practical steps should be taken to fast in private:
When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16.18).

In this context, the overarching goal of fasting is bringing the individual closer to the Divine. According to Old Testament, Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights while he was on the mountain with God. (Exodus 34:28) and New Testament states that Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights while in the desert, prior to the three temptations (Matthew 4:2, Luke 4:2). Hence, spiritual preparation is an important dimension of fasting.

David practiced fasting for humbling his soul (Psalm 35:13). Abstaining from food helps one realize his/her inherent helplessness, and understand one.s place vis-à-vis the Divine. This motivation can be seen clearly, for example, in Isaiah 58:3-13, where Prophet Isaiah admonishes the believers and calls to the real meaning of fasting.

Understanding the situation of the poor and the needy is also an important motivation for fasting. In fact, in most churches, fasting is mentioned hand-in-hand with prayer and almsgiving. Fasting is the door to show mercy, and showing mercy to others is a petition to receive mercy from God.

Islam

In Islam, fasting is defined as total abstinence from food and drink, including water. Fasting also precludes sexual intimacy. Fasting individuals are expected to abide by the highest moral values, i.e. no lying, backbiting, or physically, verbally or emotionally hurting others.
Ramadan fasting is one of the five pillars- i.e. core practices- of Islam. It continues from dawn to sunset for 29 to 30 consecutive days (a full Lunar month), and is mandatory for every Muslim man and woman above the age of puberty. Sick, elderly, pregnant and nursing women have permission to not fast, and can make up for missed fasting days later by fasting an equal number of days, or giving charity to the people in need, if fasting poses health risk. Menstruating women cannot fast, and make up for it in a similar fashion. The ritual of fasting is defined in a precise manner in the Holy Quran, hence there is virtually no difference as to what it means and how it is practiced among Muslim communities.

In addition to Ramadan fasting, devout Muslims also fast on Monday and Thursdays, as well as on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of each Lunar month. Other voluntary fasting days include the day of Ashura (tenth day of Muharram), the day of Arafat (ninth of Dhulhijja), and six days of Shawwal.

The Quran, Holy Book of Muslims, states that fasting was prescribed by God upon the earlier faith communities, and proclaims the main purpose of fasting as achieving righteousness or God-consciousness.
The first and foremost purpose of fasting is to follow God's command of fasting. All benefits to be acquired by fasting, such as improving the health and understanding the helplessness of the poor people, cannot be the intention of the believer while fasting. Those are simply ways to understand the divine wisdom behind the command of fasting.

Many Islamic scholars have written on the subject of fasting. Bediuzzaman, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars, outlines nine purposes in .The Letters., and we will summarize some of them here, direct quotes appearing in italicized form below.

First of all, parallel to Christian and Jewish traditions, a major goal is to appreciate the bounties given by the Divine, which go unnoticed if not for fasting. Thereby, creating an atmosphere for sincere thanksgiving:
For at other times of the year, most of those who are not in difficult circumstances do not realize the value of many bounties since they do not experience real hunger. Those whose stomachs are full and especially if they are rich, do not understand the degree of bounty there is in a piece of dry bread.
A second purpose, more in line with Christian tradition, is to understand the situation of the poor through hunger and thirst, thus create compassion and facilitate giving of charity.

A third purpose is taming and humbling of the soul and protection against gluttony: The instinctual soul wants to be free and independent, and considers itself to be thus. According to the dictates of its nature, it even desires an imaginary dominicality and to act as it pleases..Thus, in the month of Ramadan, the instinctual soul of everyone, from the richest to the poorest, may understand that it does not own itself, but is totally owned; that it is not free, but is a slave.

Indeed, Muhammad, Prophet of Islam, hints that fasting from food helps curb inclinations to sins, such as lust: Whoever among you is able to marry, should marry, and whoever is not able to marry, is recommended to fast (Bukhari, Book of Marriage, Hadith 3; partial)

Other purposes pointed out by Islamic scholars include ethical perfection, focusing on spiritual needs and sacred text (rather than corporeal needs), creating bonds in the community through fasting and feasting together, and expiation for certain sins. The latter, related to the atonement in Judaism, is directly mentioned in the Quran as expiation of sins such as accidental killing a fellow human being and breaking of oaths to God: God does not take you to task for a slip (or blunder of speech) in your oaths, but He takes you to task for what you have concluded by solemn, deliberate oaths. The expiation (for breaking such oaths) is to feed ten destitute persons (or one person for ten days) with the average of the food you serve to your families, or to clothe them, or to set free a slave. If anyone does not find (the means to do that), let him fast for three days. (Holy Quran 5/89, partial)

As a result, the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, share a large common ground in terms of faith and practices. Fasting is one of the common practices in three religions. While fasting to mourn is more specific to Judaism, fasting for atonement is more pronounced in Christianity and Judaism, fasting to facilitate charity, to gain mastery of soul, to achieve humility, and protection from gluttony is more of a common goal between Islam and Christianity. Finally, using the freed-up time to focus on studying the sacred text and prayer is more underlined in Judaism and Islam. The emphasis placed on each purpose is admittedly subjective, and mistake of misdiagnoses rests with the author of this article, as traces of all benefits and purposes can be found in all three religions.

by Joseph Clay

* The pictures in this article are courtesy of Reverend Sandy Clark.

References

• Fasting Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites (Lynne Baab)
• The Sacred Art of Fasting Preparing to Practice (Thomas Ryan, CSP)
• The Sacred Art of Fasting: Beginning to Practice (SkyLight Paths) (Thomas Ryan, 2005)
• Christian Fasting: A Theological Approach (Kenneth Berghuis, 2003)
• "The Letters" by Bediuzzaman
• "A Return to Fasting" by G.A. Maloney
• Online Bible, King James Version
• Fasting and Feasting in Three Traditions: Judaism Christianity Islam Interfaith Conversations Booklet #1 OF IND TY I Education for Service 1902 Edited by Kevin Corn University of Indianapolis 2006
• Online Bukhari translation
• Online Quran, Translation by Ali Unal
• Fasting Facts, Encyclopedia.com
• Fasting, Spirithome.com
• Fasting Traditions In Judaism

Winter 09 - Traveling the Way of Rumi in US

"Come, come, whoever you are, come again!"

