First Jewish temple to debut in Fayetteville
Saba Naseem
Issue date: 10/17/08 Section: News
Peace might seem like a far cry for the Israel-Palestine conflict, but here in Fayetteville, the construction of the Temple Shalom is a step in the outreach between the Muslim and Jewish communities
Temple Shalom, which translates to "Temple of Peace," is the first Jewish temple to be built around the Fayetteville area. The nearest was in Fort Smith.
Temple Shalom was contracted by Fadil Bayyari, a Palestinian Muslim, who said he hopes to help the two communities look past their differences and see that they are both descendents of Abraham.
"One of the reasons I did this is because of the great respect I have for Judaism as a religion and the many things that it has in common with my Islamic faith," Bayyari said. "As a Muslim, I was told in the Quran to believe in the Torah and the Bible, and therefore, I have no problem in my heart and mind extending my help to the people of the Books."
Bayyari also has built two churches in Springdale and a mosque in Fayetteville.
"We are thrilled at this outreach, which is mutual between the very generous Fadil Bayyari and our congregation," said William Feldman, chair of the math department. "We are fortunate that we do have a culture that is receptive to people from different backgrounds in this community. Jews and Muslims are both small minorities in our city, and yet the community, including the majority Christian community, has been incredibly supportive of our project."
For both communities, this idea has been seen as one more step in the direction toward peace.
"It fosters a good relationship between Muslims and Jewish communities in Northwest Arkansas," said Bilal Ziada, a freshman engineering major and a member of the mosque.
"It's a good idea because it promotes equality of religion," said Gavely Toor, a freshman biology major. "It shows that although we may have our differences, in the end, we are all praying to the same God."
The temple began its construction this year on Sang Avenue. The $1.2 million campaign has raised more than half of the money through donations and pledges, according to the temple Web site. The building includes plans for a sanctuary, a general sitting area, an art room, classrooms, a kitchen and a library with materials that foster interfaith understanding.
The Temple Shalom has established a "Faith to Faith Initiative" that hopes to provide people of all religions, ethnicities and cultures a safe forum in which to share experiences and learn from each other.
"I think Temple Shalom can run programs that promote mutual understanding among members of various religions - not just Muslims and Jews, [but] all religious paths," said Rabbi Jacob Adler, a UA philosophy professor.
As for the troubles in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, Adler said he believes the problem is extremism, but it gets filtered through religion.
For some students and professors, the Temple Shalom has become a beacon of hope for interfaith relations.
For donations and more information, visit the Web site at www.atempleofpeace.com.
Temple Shalom, which translates to "Temple of Peace," is the first Jewish temple to be built around the Fayetteville area. The nearest was in Fort Smith.
Temple Shalom was contracted by Fadil Bayyari, a Palestinian Muslim, who said he hopes to help the two communities look past their differences and see that they are both descendents of Abraham.
"One of the reasons I did this is because of the great respect I have for Judaism as a religion and the many things that it has in common with my Islamic faith," Bayyari said. "As a Muslim, I was told in the Quran to believe in the Torah and the Bible, and therefore, I have no problem in my heart and mind extending my help to the people of the Books."
Bayyari also has built two churches in Springdale and a mosque in Fayetteville.
"We are thrilled at this outreach, which is mutual between the very generous Fadil Bayyari and our congregation," said William Feldman, chair of the math department. "We are fortunate that we do have a culture that is receptive to people from different backgrounds in this community. Jews and Muslims are both small minorities in our city, and yet the community, including the majority Christian community, has been incredibly supportive of our project."
For both communities, this idea has been seen as one more step in the direction toward peace.
"It fosters a good relationship between Muslims and Jewish communities in Northwest Arkansas," said Bilal Ziada, a freshman engineering major and a member of the mosque.
"It's a good idea because it promotes equality of religion," said Gavely Toor, a freshman biology major. "It shows that although we may have our differences, in the end, we are all praying to the same God."
The temple began its construction this year on Sang Avenue. The $1.2 million campaign has raised more than half of the money through donations and pledges, according to the temple Web site. The building includes plans for a sanctuary, a general sitting area, an art room, classrooms, a kitchen and a library with materials that foster interfaith understanding.
The Temple Shalom has established a "Faith to Faith Initiative" that hopes to provide people of all religions, ethnicities and cultures a safe forum in which to share experiences and learn from each other.
"I think Temple Shalom can run programs that promote mutual understanding among members of various religions - not just Muslims and Jews, [but] all religious paths," said Rabbi Jacob Adler, a UA philosophy professor.
As for the troubles in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, Adler said he believes the problem is extremism, but it gets filtered through religion.
For some students and professors, the Temple Shalom has become a beacon of hope for interfaith relations.
For donations and more information, visit the Web site at www.atempleofpeace.com.
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