When
most people think of Omaha, they imagine sizzling steaks, billionaire
Warren Buffet or even former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning calling out
before the snap. (Remember "Omaha-Omaha"?).
But
if a group of clergymen have their way, Nebraska's largest city will
soon also be known as the home of interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding.
A
rabbi, a reverend and an imam (no, it's not a setup joke) are partners
in a decadelong quest to bring together the three Abrahamic faiths --
Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- to share and worship on the same
property.
It's called Tri-Faith Initiative.
The
$65 million project, launched in 2006 and funded through donations, may
be the first time in US history that the three faiths intentionally
build their houses of worship side by side.
The
three clergymen leading congregations participating in the Tri-Faith
Initiative are (L-R) Temple Israel Rabbi Emeritus Aryeh Azriel,
Countryside Community Church Senior Minister Eric Elnes, and American
Muslim Institute Imam Mohamad Jamal Daoudi.
"We
didn't create this (project) to tolerate each other. We didn't create
this just to have a dialogue," explained Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, the former
senior rabbi at Omaha's Temple Israel, whose vision helped drive the
project.
"We have done all this
stuff already. It's about what are we going to do together. What are we
going to do for the betterment of humanity?" Read more
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