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A Holy Commonality

This year, Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha—a day of fasting and prayer, and a day of feasting and celebration for Muslims, respectively—overlap

by
Hannah Vaitsblit
September 22, 2015
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shutterstock
Shutterstock

A coincidence of the calendar has struck, rendering this week a busy holiday week for both Jews and Muslims across the world. Just as the judgment gates of Yom Kippur are locked shut with Wednesday’s setting sun, Muslims will embark upon their Feast of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, celebrating the faithful willingness of Abraham to bind his son in the first place.

In light of this perfect timing, which repeats from last year (and only happens every 33 Years, according to The Times of Israel), the Israeli organization Gishurim, which works toward the advancement of dialogue and mediation in community conflicts, recently released a new video as part of a campaign to “respect each other’s holidays this year.” In collaboration with the Community Mediation and Dialogue Centers of Jerusalem, Lod, Ramle, Acre, and Haifa (all cities in Israel with highly mixed populations of Jews and Arabs), Gishurim explores what each holiday means to its diverse observers, respectively.

Hannah Vaitsblit is an intern at Tablet.