Better Together


November 9, 2011

Students seated at table with Steven Knapp at interfaith dinner

At the university’s 10th annual Interfaith Dinner on Tuesday, students from many faith traditions gathered in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom to share a meal and reflect on the commonalities among religions. Representatives from student Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Christian and Buddhist organizations read portions from their sacred texts and reflected on the evening’s theme, “Better Together.”

Timothy Kane, GW’s associate director for inclusion initiatives, began the evening by emphasizing the university’s dedication to the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, a yearlong White House initiative for which GW hosted the national kick-off event on Aug. 3.

“The theme of this yearlong interfaith challenge is ‘Better Together,’” Mr. Kane said. “Tonight, we revisit this theme, and our values, by the simple yet profound act of breaking bread together—and act that has symbolized, throughout the ages, the intimate intention to care for one another.”

While students, university administrators and faculty members enjoyed a meal of Middle Eastern salads, falafel, hummus, warm vegetable dishes and breads, representatives from student faith groups read and interpreted passages from scriptures—the Torah, the Quran, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita and the Buddhist Sutra.

Freshman Max Deem of the Jewish Student Association read, in Hebrew, a Torah passage about making peace. Freshman Phoebe Raileanu translated the passage into English, explaining that the selection—a much-cited passage about turning swords into ploughshares—is one of only a few in the Torah that does not refer specifically to the Jews, but to every nation. “These words emphasize that we are better when we together strive for peace,” she explained.

A selection from the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes that God resides in the heart of every human being, said senior Prapti Muhuri, of Satyam, GW’s Hindu awareness organization. “It is irrelevant which God one believes in,” she said. “The supreme power unites us as a brotherhood under God and creates a divine relationship. Thus, it doesn’t matter our differences. Instead, we are better together.”

The evening also included musical performances from the Muslim, Hindu and Jewish traditions, and remarks from George Washington President Steven Knapp, who spoke about the letters of goodwill exchanged between the university’s namesake, President George Washington, and representatives from the first synagogue in the United States, the Touro Synagogue of Newport, R.I., in 1790. George Washington’s letter read, in part, “...the government of the United States...gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.”

“Toleration is something that everyone inherently deserves,” Dr. Knapp said, speaking about a government’s policy of permitting all forms of religious belief and not establishing an official state religion.

Dr. Knapp also said that what initially surprised—and impressed—him the most when he came to GW was the students’ commitment to the values of service. “Our students, in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy of the September 11 attacks, took the initiative themselves to initiate this now 10-year-old tradition of interfaith dinners …I think that’s a model for the nation and the world.”

Raneem Rajjoub, president of the Muslim Students’ Association, told the audience that after growing up in a predominantly Christian town with few other Muslim families, she was initially nervous about the reactions her faith might garner in college. “After meeting all the wonderful people at GW, and especially the wonderful group on stage with me, I’ve learned we are in fact all better together. We’ve been supportive of other another’s events, developed friendships and dedicated ourselves to understanding one another. I only see ourselves progressing forward by working together.”

Tabetha Zimmerman, a sophomore member of the Jewish Student Association, said she was happy to see so many attendees at the dinner. “It’s cool to see other student religious groups that are just as passionate, do just as many events, and put just as much heart and soul into this. It’s good to know everyone’s represented.”