On the evening of September 6th, the famous words of Rumi came alive at the Pacifica Institute Hall in Sunnyvale. The invitation had been closed a week before and the room was overflowing with attendees. Having read the article about this event in the San Francisco Examiner*, fans of Kabir Helminski were among the crowd. The theme of the night was "Traveling the Way of Mevlana in America".

Kabir Helminski has been a follower of Sufism for nearly 30 years since his first trip to Turkey in 1980. He did not speak a word of Turkish, then, neither did his host family speak any English. Yet, despite the language barrier, they came to understand one another. As in the words of Mr. Helminski, "The heart needs no translation".

Furthering his studies in Sufism, in 1980 Mr. Helminski became a student of late Shaikh Suleyman Hayati Dede, and was trained in the Mevlevi order. Ten years later, Kabir Helminski was appointed Shaikh of the Mevlevi Sufis by Dr. Celalettin Celebi, the head of the Mevlevi order at the time. Since then, Shaikh Helminski has translated a variety of important volumes of Sufi literature to English, including the works of Rumi.

During his stay in Turkey, Helminski came to experience an atmosphere of tangible love and he felt like he was being tuned. This love was real. He kept reminding himself that it might be possible to bring this new concept and experience of love back to US. He decided to dedicate his life to achieve that purpose and gradually assimilated some of the knowledge of love that is found in Rumi's teachings. Rumi always appreciates the beauty of any form of love. He sees any form of love as a stepping stone to a higher love.

While conversing with a shaikh, Mr. Helminski asked the shaykh how he decided whether someone had what it takes to make the journey of Sufism. The answer was remarkable, the Shaikh replied .I ask them what they love and if they love something, anything with devotion, they have what it takes, because that love can be transformed into a higher love for Truth.**

During his speech, Mr. Helminski informed the audience about dervish training. A dervish must complete 1001 consecutive days of training to master adab(manners) and patience. A typical day consists of daily prayers, short periods of meditation, Quran recitation, and learning a useful trade to sustain the dervish's life. Dervishes who have special talents in arts would be trained in painting, music, etc. A dervish in training could leave the tekke (dervish complex) during the day to take care of daily errands. However, he must return before the nightly prayer. If he failed to return on time, the dervish would restart his training from day 1 again. Even if it was the 1001st night, he would have to go back and restart his training.

Even though no one word is enough to capture the meaning of "adab", it can be translated as "manners, etiquette and thoughtfulness". It is what stands out the most in Sufi teachings. It leads to good character in the individuals, unity and coherence in the society. Adab should be reflected in every aspect of a dervish's life which includes dressing, eating, speaking, welcoming guests, etc. It is exercised in the form of sensitivity, courtesy, humility, respect-even for inanimate objects, and voluntary act for others. For example, it is usual to see a dervish voluntarily cleaning the soles of the shoes at the entrance of tekke (dervish complex), and aligning them for everybody. The language used by dervishes also transforms in the process to reflect adab: A dervish never "puts out" a candle but rather he "puts it into rest". Nor would he "close a door" but would "cover it". Also, a dervish who masters adab has difficulty using the word "I" since it is deemed to be ego centric. Instead he prefers other phrases that express humility to refer to himself, like "this poor person". This is what a dervish would try to master during his days of training.

Mr. Helminski ended the evening by reciting poems of Rumi. He also sang a hymn from Yunus Emre (a prominent dervish and poet) playing the traditional Turkish string instrument "saz", accompanied by his wife, Camille Helminski, who played the traditional drum.

After a short Q&A session, a gift was presented to Mr. Helminski by Pacifica Institute as a symbol of appreciation. The calligraphy on the gift meant "Light upon Light" in Arabic. Later, participants had a chance to talk with him personally around the stage during the book signing process.

Shaikh Kabir Helminski "travels in the way of Rumi" now in Santa Cruz, California, where he resides and trains the next generation of Sufis.

*Sufi leader to speak in Sunnyvale
**Love's Ripening-Rumi on the Heart's Journey

Winter 09 - The Ground We Share

It was August 8th, the evening of the "Interfaith Conversations Dinner" at the Pacifica Institute Community Center. The guest speaker was Fr. Cyprian Consiglio, who is a gifted musician, composer, writer, teacher and a monk from the Camaldolese Congregation

Two hours before the anticipated event, the phone rang and a warm voice on the other end asked: "Dostum, are you coming tonight?" It was a friendly reminder call about the event. The caller is more than a friend to me. Actually, "Dostum" in Turkish translates to a special someone, a friend you can share deeper experiences with in life and spiritually. Frankly, I had no idea what to expect from the evening. Thinking this might be an interesting experience, I got dressed considering what to wear or not to wear, too formal or informal and it was getting late.

When I arrived, cheerful greeters at the door had me wear a name tag. Seeing the smiling faces of the greeters calmed me before entering a room full of people whom I had never met. Upon entering the room I spotted one of my friends and sat down. Looking through the crowd, I tried to guess who might be the guest speaker. On the opposite end of the table, there was a middle aged man with a medium built. He was dressed very humble with a white-beige shirt, and had an unexplained glow on his face. This was the person I had been anxiously waiting to see for the past four weeks.

