Live and Learn with Rabbi Alana Suskin and Hamza Khan
25 Apr @ 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Judaism and Islam: Values, Views and Texts
Three Tuesday Mornings in April!
This three-week course will provide an overview of Judaism and Islam, focusing on historical development and similarities and differences between the faiths (both structurally and spiritually). In the first week, we will cover foundational texts and historical relationships with each other. In the second week, we will talk about the role of humankind in the world, and what role law and belief play in each faith. And in the final week, we will share an overview of holy lands in both faiths.
Join us to develop an appreciation of the relationship between Judaism and Islam, and how even in our differences, we share many values, views, and even texts. Save your spot and register today. Registration is complimentary for the TBA community.
At the conclusion of the final class on Tuesday, April 25, we will present two local comedians, one Muslim and one Jewish, who will do stand up comedy sets about their different religions and cultures.
Dates: April 11, 18, and 25 | 10:30 AM-Noon ET
Location: In-Person Only
Temple Beth Ami
14330 Travilah Rd, Rockville, MD 20850
Instructors: Rabbi Alana Suskin and Hamza Khan
Register Today
About the Speakers
Rabbi Alana Suskin is an educator, activist, and writer. She received rabbinic ordination from the Conservative Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles, and more recently from the Orthodox Yeshivat Maharat in Riverdale, NY. She also holds BAs in Philosophy and Russian, an MA in Philosophy, and a graduate certificate in Women’s Studies.
She is senior editor of the progressive blog Jewschool.com and has served on the boards of T’ruah, Jews United for Justice, and Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington and is a founding fellow of CLAL’s project, Rabbis Without Borders. Rabbi Alana is co-founder and co-director with her friend Hamza Khan of The Pomegranate Initiative, a non-profit fighting anti-Semitism and Islamophobia through education and relationship-building across the US.
Hamza Khan is a long-time interfaith activist. He sits on the board for the Jewish Islamic Dialogue Society, and has worked to achieve harmony between Muslims and Jews living in the West for most of his life. Notably, in 2021 he and Rabbi Alana Suskin were co-leads for the largest exercise of public diplomacy in human history, working to bring everyday Israelis and Palestinians together to come to know one another during the most recent conflict between Hamas and Israel. Hamza and Rabbi Alana are the co-founders of the Pomegranate Initiative against Antisemitism and Islamophobia. He is from Potomac, Maryland.
*At the conclusion of the final class on Tuesday, April 25, we will present two local comedians, one Muslim and one Jewish, who will do stand up comedy sets about their different religions and cultures.
Yasmin Elhady is a comedian and attorney who has toured both nationally and internationally. She’s performed at The Kennedy Center and is featured on NBC’s True Story with Ed Helms and Randall Park, now streaming on Peacock. She’s also appeared on NPR, Netflix is a Joke Radio on SiriusXM, The Washington Post, WUSA9 with Reese Waters, and in Vice Media’s book “Little America: Incredible True Stories of Immigrants in America,” which was later turned into an Apple TV+ series by Kumail Nanjiani. She was named a 2022 “Yes, And…Laughter Lab” finalist for comedy & social justice.
Carmiya Weinraub is a comedian and producer tours nationally with a show she created called Interfaith Comedy. She performs locally at comedy clubs and tries out her jokes on her husband, a non-willing audience member. You can find her playing hide and seek with her kids, if you look hard enough.