Calgary’s first major community-wide interfaith program, held in conjunction with the UN’s World Interfaith Harmony Week, received international recognition recently when a panel of judges awarded the Calgary Interfaith Council with a first place prize, finishing ahead of 1,054 similar events held around the world.
Rabbi Shaul Osadchey of the Beth Tzedec Synagogue joined Rev. Debra Faulk of the Unitarian Church and Imam Fayaz Tilly of the Muslim Council of Calgary in Jordan on April 30 to accept the HM King Abdullah II of Jordan Prize for World Interfaith Harmony Week 2017 and a cheque for $25,000.
Rabbi Osadchey, a member of the Calgary Interfaith Council and co-chair of the week-long program, has been designated as the spokesperson for the group. Speaking to The CJN prior to the group’s departure, he said he has prepared remarks to be delivered during the awards ceremony, which the king was expected to attend. He said he will propose that World Interfaith Harmony Week be expanded to include a youth component, as well as efforts to promote religious literacy “as an antidote to prejudice.”
“I think I’m the first Jew, certainly the first rabbi, to be doing this,” he added.
World Harmony Week was held from Feb. 1-7, shortly after the brutal slaying of six worshippers in a Quebec City mosque, which led to thousands of people participating — likely many more than otherwise would have. The shooting was certainly “noted” by participants, who paused for moments of silence during various programs, Rabbi Osadchey said.
“Throughout the week, respect was paid to those who had been affected by that horrific shooting. Everyone felt we’d suffered a loss in that incident and we all shared a common grief that actually was framed in a positive way, in that we all felt a responsibility to try to repair those wounds and heal society so people can live safely and in dignity,” he said.
As part of the week’s activities, Rabbi Osadchey spoke to a Muslim congregation during Friday prayers, focusing on “religious literacy” so that people of different faiths can learn about each other and “erase misconceptions and build relationships based on face-to-face interaction with people.”
World Interfaith Harmony Week is a seven-year-old program that originated in a proposal advanced by King Abdullah of Jordan at a meeting of the UN General Assembly. The monarch asked the UN body to dedicate one week a year to promoting interfaith harmony. About a month later, the UN unanimously designated the first week of February as World Interfaith Harmony Week.
According to the program’s website, World Interfaith Harmony Week is intended to promote “love of the good, and love of the neighbour,” a formula designed to include all people of goodwill.
Representatives from Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh communities participated in Calgary’s week-long event. Programs included educational activities, a tour of 15 houses of worship, an interfaith dialogue, a discussion of multi-faith marriage and even a social justice component, in which clergymen donned hard hats and tool belts to construct 10 homes for low-income families.
“We did good work. Some of us have skills, believe it or not,” Rabbi Osadchey quipped.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi issued a proclamation announcing the week-long event and hosted its launch at city hall.
In finishing first, Calgary edged out 79 applications for the prize from more than 1,000 events held around the world.
Awards for second and third place went to programs in Sarajevo and London, respectively.
Judges took into consideration the quality of the efforts, how well they collaborated and the impact of the events, while considering whether they “respected each religion as it is.”
The first-prize winners will return from Jordan with a gold medal, which will be put on display at various houses of worship, as well as the cheque, which will go towards developing a website to promote interfaith harmony.
