HOUSTON (April 29, 2024) – Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston’s Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships department recently concluded two impactful training workshops aimed at fostering understanding and advocacy within the community, Faith Over Fear: Countering Anti-Muslim Bias and Allyship: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas.
The first workshop, Faith Over Fear: Countering Anti-Muslim Bias, took place on Tuesday, March 19th, at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. Led by Reverend Cassandra Lawrence from Shoulder to Shoulder, this training program was developed to empower faith leaders and communities with effective strategies for advocating against anti-Muslim bigotry.
“The Faith Over Fear training program centers on positive, aspirational, and values-based messaging to correct a narrative of fear and divisiveness,” explained Rev. Lawrence. Organized by Shoulder to Shoulder in partnership with Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, the Faith Over Fear workshop aimed to strengthen local multi-religious networks, enhance participants’ skills and confidence in speaking out against discrimination, and foster community discussions to effectively counter hate and discrimination.
The second workshop, Allyship: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas, was conducted by Project Shema on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Holocaust Museum-Houston, a co-sponsor of the program. Jackie Congedo, a guest speaker from Project Shema, led the workshop, which focused on educating participants about antisemitism and equipping them with the tools to combat harmful ideas targeting the Jewish community.
“The role of the allyship workshop is to ensure that people feel more confident, prepared, and willing to slow the spread of ideas that harm Jews. By educating people about what antisemitism is, people can be prepared to stop it when they see it,” remarked Congedo.
“We are committed to educating people about each other to help reduce stereotypes and generalizations and create a more caring, connected community. These workshops serve as vital steps towards achieving that vision,” added Jodi Bernstein, Vice President of Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships at Interfaith Ministries.
Interfaith Ministries’ Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships program brings diverse groups together for dialogue and service with the goal of ushering in a more connected community. To learn more, please visit https://www.imgh.org/interfaith-relations-and-community-partnerships/.
ABOUT INTERFAITH MINISTRIES FOR GREATER HOUSTON
A United Way partner, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston (Interfaith Ministries) brings people of diverse faith traditions together for dialogue, collaboration, and service, as a demonstration of our shared beliefs. Interfaith Ministries provides four main services: Meals on Wheels for Greater Houston and Galveston County which delivers more than 1.9 million meals each year to homebound seniors and people with disabilities across four counties; Refugee Services which, in conjunction with the U.S. State Department, resettles thousands of refugees in Houston; Interfaith Relations and Community Partnerships, which provides community services fostering understanding, respect and engagement among Houstonians of all faiths; the Vic Samuels Center for Volunteerism and Civic Service, which establishes a positive and lasting impact on the Greater Houston community through organized service and leadership through Volunteer Houston and SERVE HOUSTON. For more information, visit https://www.imgh.org/.
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