Fr. Consiglio shared his spiritual insights regarding his journey to God, his understanding of Islam, and his mystic music after a simple dinner. The title of his talk, which is also the title of a book about Buddhist Christian religions, was "The Ground We Share". According to him, every person has a mystic relationship with God. The source and the heart of each religion is this mystic experience, and we want to pass it on to others through dance and music. Yet, this personal experience changes during that transition. Thus, the ultimate tradition is different for each person, and this difference is so beautiful and interesting.

While we are living our own ultimate reality, we want to understand how others experience it. This could be accomplished by traveling through the center. In other words, we travel through the center by understanding our own depth in mystical experience. As we go deeper to the center, we converge. As we go shallow on the surface, we diverge. All the religions are undergoing the most radical, far-reaching transformation in history, and we are entering into a whole new era, the second axial period: a global network and a global spiritual community, in contrast to individual spirituality which was the highlight of first axial period. This is why we need dialogue more than ever which makes sense to me. I wanted him to talk more and more. I could not believe how he and I share the same core values and still we are so different in our personal experiences. I thought how well he verbalized the very intricate concept of spirituality so that the others could also resonate with him. I could sit there and listen to him all night.

Fr. Consiglio also shared some concepts that he learned from Islam, like the "99 Beautiful Names of Allah" and an anecdote. In one of his trips, he coincidentally met a Muslim man from Lebanon who was not aware of the utterance of 99 names of Allah, and eventually learned all about it from Fr. Consiglio.

In addition to being the prominent speaker of the evening, Fr. Consiglio was also a pleasant singer. He was accompanied by his friends, his guitar, and my untrained voice. Music really does bring people together.
After the presentation, there was some time allotted for questions and chitchat with others. Although I did not have a chance to approach him and get to know him better, I met some of the other wonderful people in the room. The volunteers at Pacifica Institute are doing their best to bring together the community and whole-heartedly trying to shed a little light in the darkness.

Before going home, I approached my friend and asked "Dostum, when is the next event?" She didn't know, however, I will definitely stay tuned for more "Interfaith Conversations".

by Ozgu Elci

Winter 09 - Not-So-Random Trip to Turkey

"You're going where?" asked one of my daughters when I told her I had been invited by Pacifica Institute to visit Turkey, along with a small group of other interfaith leaders in Southern California.

At the time (May 2006) I was the Executive Director of the South Coast Interfaith Council, based in Long Beach, with a membership of 140 faith communities including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Baha'i, Unitarian and others.
 
"That's random", my daughter continued. And, indeed, it seemed so for me at first, because I didn't know that much about Turkey. But as I started to read about its Christian and Muslim history, its East-West connection and its rich culture, as well as the teachings of Fethullah Gulen concerning dialog and understanding, it seemed a perfect destination. The trip did not disappoint at all. It was a "once in a lifetime" experience for me and I will always be grateful to Pacifica Institute for the unique opportunity.

"What was the highlight of the trip?" I'm frequently asked. All of us who went agreed that it was meeting the people, eating with them, visiting in their homes, schools and places of work, talking with them.
Yes, it was wondrous touring the sights in Istanbul including the Hagia Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Sultan.s Palace and a Bosphorus Boat Tour. We also went to Izmir, Antalya, Konya, Nigde, Pamukkale and the fascinating Capadocia. We saw beautiful beaches and mosques, put our feet in hot springs and went into deep rock caves.

We ate large portions of fantastic food wherever we went. I remember particularly the lentil soup, lamb and fish dishes, dolma, fresh fruits and baklava. Breakfast included every manner of bread, jams, olives, cheeses, cereals, eggs. One meal we ate was actually in a restaurant in a tree. And with every meal, and at every stop, there was tea. We were even served tea when our mini-bus would stop at a gas station!

Even so, it was the people who made the biggest impression. Kindness, generosity and hospitality were the characteristics of the Muslim families and individuals we met. One family I ate with in their home was a very conservative family, where the women were completely veiled and ate in a separate room, but embraced us warmly and took pictures with us when we left. Another family I ate with was a wealthy family in a single family home. The grandmother was fully robed; the mother wore a sequined head scarf and the teenage daughter, no scarf at all.

I was interested in why some women wore scarves and some didn.t. I was surprised that it was illegal to wear scarves when working in government offices or going to school. That made no sense to me. The women I talked with clearly stated that it was their choice to wear a scarf as a reminder of their relationship with God, not something required by their husbands.

A few topics seemed to be off limits: politics, the relationship with Kurds (we did have one Kurd as a guide) and the Armenians. But there was much else to discuss, including parenting and how they were inspired by Gulen.

I was inspired myself to write a "silly song" to the tune of "By the Sea" to thank our PI hosts. The refrain goes "By the sea, by the Sea, by the beautiful Sea, in Tur-key, in Tur-key, Oh, how happy we'll be."
...
"Christians here, Muslims there, we have all become friends, As we learn of the work of the famous Gulen."
"Homes are open, so are hearts. We have all been welcomed. "Tesekkur Ederim, Seni Seviyorum."

by Rev. Ginny Waganer

Rev. Ginny Waganer was the Execute Director of the South Coast Interfaith Council based in Long Beach at the time of the trip. She retired after 17 years of work and currently lives in Mountain View near her four grandchildren. She has been an ordained Lutheran pastor for 25 years.

Winter 09 - Turkey Trip Reunion Dinners

Their Fondest Memories

During the month of September the Pacifica Institute held two reunion dinners for the lucky members of the south bay community who had the opportunity to take a guided 10-day tour of Turkey during the summer. I had the pleasure of attending these dinners and listening to everyone's wonderful memories.

Being of Turkish heritage, I have always thought that I may have a slightly biased opinion about the beauty of Turkey. The reunion fast-breaking dinners proved me wrong! I have always known of Turkey's many awe-inspiring historical sites, the mouth-watering cuisine and the over-whelming urge of the older generation Turkish women have to feed others, but it was a remarkable experience to hear such great praises about Turkey from prominent members of the south bay.

