From Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (California)
POMONA, CALIFORNIA – Christians, Jews and Muslims gathered at the Islamic Center of Claremont for the third annual Interfaith Seder Experience.
The gathering drew many participants of diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds where they could sit down “and get to know each other one on one,” said Cantor Paul Buch of Temple Beth Israel in Pomona.
Having an opportunity to talk to people from different backgrounds in such a setting allows participants to learn about one another, said Buch, one of the event organizers.
When people sit down to get to know each other, they are less likely to have a negative impression of each other and misconceptions are cleared up, he said.
The gathering is modeled after the traditional Jewish Passover holiday meal. Participants share stories of their search for freedom or their freedom from habits they are enslaved to, Buch said.Freedom is an important component of Passover because it commemorates the Jews’ release from bondage in Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus.
