Creating An Interfaith Circle And Tips To Get Started
Bridging The Roots of Two Lineages
By Gabrielle Cohen
Gabrielle Cohen (she/her) is a writer and creative facilitator who lives between Vietnam and Southern California, U.S. (Tongva land). She’s passionate about language as a tool to heal, spirituality that centers diversity and belonging, and the intersectionality across identities. Email: gabriellewriteswords@gmail.com.
As the daughter of a Vietnamese Buddhist convert, I didn't always feel comfortable or represented in Jewish spaces. It surely didn’t help that I was often asked to explain my Judaism—and on many occasions even told that my Judaism wasn't valid because of my mother.
When I went to college, I became involved in Hillel and Chabad, and connected with Jewish friends who helped me reinvigorate meaningful traditions that I think my grandparents—conservative Sephardic Jews who emigrated from Egypt—would have been proud of.
And yet, admittedly, I still struggled to relate to many of the experiences of my Jewish peers. I never attended Jewish summer camp; I spent the summers visiting my mother's relatives in Vietnam. My family's Passover dinners also looked very different: let’s just say I didn’t know any other Jewish moms made chả giò (Vietnamese egg rolls) for after the Seder.
For a long time, I felt like I had to separate both “halves” of my lineages. It was like I was two different people living in one body, erasing parts of myself wherever I went.
Connection Is Everyone’s Birthright
In the last few years, I've participated in and led "remixed" holidays that are far from traditional. In January this year, the Jewish calendar observed Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, a week before the Vietnamese people prepare to celebrate Tết—the Lunar New Year, a holiday celebrated in many East and Southeast Asian countries.
This is not the first time that I noticed how the Jewish and Buddhist calendars have aligned. Throughout the last year, I’ve paid close attention to how these ancient traditions from very different places seem to share a wisdom that our modern calendar lacks. For example, in September, the Harvest Moon in the Buddhist calendar took place the same week as Rosh Hashanah. When we look to our ancestors who did not have iPhones and alarm clocks, we remember that the wisdom of telling time is ancestral, and in some ways, universal. Our human ancestors looked to the sun and the moon, the stars in the sky. We have so much to learn from them.
Through following my curiosities as an adult towards both Jewish and Buddhist traditions—which overlap in countless, beautiful ways—I realize that connection is my and our birthright, no matter where we come from.
Finding Common Ground Within Intercultural Spaces
When we honor and acknowledge the diversity of Jewish experiences, we open doors for new connections, pathways, and conduits for belonging and understanding.
So, in honor of both Tết & Tu B’Shevat, I led a circle that represented both holidays and cultures, focusing on the overarching theme of “Roots”, an image that is deeply powerful for me.
Tu B’Shevat is a holiday in which we honor the sacred fruits of Israel and pay gratitude for all that grows. A particular tradition of Tết, similarly, is to eat certain fruits like oranges and apricots, which symbolize abundance, prosperity, and good health for the year ahead. Unsurprising, given that both cultures value mindfulness and connection to the sacred that dwells in all things.
Using this as a starting point, I posed the following questions to our group: What do you honor and appreciate that grows from the ground? What “fruits” of your life, either literal or metaphorical, are you grateful for? What are you reaping this year?
To me, this is the beauty of interfaith and intercultural traditions. How do we invite people in to share their own rituals? Where does their wisdom align with the knowledge of other cultures and traditions? What can we learn from each other?
Ritualizing And Personalizing Judaism
Even if religions and traditions are seemingly "different" from one another—a narrative that was often reinforced for most of my life—I have found beauty in the fertile space in-between cultures.
In this way, I’ve developed and ritualized Judaism in a way that is personal and meaningful to me, without feeling like I have to suppress any part of me to “fit in.”
So, if you’re a Jewish person of color, or simply a Jewish person with experiences that differ from what you’ve been told is the “norm”, I’ve compiled some tips below to get you started on creating interfaith spaces.
How To Host Your Own Interfaith/Intercultural Well Circle
Consider the origins of the holiday(s), tradition, culture, or religion, which you aim to honor. Where did this holiday or ritual come from? Are there any themes or elements associated with this time?
You might research or think about: Are there any sacred customs, foods to be eaten, or rituals that people often partake in for this holiday/tradition?
Who is usually present for these events? Is there any emphasis on children or older adults? Women?
As you unpack this holiday’s themes, can you find any commonalities or overlapping themes with traditional (or non-traditional) Jewish rituals?
Reflect on why these particular aspects of both traditions are meaningful to you. Leave what doesn’t feel resonant or active for you at this moment. Know that you are by no means expected to be an expert on anything other than sharing your authentic story.
In that vein, when sharing with your Circle, speak from your own experience, inviting others to be a mirror by reflecting on what is personally meaningful to them.
If you’re a visual person or like to weave other activities into your circle, consider how you might weave in art, writing, music, or any other personal form of inspiration to your experience.
I hope this post sparks inspiration to create your own event.
With big, rooted love,
Gabrielle