The evening started off with everyone coming together again for the first time since their trip and continued with the dinner. It was great to see the camaraderie among everyone from various backgrounds, cultures, careers and religions. Most everyone didn't know one another before the trip, but now share a great bond. Finally, the evening wrapped up with a slide show of pictures from the trip, and a short speech by each person including their fondest memory from the trip. The common themes among everyone's comments were how grateful they were for the once-in-a-lifetime experience, the wonderful welcoming spirit of the Turkish people and of course the delicious food.

One of the most memorable moments was when Joanne, one of the ladies on the trip, explained the story behind the outfit she was wearing. She was visiting with one of the host family's daughter in Nigde and commented on how much she liked her blouse. The next day when they were leaving, the daughter handed her a gift wrapped package- it was the blouse that she had commented on the night before. This shows the generosity of the Turkish family and she says that she has now learned that you shouldn.t express how much you like a Turkish person.s belongings because they will literally give you the shirt off their back.

I have to say the funniest moment of the night was when Joey, a pastor who visited Turkey said that he was now "cool" like the Turkish men because he too can flip a "tesbih", a strand of prayer beads, with his hand. The tesbih is used after prayer, but many men carry it with them and have formed a habit of flipping it while walking or waiting. Turkish men, especially of the slightly older generation, have their own walking style; slightly hunched forward with both hands clasped behind their back, usually flipping and twirling a tesbih. It was funny and amazing to hear that a stranger to the Turkish heritage picked up on this.

The two comments that I think really mirrored the Turkish hospitality and welcoming spirit were two completely different examples. A professor visiting Turkey had forgotten his luggage at the home of a host family so one of the family members drove to the neighboring city to drop off the luggage at the airport. The professor was completely unaware of the entire situation until the reunion dinner. Another comment was made by a father who said that he had come to the dinner with his son, but had only seen him once or twice- if at all- during the two hours that they had been here. He said that this explains the Turkish hospitality perfectly; his son has been playing with the other Turkish kids, which he had never met before, for the past two hours and never felt the need or desire to leave and join his father.

After attending both reunion dinners I have decided that I too would like to visit Turkey- as a tourist. I have been to Turkey many times, but I hope to have the opportunity to see Turkey through a tourist.s eyes during one of my next trips. I would like to close with one of the remarks made during the evening: "Turkey is the gateway to Asia from the west and the gateway to Europe from the east. It is not a place that is neither/nor, it is a place that is both/and."

by Deniz Dogruer

Winter 09 - Editor's Message

Sharing Bread and WaterDear Reader,

September was the month of fasting, and the Pacifica kitchen was busier than ever. Not only were we sharing bread and water, but we were also sharing the friendships, the memories, and the joy. Many events have occurred within the last few months. This issue features most of them for you, if not all.
In September, Pacifica Institute arranged two reunion dinners for the participants of the summer trips to Turkey. It was emotional and sentimental to see how separate individuals became part of the same family through these trips under the roof of Pacifica. "Their Fondest Memories" is about the observation of these reunions. In addition, if you would like to know what Turkey looks like in the eyes of these beholders, Reflections includes an article written by Ginny Waganer who is a Pacifica Institute trip goer. "The Ground We Share" and "Traveling the Way of Rumi in US" mention two of the Interfaith Conversations. The article "Fasting in Different Faiths" synthesizes the insights from three traditions regarding the benefits and purposes of fasting.
Please stay tuned for the upcoming issues that will include the Friendship and Dialog Dinner, Gulen Conference, more interfaith conversations, and the Thanksgiving activities. In the meantime, kindly send us your feedback about this issue, or anything in general. (pacificasv@pacificainstitute.org) Enjoy!

Summer 09 - Children's Festival 2009

An estimated 1500 people visited the BAYCC Annual International Children's Festival held on May 9th, at the Music Concourse Bandshell Area in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. The organizing committee really moved it up a notch at the 4th festival of its kind, with fourteen groups taking the stage with their colorful dresses, lively songs and authentic folk dances. April 23rd is the International Children's Day in Turkey, having the same theme, and BAYCC has been bringing the tradition to the U.S., with its large Turkish member base. This year, Turkish food was on the menu too, nothing less then the authentic home-made Turkish delicacies, sold at several booths served by BAYCC volunteers. The venue was excellent for the event, at the world-renown beautiful Golden Gate Park, right between the California Academy of Sciences and de Young Museum, frequented by masses during the weekends. The festival turned out to be such a big hit that the organizing committee will find its hands full next year, to up the bar. There are already plans to expand performances, attractions and food booths, so there is much to look forward to, for next year's festival.

Bay Area Cultural Connections (BAYCC) has been celebrating International Children's Day every spring, since 2006. International Children's Day is celebrated in Turkey on April 23rd, commemorating the of inauguration of the Grand National Assembly in 1920. Following the tradition in Turkey, BAYCC invites the schools of different ethnicities throughout the Bay Area, to perform their folk dances, with their authentic clothes and native songs. For the past years, the program was held at community centers in Palo Alto, with 5-7 participating groups. This year's program was held in the open at the Golden Gate Park, and 14 groups performed for a much larger audience. This year's program was co-sponsored by Pacifica Institute . Venue Golden Gate Park is located in the sunset district of, San Francisco, spanning 1017 acres of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but slightly larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. With 13 million visitors annually, Golden Gate is the third most visited city park in the U.S. It is the home to many landmarks, including Conservatory of Flowers, Kezar Stadium, and Japanese Tea Garden. Near the northern border of the park, is the The Music Concourse area, an oval-shaped open-air plaza. This year's festival was held at the focal point of Music Concourse area, the Spreckels Temple of Music, also called the "Bandshell", where numerous music performance have been staged. The constant flow of people entering and exiting the two nearby museums, California Academy of Sciences and De Young Museum provided a good source of audience. An estimated 1500 people stopped by to watch performances and taste Turkish delicacies. Parking was a breeze (not really). Well, not everything can be perfect, and this is San Franciso we are talking about. Regular visitors of Golden Gate Park were not surprised to walk a long distance after they park, though, and the day was exceptionally warm, so it was a nice excuse to get some exercise.

