What is Twinning?

 The 3rd annual Weekend of Twinning became a world-wide phenomenon as tens of thousands of Muslims and Jews in more than 120 synagogues and 120 mosques in 22 countries on four continents—including the State of Israel—attended events bringing together members of the two communities to celebrate commonalities in the two faith traditions and to work together for their joint benefit. The 3rd Annual Weekend of Twinning kicked off with a ‘Virtual Twinning’ on October 31, an on-line worldwide town hall bringing together youthful participants of the Muslim Jewish Conference including Pakistan, Lebanon, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, Morocco, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, France, Britain, and Canada. The young adults logged in to hear reports of twinning events around the world and to discuss how to use the Internet to spread Jewish-Muslim dialogue globally, including to Muslim countries where there are few or no Jews. The Weekend of Twinning was held after a tumultuous summer that resulted in an increase in anti-Muslim sentiments across the U.S. relating to the plans to build an Islamic community center near the former site of the World Trade Center in N.Y. “The targeting this summer of Muslim communities in New York, Tennessee and elsewhere demonstrate that we as a country have a long way to go until all men and women are accepted as equals,” said Rabbi Marc Schneier. “I am proud to see so many join in on the Weekend of Twinning. Rather than joining in the chorus of non-acceptance, they are choosing instead to confront Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and bigotry head-on. The Weekend of Twinning has time and time again shown us that Jews and Muslims can not only live together peacefully as neighbors, but also partner together to build a better community at-large.”

November 13-15 2009: SECOND ANNUAL WEEKEND OF TWINNING

The 2nd Annual Weekend of Twinning more than doubled in size from the 2008 event and jumped the Atlantic Ocean, as thousands of Muslims and Jews from across North America and Europe came together to break bread, pray, perform community service and pledge to nurture ties of friendship and trust between their communities in the world’s largest gathering of Muslims and Jews. After a kickoff event in Chicago, more than 100 mosques and 100 synagogues held one-on-one programs across the United States, Canada and seven countries in Europe, including Britain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and Netherlands. In France, where Muslim Jewish tensions have been especially high, 20 mosques and 20 synagogues twinned with each other, offering a powerful refutation to the idea that reconciliation between the two faith communities is impossible. “The overwhelming success of the Weekend of Twinning makes clear that Muslims and Jews across North America and Europe are avid to connect with each other and to build a movement dedicated to nurturing ties of of communication, reconciliation and cooperation between our two communites, said Rabbi Marc Schneier.

In a historic event aimed at strengthening Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States and Canada, more than 40 mosques and more than 40 synagogues across the continent will link up for a Weekend of Twinning of Mosques and Synagogues Across North America on November 21-23, 2008. The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding will play the chief coordinating role in the Weekend of Twinning in consultation with the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).