Leaders of Maine’s Jewish and Muslim communities came together Friday evening to celebrate the first public Shabbat and Ramadan dinner in state history.
About 150 people attended the event at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine in Portland, lighting candles, saying prayers, and enjoying traditional music and food just after sunset.
Muslims are observing Ramadan, a holy month when most adults avoid eating or drinking during daylight hours and break their fast after sundown. And each week Jews celebrate Shabbat, a day of rest, from sunset Friday through sunset Saturday.
The room erupted in applause when Reza Jalali, executive director of the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center, suggested that the dinner become a yearly event.
“We have so much in common,” Jalali said. “To come together, to break bread, to create community, one meal at a time.”
The convivial dinner contrasted strongly with a recent demonstration by a white nationalist group in downtown Portland and white supremacist mailers sent to several state lawmakers.
Molly Curren Rowles, executive director of the JCA, said the dinner recognized that Muslims and Jews are both children of Abraham.
“This is a really powerful response to the racial bias and hatred that we know exists,” Rowles said. “It brings joy to God.”
Dignitaries included Gov. Janet Mills, whom Jalali said cares about every Mainer regardless of where they were born.
“We’re celebrating our faith, we’re celebrating our diversity and we’re celebrating our harmony,” Mills said as she arrived at the dinner. Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also attended.
Rabbi Jared Saks, of Congregation Bet Ha’am, recites the Kiddush at a Shabbat and Ramadan dinner at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine on Friday. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer
During Shabbat, Jews recall the Torah’s description of how God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh; their redemption from slavery and exodus from Egypt; and the anticipation of a messiah to bring peace.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, a period of 29 to 30 days stretching from one crescent moon to the next. One of the Five Pillars of Islam commemorates Mohammad’s first revelation.
“We want to show that we are from the same source, no matter our religious path,” said Tarlan Ahmadov, founder and president of the Azerbaijan Society of Maine.
“This is big,” said Inza Ouattara, state refugee coordinator with Catholic Charities Maine. “It shows what we have in common. It helps bring people together.”
Muslims typically observe Ramadan by fasting, studying the Quran, and dedicating themselves to self-improvement and helping others. At sunset each day, Muslims break their Ramadan fast with an iftar, a meal traditionally begun by eating dates to commemorate Muhammad’s practice of breaking the fast with three dates.
During Shabbat, Jews refrain from work and other strenuous activities, such as exercising, cooking, cleaning, and using appliances, machinery, or technology. Encouraged activities include reading, studying, singing, attending synagogue services, sleeping, and socializing with family, friends, and guests at Shabbat meals.
Friday’s catered dinner included falafel, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, kosher chicken, rice, shawarma, and kababs.
“It’s so beautiful to see different people coming together from different cultures,” said Qamer Hussein, a health outreach worker with Gateway Community Services Maine.
Chanbopha Himm is a leader in Maine’s Cambodian community and works for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s also the Cambodian New Year, so I’m just going to take it all in,” she said. “This dinner opens the door to have conversations, to build relationships, to move beyond differences.”
Rabbi Andy Bachman is a newcomer to Portland who has attended Shabbat and Ramadan dinners in New York.
“It’s a wonderful thing that it’s happening here,” Bachman said. “I’m seeing what’s possible when people come together to celebrate what unites us instead of what divides us.”
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