From https://rabbijason.com/publications/articles/jewish-yarmulke-muslim-kufi/
One Missing Yarmulke, Several New Friends
Rabbi Jason MillerWe tend to see the differences that separate us from other religious groups rather than the commonalities. That sounds so cliché, but it’s true.
When some Jews hear of an Islamic religious school, called a madrassa, they make assumptions about what might be taught there. They don’t take the time to even consider that the Arabic word madrassa is very closely related to the Hebrew word midrasha, a Jewish religious school.
And when some Jews see a Muslim man wearing a skullcap called a kufi, they make assumptions about his religious views, political sentiments, and opinions on a range of social issues. They tend to forget how similar the kufi is to our kippah, or yarmulke.
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She seemed confused by my request, but explained they had no store in the building and didn’t sell kufis. But just as I was about to head back to my rental car, the woman found another woman and shared my story. She told me to wait a moment and about five minutes later she returned with a large, black knitted kufi for me. I asked her how much it would cost and she insisted that it was free. I took out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to her as a donation. The idea that I had just made my first charitable gift to an Islamic school was not lost on me. With some trepidation I placed the kufi on my head and thanked the kind women as I left.Just as I got back in the car and took a look at myself in the rear-view mirror my phone rang. It was my wife telling me that there was an Orthodox synagogue in Peoria. I told her I was wearing a Muslim kufi on my head and shared my story of the welcoming women at the madrassa.
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While I wore the borrowed yarmulke to the visit at the spice factory, I still felt appreciative to the generous women at the madrassa who provided me with the kufi. It is a story I will continue to tell with pleasure. Losing a yarmulke led me on an adventure to a mosque, a madrassa and a neighborhood park where I met a new rabbinic colleague.I keep that black kufi on the desk of my office and every once in a while I smile as I consider the similarities between Jews and Muslims. Perhaps, my kufi will serve as a reminder to others to seek out the connections with members of other religions and to explore what we share in common rather than what divides us.
Honoring Pittsburgh synagogue victims, Pence appears with ‘rabbi’ who preaches, ‘Jesus
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I wonder what the Compost thinks about Left-wing Jewish Rabbis who don’t preach Judaism either?
...probably don’t mind that very much.
Great points; you skewered the fake phony fraud Rabbi.
If the event was supposed to be welcoming to the greater Jewish community— then bringing a messianic (ie, evangelical Christian with Jewish wardrobe) was a mistake.
Get it? “Come Jews!... And hear an evangelical message.”
It wasn’t a Mike Pence rally, it was a local candidate rally. Mike Pence just attended it.
The candidate invited a local religious leader for prayer, as most candidates do for every rally.
The shooting happened recently, so the invited religious leader, during prayer, offered prayers for the victims, as probably did most every religious leader in the country on Sunday (probably not muslim religious leaders, but I digress).
Mike Pence “bowed” for the prayer. Imagine if he had NOT. I don’t even know if Pence knew who the religious leader was, but of course he was going to bow for a prayer.
In fact, if it had been an conservative Rabbi, the guy probably would have complained, and if it was a liberal Rabbi, the guy probably would have faulted Pence for PRETENDING to pray with a person of a different belief than him.
And, in the crowning acheivement, this guy actually makes it “bad” for a Messianic Jewish leader (a recognized religious group) to be praying for jewish victims, as if they are somehow disqualified.
Yes Virginia, you CAN be Jewish AND Christian ..ask the disciples and the early church.