Performances

Fifteen groups performed with their traditional songs and dances, including Turkish, Bosnian, Chinese, Mexican, Scottish, Meskhetian Turkish, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Hawaian groups. Surveying favorite performances, we found out that there is no consensus on a single best-performer group, although some groups were mentioned more frequently than others (no, we will not announce them here). This was not a competition, after all, nor were the performers professional dancers. The goal was to celebrate diversity and kindle friendship, and mission was accomplished.

Food

A welcome development of this year's festival was the serving of authentic home-made Turkish food. A quick survey revealed manti , Turkish meat ravioli, as the favorite food at the festival. Small pieces of dough filled with ground beef, manti takes long to prepare, even for a small number of guests. Feeding hoards of guests undoubtedly took many Turkish-lady-hours. Or time of helping/grunting Turkish husbands, for that matter. So, next time you are munching on a spoonful of manti (with a topping of yogurt with spices, mmm) think of how long it takes to prepare this delicacy. Other attractions were doner (gyros), lahmacun (sometimes called Turkish pizza), gozleme (pastry, usually filled with feta cheese), and lentil kofte. Many of those were quickly out of supply though (mental note for next festival). For those of us mere mortals that did not have a chance to taste those, there was a variety of Turkish dessert. So, that was my favorite. My son, on the other hand, loved cotton candy, cup cakes and popcorn (no surprise there).

Plans

There was much good feedback about the festival. I think the highlight of the entire festival is the delicious blend of a variety of cultures, as italicized under BAYCC's name: where the cultures meet. The guests left the festival happy and well-fed. Plans are already on the way, to make next year's festival bigger and better, with a wider spectrum of groups and richer variety of Turkish food. The pictures can be viewed on BAYCC web site, and we always welcome your comments or suggestions via e-mail.

Summer 09 - Interesting Facts

Where did Noah's Ark Land? 

The Great Flood and Noah´s Ark has been a subject of research for centuries, just like other biblical stories. Whereas some approach it with doubt and consider it no more than a fable, some truly believe in its existence and show tremendous efforts in locating Noah´s Ark. All with the hope of proving that there was an Ark, built by Noah, which survived the flood with the help of God.

Although some claim that the flood was a global one, most researchers think more evidence is needed to imply one existed. However, they suggest a local flood occurred in Mesopotamia (today´s Iraq and surrounding area). This is signified by the Assyrian and Sumerian texts that were discovered during archeological diggings. [1] In addition to the stories of the flood mentioned in both the Bible and the Qur´an, a similar story is mentioned in the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. [2]

"and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat." [Genesis 8:4]

Genesis 8:4 mentions "Mountains of rrt", since Mosoretic Hebrew did not have any vowels, "rrt" had been translated as "Urartu" and later during Armenian times as "Ararat". Urartu was an Iron Age Kingdom in Eastern Anatolia which was established in 1350 BC and conquered by Media (ancient Iranian People) during the early 6th century BC. The word rrt (Ararat/Urartu) is also mentioned in Jeremiah 51:27 as a Kingdom in Anatolia. Urartu Kingdom was lying on a mountainous area. The highest mountain in this region is Mount Ararat which is known as Agri Dagi in Turkey. Due to this fact, it had been the most popular research site for ark-hunters for years. Although there have been many expeditions, accounts, alleged sightings, anomalies, and claims of discovery in Mount Ararat, none of the researchers could find scientific evidence. The volcanic Mount Ararat is cylindrical and some geologists claim its formation was after the flood. There are differing views on the accounts of the formation of Mount Ararat on whether it was formed after the flood or during the flood. However, there is no real scientific evidence to support either of these views. Since there is no account of a visible ark on the mountain, most claim it must be preserved under the ice cap on the peak of the mountain. There have been two Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) attempts in the past to look under the ice cap for the remains of an ark. No trace of an ark could be found, although, it would be wrong to conclude its nonexistence until the mountain is completely scanned. Researchers also point out that since the upper reaches of the 17,000 feet mountain is covered with broken lava rock, it is not considered an ideal place for any walking creature to ascend or descend from.

Another site near Mount Ararat was Durupinar, named after Turkish Captain llhan Durupinar, who had identified a formation in a Turkish Air Force aerial photo while on a NATO mapping mission in 1959. This big formation was shaped like a large canoe. A study of Durupinar was conducted in 1960 by the Archeological Research Foundation. Its study on the canoe shaped formation revealed soil and rocks. The official news release concluded that "there were no visible archaeological remains" and that the formation "was a freak of nature and not man-made."[3]

At the beginning of the Christian era, the lands referred to as Ararat was only a northern subdivision of Armenia, near the Araxes River. As a result, when interpreting the location of Mount Ararat, post-Christian writers and Armenians restricted this location to the smaller Araxes River. However, during the time the Old Testament was revealed to Moses, the Urartian region was much more extensive. One might also conclude that the ark could have landed on any of the mountains in the area. This fact and the following verse from the Qur'an moved the attention of the researchers to another Mountain in the area: Mount Judi (Cudi Dagh).

