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Please join us for “The Same and Different: Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates,” an Interreligious Panel, 1:30 to 3:30 pm on Sunday, 3 September 2023, hosted by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (13601 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga, California – San Francisco Bay Area). This is an in-person event that will also be live-streamed. Here is the live streaming link, https://vimeo.com/event/3655244. Here us the one page handout about the panel.

Thanks to the panel speakers:

• Imam Yilmaz Basak, Muslim Chaplain, Correctional Institutions Chaplaincy (CIC, Santa Clara County)
• Reverend Peggy Bryan, Jail Chaplain, & Interim Rector, Calvary Episcopal Church (Santa Cruz). Rev. Peggy founded the Stepping Stones Gathering for those in reentry and recovery.
• Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Peace and Justice Activist, Spiritual Director, Kindness Coach and Author (Los Altos). Rabbi Amy Eilberg is the first female rabbi ordained in Conservative Judaism.
• Reverend Liz Milner, Executive Director & Facility Chaplain, Correctional Center for Women, CIC (Santa Clara County)
• Sheikh Rami Nsour, Founding Director, Tayba Foundation (a non-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals and families impacted by incarceration, Fremont)
• Rabbi Paul Shleffar, Jewish Chaplain at San Quentin State Prison (Marin County)
• Moderator: Katy Dickinson, Founder, Mentoring Standard, Chaplain, CIC (Santa Clara County), & Doctoral Student, Berkeley School of Theology (Graduate Theological Union, GTU)
• Introducer, Reverend Joel Martinez, Jail Chaplain, & Curate, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

This is a two hour training event (with a panel of experts) for jail chaplains – and those interested in learning about jail chaplaincy – on best practices in supporting inmates, especially those who are Muslim or Jewish.

There are about three thousand inmates in Santa Clara County jail. Eight staff CIC Chaplains and hundreds of volunteers interact routinely with prisoners of all faiths, including discussions about non-medical special diets (Kosher, Halal, or Vegetarian), leading educational and spiritual programs, offering individual pastoral care visits, and distributing religious items (such as scriptures and religious prayer or study materials, hijab, or kippah or kufi head coverings, prayer rugs, and rosaries). For the last several years, many jail prisoners have had access to county-provided electronic tablets offering educational programs, entertainment, and religious and spiritual scriptures and other documents from a wide range of religious and spiritual contexts. Discussions with inmates who are interested in exploring or converting to Islam or Judaism seem to have increased since the tablets became available.

“The Same and Different: Supporting Muslim and Jewish Inmates” attendees can gain a greater understanding of Islam and Judaism and learn best practices for supporting inmates from those religions. There will be small group discussions after the panel. Some attendees will also be able to take home an excellent book to support their ministry with Muslim or Jewish inmates:

• Dayle A. Friedman, ed., Jewish Pastoral Care: A Practical Handbook from Traditional & Contemporary Sources (Nashville, TN: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2015).
• Muhammad A. Ali, Omer Bajwa, Sondos Kholaki, and Jaye Starr, eds., Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America (West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press, 2022).

Book quantities are very limited: first come, first served. Rabbi Amy Eilberg, Sheikh Rami Nsour, and Katy Dickinson are all speakers for the Islamic Networks Group (ING), a peace-building organization providing face-to-face education and engagement opportunities that foster understanding of Muslims and other misunderstood groups to promote harmony among all people.

This event is generously supported by a grant from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, through the GTU Madrasa-Midrasha Program. Here is the GTU announcement.

Image Copyright (c) 2023 Katy Dickinson. If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right on Katysblog home).