Bronx, NY – Near the corner of Westchester Avenue and Pugsley Street in Parkchester, just off the elevated tracks of the No. 6 train, Yaakov Wayne Baumann stood outside a graffiti-covered storefront on a chilly Saturday morning. Suited up in a black overcoat with a matching wide-brimmed black fedora, the thickly bearded 42-year-old chatted with elderly congregants as they entered the building for Shabbat service.
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The only unusual detail: This synagogue is a mosque.
Or rather, it’s housed inside a mosque. That’s right: Members of the Chabad of East Bronx, an ultra-Orthodox synagogue, worship in the Islamic Cultural Center of North America, which is home to the Al-Iman mosque.
“People have a misconception that Muslims hate Jews,” said Baumann. “But here is an example of them working with us.”
Mi kamocha yisroel…and a special shout out to the chabad shilluchim who again show the way among all Chassidus for serving the needs of klal yisroel in an innovative and creative way. There is no issur on davening in a mosque under the circumstances outlined in the full article although I’m sure there will be some armchair poskim here who fill look to find fault. There are several instances in EY where minyanim were held in mosques while the shuls were being refurbished or had been destroyed in fires and bombings.
” “People have a misconception that Muslims hate Jews,” said Baumann.”
No. Stupid, ignorant, and/or bigoted people believe that Muslims hate Jews and it is pathetic and sad. Yes… there are SOME Muslims who hate all Jews, like there are SOME Jews who hate all Blacks.
It’s good for the Jews and good for the Muslims. Blessings on both of them for this, and I hope the Jews they are helping have a chance to help them out in turn.
Of course Muslims and Jews do not hate each other automatically. However, jews have reason to be weary of Muslims for obvious reasons. If they are not extreme terorrists, then nobody ever says we have to hate each other
I used to work with an individual, who was an economist, and who was from Beirut, Lebanon. The individuals at work were always amazed when they saw us chatting amicably, as they always thought that we would be natural enemies, as portrayed by the media.
Read what the non-arabic imam said “Not every Muslim likes us, because not every Muslim believes that Muslims and Jews should be like this,”
It is in a classroom, not in the sanctuary of the mosque, so even according to the most strict opinion it is ok
The Muslim/Jewish saga is an entirely political one.
Wow, this is such a beautiful thing to see! How wonderful, that these Jews are working together along side Muslims in their neighborhood! Actually, more than just alongside… more like “inside”! (lol)
I pray for the days when all peoples can live in peace & safety w\each other, as free people serving a glorious G-d should be able to do.
My 93-year old father just called me from London (it’s 2:20 AM here in Israel) and woke me up to tell me about this report. As this is a charedi site I will omit relating my reactions to this interruption to my sleep!
He reminisced about the old מחזיקי הדת shul in Brick Lane in London. This started out in life as a church built for the Huguenot refugees from France in 1743. It went through several גלגולי נשמות as a church, and in the late 19th century it was bought and converted into a shul.
My grandparents davened their, my father’s barmitzvah was held there, and my parents married there – in the middle of a daylight air raid on London in June 1941.
By 1970, Brick Lane’s Jews had moved northwards. The demographics had changed and the shul underwent yet another religious reincarnation: it became a mosque catering to the Bangla Deshis who now populate that part of London’s East End.
So, where does that leave us? The heartwarming story of Chabad and Islam co-operating at Westchester Avenue and Pugsley Street in Parkchester. A truly great story!
!לילה טוב מירושלים Abba: please do NOT wake me again tonight!!
I wonder how mispalelim feel going into the place with the Arabic name above the door. I also wonder how the radical Muslims will view this? Are the Musllims that open their doors to Jews going to be branded heretics worthy of destruction in the name of Allah? Is this safe?