"Then the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!" and the water abated, and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong!" [11:44]

Like Mount Ararat, Mount Judi resides within the borders of Turkey. Mount Judi is the first mountain from a chain of mountains on the border of the Biblical Ararat region which separates the region from the Mesopotamian plains. Compared to Mount Ararat, Mount Judi is a lower peak, standing at 6853 feet. There are numerous monasteries on this mountain built by the Christian Nestorians, including one on the summit called "Cloister of Ark". Also on the summit is a stone structure called "Sefinet Nebi Nuh" ("The Ship of Noah"), named by the locals. Every September 14, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sabians and Yezidis gather on the mountain to celebrate Noah´s sacrifice. According to Zakariya ibn Muhammad al Qazvini, a geographer of the 13th century, wood from Noah´s ark still existed on Mount Judi as late as the eighth and ninth centuries AD, until it was removed and used to construct a mosque. If we assume that an ark of giant dimensions and high durability once existed and rested upon a mountain, even though it is expected to be grounded to bits, one would expect this to take centuries, even millenniums to happen. Such a religiously and historically significant relic would be highly respected, talked about from generation to generation. People would want to see it and own a piece of it. Therefore, this historical structure and commemorative tradition on Mount Judi suggests that for thousands of years, people believed Noah's Ark landed on this area. Furthermore, Dr. Friedrich Bender, a German geologist, found pea-sized wood buried in the soil during his expedition on the mountain in April 1953. The carbon-test he conducted on the samples dated the remains to be 6500 years old. [4]

"The dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in her beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth." [Genesis 8:11] Olive trees do not normally grow today on Mount Ararat (Mount Agri) or the surrounding region. However, olive trees have been grown at Judi from antiquity to current times as its proximity to the Mediterranean region. "Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded [a] to plant a vineyard." [Genesis 9:20] Grapevines are typical of this region, and even in recent times numerous vineyards are grown along the Tigris River valley around Mount Judi as well as the area surrounding Mount Ararat. Mount Judi rises in the borders of Turkish city, Sirnak. The name Sirnak comes from Sehr-i Nuh (City of Noah), which later transformed into Sernah and then into Sirnak. The first village from the summit of Mount Judi is Yogurtcular koyu. This was previously known as Hestan (meaning eighty in Kurdish) until recent times. Hestan is believed to be founded by the eighty people who had survived the flood in the ark. The village has three main streets, Ham, Sam and Yafes named after Noah´s three sons.

Scientists are excited about this new location as the possible ark landing. However, as this article mentions the latest geological researches were made on the area decades ago due to military conflict in the area. With hope, the mountains in the area will be safe enough one day to allow scientists to conduct their research.

[1] Sumerian Eridu Genesis

[2] Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh

[3] Durupinar

[4] Lynchburg man looking for Noah´s Ark

[5] Bible & Spade Vol.19 No.4

Summer 09 - "Sharing Ideas" Luncheon

"Sharing Ideas" luncheon was held by Pacifica Institute’s Bay Area branch on March 29, 2009 at the Cultural Center in Sunnyvale. After an enchanted lunch, people from the Turkish community and St. Robert’s Catholic Church of San Bruno community brainstormed two essential questions: “What does peace mean to you?” and “How can you contribute to peace in our community?” People between the ages of eleven and late seventies from diverse cultural backgrounds exchanged their thoughts about peace in an inspiring environment. Surprisingly, the whole luncheon was the idea of an eleven year old son of a journalist.

Guests were not only delighted by admirable Turkish foods, they were also acquainted with the mission and activities of the Pacifica Institute by watching a short video. Sheral Marshall from the St. Robert’s Catholic Church made an informative speech about the story of St. Francis and the Sultan of Egypt, whose encounter was a step for the Muslim-Christian dialogue in the 13th century. Afterwards, participants brainstormed the questions in moderated round table discussions. At the end of the program, following ideas were harvested as the fruits of dialogue:

What Does Peace Mean to You?

• Love and respect for one another
• To have a peaceful mind
• Praying for being peaceful, which is deeper than being happy
• Loving God and loving each other
• To have a state of tranquility
• Having no hostility against anyone
• Getting along with each other
• Feeling safe
• Appreciating diversity
• Not being self-centric
• Respecting each other
• Following right
• Preventing violence
• Understanding yourself & others
• Good relationship with God, self, and others
• praying for/with others
• coexistence
• accepting others without judging
• friendship between people without much conflict
• Enjoying the moment with elements that God gave to us to live in a peaceful world

How Can You Contribute to Peace in Our Community?

• Sharing small things everyday
• Being a good example and helping others
• Volunteering your skills and knowledge
• Accepting people no matter color, race, culture, etc.
• Maintaining discipline and order in your own family.
• Help out with charity around community
• Real peace comes from real justice/respect
• Be friendly and open to everyone’s ideas
• Speak out for those without much say
• Try to understand each other
• Participate in outreach
• Have peace within yourself
• Emphasize similarities, not differences
• Empathize with others
• Do voluntary work
• Visit neighbors
• Visit nursing homes, orphanages, etc.
• Make more dialogue

Now, we are hoping to proactively apply these ideas into our lives to contribute peace in the community!

Summer 09 - A Night of Dessert Inherited from Noah

Every tradition has a story behind it. Noah´s Pudding, a hodgepodge just like America, has an interesting one to be told.

When Noah's ark landed on the mountain after the flood, Noah and his friends prepared a delicacy with a little bit of everything left in the ark: grains, dried fruits, and pulses on the vessel such as figs, nuts, wheat, chickpeas, almonds and apricots. Sugar and love combination worked in a mysterious way, and the outcome was not bad at all as one might think. It turned out to be a delicious, sweet, rich dish called "Ashura" passing from generation to generation to be cooked and shared with family, friends and neighbors once a year in Turkey.

It is in Pacifica Institute's agenda to celebrate annual "Noah´s Pudding Nights" as a symbol of harmonic blend and unity of community members with different backgrounds, nationalities, religions and age groups. This is the very essence of America, "a melting pot". This year, the event was hosted at the Pacifica Institute Center on the night of January 31st with an extensive program including the speeches, music and presentations.

