During the week this summer in which both Elul and Ramadan began, as the moon grew thinner and the temperature in the Hudson Valley grew warmer, 18 invited emerging leaders — Jewish and Muslim — gathered at the Garrison Institute in Garrison, New York, convened by the Multifaith Studies Department of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College through the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation.
Four scholars(Professors Or Rose, Mahmoud Ayoub, Sherman Jackson and Raquel Ukeles) provided the core of the program: the study of the narrative of Joseph/Yusuf in Torah, Qur ‘an and the Jewish and Muslim exegetical traditions. Some formal and much informal conversation ensued, not only about the many versions of the life of Joseph and his family, but also about the participants’ own lives and their families’ stories and, toward the end of our time together, about the different narratives we each hold of our faith families’ interactions with each other, especially in the recent past.
We studied our respective versions of Joseph, learning about the “narrative migrations between Judaism and Islam,” as Marc Bernstein called them in his book chronicling how the two communities have shared this prophet/leader over the centuries. As we filled our heads with new texts and information, we found ourselves juggling what we learned, trying to balance a celebration of our commonalities with celebration of our differences.
Inspired by the candor of our faculty, we acknowledged the interplay of light and shadow in each of our traditions, especially in the way they understand of the “other.” We talked about how we talk about the “tough questions,” sharing what we had seen work well. We prayed at our respective prayer times in separate spaces, but we blessed our meals together. We even spent some time grappling with the intra-faith dynamics that emerged amongst the diverse spectrum of Jews and of Muslims.
At our best, we modeled for each other respect, humility, and optimism. Through shared work, we built new friendships and the glimmerings of a new community. By the last night, we were able to create our own entertainment, a coffeehouse in which some participants were brave enough to read their own poetry aloud and others risked performing in improvised skits in which, inevitably, Potiphar’s wife/Zuleikah would make an appearance. 
We arrived curious and went away confused, a state of mind our participant Mona Eltahawy commended to us. We had some of our assumptions challenged and we learned that there were many questions we did not even know how to ask.
We also came away motivated, committed to listening for the many stories –and many versions –out there. Stay tuned to hear about next steps.
