Interfaith Trialogue Series

February 5, 12 and 19, 2012 - 2:00 to 4:00 P.M.

The 2012 Interfaith Trialogue Series, “Food for Thought: Thinking about Food, Religion, and Community,” will be held on February 5, 12 and 19. The first session will be held at Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, the second session at the Peace Academy and the third at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church. All sessions will start at 2:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. The programs are free and open to the public.

For the past 29 years, OCCJ has brought together Tulsans of various faiths for the annual Interfaith Trialogue. The series seeks to tackle tough issues in a way that helps us live together with our deepest differences.

“The views expressed are sometimes deeply unsettling, and it feels healthy to confront our differences and to expose ourselves to views that are powerfully divergent,” says Marc Boone Fitzerman, Rabbi at Congregation B’nai Emunah. “It’s a never-ending conversation. Over and over again, it’s honest conversations on some of the most difficult issues in society. It’s a fearless project. The topics we have engaged in the past quarter of a century reflect that – violence, immigration, the relationship between religion and state.”

Over the years, a broad variety of themes have been addressed. Says Sheryl Siddiqui, director of Community Relations and American Outreach for the Islamic Society of Tulsa, “Religion is one of the things that could bring us together, but it also divides us. OCCJ helps address the ills of our community in our interpersonal relationships.”

The Rev. Dr. Bill Crowell, associate minister at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church and chair of the series for the 7th consecutive year, says of the planning committee, “We’re reaching out to the young population and young professionals, to involve them more.”

The OCCJ Trialogue Series is made possible in part by the Tulsa Library Trust’s Alfred E. Aaronson Lecture Series Endowment.