Muslim, Baha’i and Hindu faiths and the major Christian denominations including the Catholic, Coptic and Uniting churches were brought together with the Jewish community to attend a Chanukah service and Shabbat meal at Emanuel Synagogue.
The Religions for Peace NSW Branch – a Sydney interfaith group – led by Josie Lacey who is the Convenor, attended a Friday night Chanukah service and Shabbat meal at Emanuel Synagogue in Sydney on December 11.
Religions for Peace NSW Branch meets regularly to discuss social cohesion and to explore understanding, cooperation, harmony and peace between the religions.
The NSW chapter is one of several Australian divisions of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, an interfaith body of representatives from more than 70 different countries. Founded in 1970, the World Conference of Religions for Peace encourages dialogue, tolerance and understanding between the major faiths of the world.
Among the attendees were: Imam Amin Hady of the Zetland Mosque; Jeremy Jones (Executive Council of Australian Jewry); Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations president Prof Abd Malak (Coptic); Rev Dr David Gill (Uniting Church); Rev Gayatripana Mataji, Purima (Hindu); Robert Grant (Hindu); Venus Khalesi (Baha’i), Caroline Haski, Wilma Viswanathan (Uniting Church) and Sister Marianne Dacy (Catholic).
NSW Deputy Opposition Labor leader in the State Parliament’s Legislative Council and Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord also attended the service. The Deputy Opposition Leader hosts the Religions for Peace NSW meetings at State Parliament and supports their aims.
On behalf of Religions for Peace NSW, Convenor Josie Lacey gave a vote of thanks to the Emanuel board for hosting the group as well as senior Rabbi Jeffrey Kamins and Rabbi Jacqueline Ninio for welcoming the visitors.
For some of the members, it was their first Chanukah service and first visit to a Jewish place of worship.
“Chanukah celebrates the triumph of light over darkness; freedom over oppression and good over evil. In these difficult times, it is important to reach out to other faiths and to find the light within and bring warmth to all of those around us,”
In previous sessions, the Religions for Peace NSW branch dealt with constitutional recognition for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and hosted NSW Deputy Police Commissioner, Nick Kaldas who spoke on community relations and his own family background.
Interfaith group flanked by Walt Secord [left] and Jeremy Jones [right] with Josie Lacey in yellow