There were about hundred guests at the event, re-experiencing the great joy and the feast we presumably inherited from Noah and his companions. It started with the dinner. The opening speech was about the history of Noah´s pudding and its metaphoric representation of unity despite the differences. Following the speech, there was a precise slide show on how to cook the pudding. "I know one day the recipe will be handy for me and a bunch of other people in the room." said one of the guests.

Finally, ashura was served. "Ashura has its own distinctive flavor, the flavors meld, and that is how community functions." said the Reverend Matthew Broadbent, senior pastor of Foothills Congregational Church-UCC in Los Altos.

"When members of my church gathered for this year´s celebration, it was wonderful that we sat at different tables and met different people and learned, once again, what a wonderful time it is when people gather in peace and goodwill. It is the essence of community. The pudding, each ingredient features a variety of what would seem to be disparate items: beans and apricots and sugar and wheat and other additions, depending on the cook. It´s a lot of work, no doubt, but the end result is a tasty pudding that reminds us that after the storm passes and we have safely landed, God remembers us still and gives us the fruit of the earth to share with one another." The Reverend Evelyn Vigil from the same church added. "The moment when I had a scoop of ashura, I realized this country offers many opportunities to me because of its diverse nature just like ashura. If I had stayed in my home country, Japan, I would have never been able to meet those people and taste this dessert. I would have missed a chance to hear the story of how it is prepared with care and affection after a long process which takes hours. While I am scooping this dessert, I could feel the weight of history behind it. It is not a random type of pudding. It has joy, happiness, and caring for others." Motoko, a member of the cooking club who was present at the event, shared her thoughts.

Another significance of the night was "Group Anatolia", a sufi music band from Los Angeles. The music included a healing combination of the reed and the drum accompanied by voice. "I felt like my soul was taking a rest in the presence of the music." Meryem Halbutogullari, who were among the guests, commented. Pacifica Institute took over what Noah left, and multiplied it with thousands of years of love. Ashure Night was a night of peaceful and joyous fellowship, a reminder that we are all in this together.

Summer 09 - Discovering Turkey - Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival

Hosgeldiniz, Welcome to the festival

From April 2nd to April 5th, Orange County Fairground in Costa Mesa, California, witnessed a very special event, the First Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival. Nearly 35000 people came to experience it with family and friends. For many Americans and Turks, it was a wonderful opportunity to explore the rich culture and history of Turkey and enjoy the festivities. Coincidentally, the event took place while President Obama visited Turkey. The main sponsor of the event was Pacifica Institute. To-date, Pacifica Institute was known chiefly by its annual dialogue dinners, cultural trips to Turkey, and luncheons. The festival, which took years of meticulous planning and months of execution, was easily the biggest challenge faced by the organizers. Now that it became a huge hit, it will likely repeat annually and be the trademark event of Pacifica Institute. The event was organized with immaculate perfection, and amenities for every age were taken into consideration. Each visitor was given a map of the festival fairgrounds and a schedule for the day at the entrance.

As you enter the gates of the festival, you find yourself walking through the many civilizations - Roman, Ottoman, Greek and Seljuk - and welcomed by the smiles of costumed greeters. The gates were constructed in the architectural style of the respective civilizations, and the greeters´ costumes were also reminiscent of the clothes worn by the people of those times. Large signs provided detailed explanations of the civilizations, and many guests spent a great deal of time educating themselves in front of these signs. Attentions were definitely attracted to the fact that many civilizations were born and died in Anatolian region before it became home to Turks, as evidenced by the path of the civilizations. Undoubtedly, many Americans were not familiar with the name Anatolia before the event. The organizers evidently did all they can to be inclusive of many religious and ethnic minorities living in Turkey without alienating any of those. Many Turks drove and flew long distances to attend the event. The festival was an opportunity for families and friends across the United States to reunite. While they were nostalgic having previously visited Turkey, diverse groups of people came together and discovered Turkey for the first time. As a result of outreach efforts of Pacifica Institute to bring two communities together, many Armenians visited the festival as well despite the tension between Armenian and Turkish communities regarding historical tragic events. The festival provided a unique opportunity to those who left Turkey years ago and still feel a strong belonging to it. The Islamic call to prayer, adhan, brought tears to the eyes of some of the Armenian guests, who are Christian, nevertheless moved by the memories adhan brings back. There were many activities to choose from - comedy and musical performances, movie nights, exhibitions, handcraft demonstrations, live theatre, games for kids, live outdoor concerts and dance performances.

A man with a traditional red outfit was shouting for lemonade. The Sultan Ahmed III fountain, which beautifies the Uskudar square in Istanbul, was replicated as a fountain drink center serving iced tea and Ayran, a popular summer drink made out of yogurt. What set this festival apart from others is the Disneyland-like structures with their detailed calligraphic designs, ornate motifs and realistic photo backdrops of famous Turkish landmarks like Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia. Indeed, great care was taken to imitate the original structures in painstaking detail. The festival grounds highlighted 5 cities- Istanbul, Konya, Antalya, Mardin and Van, featuring photo exhibits, handicrafts. Furthermore, each city had a gateway structure unique to their city. For example, the city of Van featured the famous Van cat, a breed of all-white cat with eyes of different color, which was popular amongst visitors who took photos and looked at with curiosity and wonderment. Meanwhile, Konya showcased their famous whirling dervishes, Sufi music performances and the tomb of Rumi.

Each of the city booths included information about the art and crafts. The entrance gate of each city displayed photos and description of the famous landmarks and significant historical events that took place. The open courtyard was designed in the architectural style of the famous grand bazaar in Istanbul, replete with domes and pillars. There were many talented painters, musicians, craftsmen and performers brought from Turkey for the duration of the festival. Not only did we all get to enjoy the savory foods of Turkey, but we witnessed a wonderful demonstration of Anatolian Turkish cuisine cooking live on stage. The chef allowed audience members to participate in the cooking of dolma, kabob and desserts. The festival even included a children´s version called `Kids Land´. For many parents, it was an added bonus to drop off their kids at `Kids Land´ where all took part in several entertaining activities that included puppet shows, games, painting lessons, toys and performances. A special thanks and praise goes out to all the volunteers and staff for the festival who worked tirelessly and generously to serve the festival attendees. I was most impressed by the level of commitment and volunteer time they gave to all the visitors. I met two girls who flew in from another state to help their friend serve food all day. Those who were serving food would often stand behind all day without taking a break to eat themselves.

The highlights of the festival included the marching of the Ottoman Military Band, performances of traditional Anatolian songs and hands-on demonstrations of art unique to Turkey such as `Ebru,' a form of marble design painting on water. The festival included many wonderful traditional and regional dances of Turkey. While Circassian dancers were performing in the main stage, Sirtaki took place in Aspendos Amphitheatre. Reyhani of Mardin was probably the crowd´s most favourite since they were able to participate with the performers. Overall the festival was a great success. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan issued a congratulatory of well wishes. For many visitors to the festival, it was an enlightening and wonderful experience.

If you missed the festival, don't worry, you can always look forward to next year.

Summer 09 - Respect for the Sacred

In all faith traditions, respect for the sacred involves both worship of God and love for one's neighbor. In fact, all of the prophets tell us that the two are actually one and the same.

The following include examples of what it means to have "respect for the sacred." The absolute, irreducible, non-negotiable requirement for recognizing the sacred and respecting the sacred is to acknowledge the infinite value of every human being. Not just the ones who share my blood or my background or my belief. Not just those who are intelligent or courageous or kind. Not just those who smile back at me when I smile at them. But each and every person, starting with those who can offer me the least: the very old, the very young, the very sick; the fearful, the mentally disturbed, the just plain mean and hateful; the prisoner, the homeless person, the stranger, and even the enemy, especially the enemy. These human beings are the ones who can teach me respect for the sacred, because I recognize their worth and value not on the basis of what they can do for me, but simply on the basis of the gift of life that God has given them.

French Jewish philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas has said that "ethics is the first philosophy." When I look at another person face-to-face, I see a vulnerable human being who has a claim on me. I am responsible for my neighbor. Why? We might say we are responsible for each other because God commands us to love one another. However, Levinas suggests that it works in an opposite fashion. Precisely in the face of another is where God speaks to me. In other words, my relationship with the person starts first and subsequently leads to my relationship with God.

Christian monk, St. Pachomius, was a founder of a large monastery in Egypt in the 4th century. There once was a man who went to Pachomius and asked to be shown God. St. Pachomius decided to oblige the man and proceeded to take him out to the monastery garden and show him an elderly, unkempt, and unpleasant monk. He told the man that if he could not see God by looking at this monk, it would be impossible to see Him anywhere else.

Drawing upon Jewish and Christian philosophies, I now quote from an Islamic source. A hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad) further explains. "He is not a believer who eats his fill when his neighbor beside him is hungry." Note that the Prophet does not just say that believers ought to feed the hungry as though faith in Allah comes first, and then the believer decides whether or not to feed the hungry person. The Prophet says that the person who fills up on food while the neighbor goes hungry is not a believer at all. I am not a scholar of Islamic literature, but the meaning seems pretty clear. Seeing a hungry person and sharing food from one's own table is what makes someone close to God, a believer if you will, and not the other way around. Actions of mercy and compassion toward one's neighbor come first and foremost, which then lead further into a relationship with the One who is All-Merciful and All-Compassionate. End of story. So be it. Amen.

This article has been adapted from the Reverend Arthur G. Holder´s speech during Pacifica Institute's San Francisco Friendship Dinner in 2006. The Reverend Arthur G. Holder is Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Christian Spirituality at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of California. Dean Holder received a bachelor´s degree from Duke University, a Master of Divinity degree from the General Theological Seminary in New York City, and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology, also from Duke. He has published translations of medieval Latin Christian texts as well as articles on biblical interpretation, pastoral ministry, and education in early and medieval Christianity. He is also the editor of The Blackwell Companion to Christian Spirituality (Blackwell Publishers, 2005). Dean Holder lives in Albany, California with his wife Sarah and their son Charles.

Summer 09 - Editor's Message

Anatolia Relived in LA

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the second issue of Pacifica Institute's quarterly local newsletter for the Bay Area community.

This issue is woven around two festivals that Pacifica Institute sponsered in the past months and the ashura activities in the area.

The "WOW!" factor for the month of April was surely the Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival held at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, CA. The whole region of Anatolia, including cross sections from many other civilizations appeared in Los Angeles for four days. It was exciting to see the green tomb of Rumi under the LA skies. Tea and simit, a Turkish style pretzel, tasted just as great as the ones at Blue Mosque Square in Istanbul. We have included pictures and an article written by a festival goer entitled "Discovering Turkey: Anatolian Cultures and Food Festival" for those who were unable to attend the festival.

The highlight of May was the 4th Annual International Children´s Celebration. In the previous years, the Children's Celebration was held indoor with only a few nation participating. This year the organizing committee raised the bar, with fourteen nations taking the stage outdoors at Golden Gate Park. An article is included highlighting the event .

Pacifica Institute organized the Noah's Pudding activities in January. Many volunteers were busy cooking the traditional pudding, while others were distributing it to sister communities and organizations. "Pacifica Diary: A Night of Dessert Inherited from Noah" provides an in-depth look at the Noah's Pudding Night activity. The article "Interesting Facts: Where did Noah's Ark Land?" is for those who are wondering the whereabouts of the Ark. A delicious Ashure recipe is in Recipe Corner along with the traditional stuffed bulgur-ground meat recipe from Southeastern Turkey.

Please energize the connection from your end by letting us know what you think about the newsletter (pacificasv@pacificainstitute.org). We are looking forward to getting your feedback. Have a great summer!