Interfaith Matters

Pictured (clockwise from top left): AJ Debonis, Anindita Chaterjee Bhaumik, Robina Niaz, the Rev. Sally MacNichol

As we continue to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this episode brings together three faith-based activists and service providers to discuss the disturbing rise of domestic violence during the pandemic, and the plight of victims who are at a higher risk due to social isolation and stay-at-home orders.

For those who aren’t safer in their own home, the pandemic has created a worst-case scenario where options are limited. An average of 115 New Yorkers have visited the city government’s domestic violence resource website each day since the start of the pandemic — a staggering increase from the usual daily average of 45 — and similar trends have been noted around the globe.

As our guests make clear, this isn’t a new problem. Like so many underlying systemic issues that have intensified in the last month – such as racial and class disparities in the pandemic’s death toll – the pre-existing threat of domestic violence has only been exacerbated by COVID-19, and has become a public health issue in its own right. This episode explores the risks victims and survivors face in these challenging times, as well as ways that faith leaders can support them.

Joining us for this conversation are:

Anindita Chatterjee Bhaumik, a certified trauma professional, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, and Director of Boston Evening Therapy Associates

Robina Niaz, Founder and Executive Director of Turning Point for Women and Families

The Reverend Dr. Sally MacNichol, Co-Executive Director of CONNECT, an organization that works with New York City communities to prevent domestic violence

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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESOURCES

NATIONAL:

If you are in need of immediate assistance, please call 911.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) National Domestic Violence Hotline – 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (800) 799-7233

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (800) 656-4673

 

NEW YORK CITY:

 New York City 24-hour hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE (4673)

CONNECT seeks to create safe families and peaceful communities by transforming the beliefs, behaviors, and institutions that perpetuate violence. Programs include Transformative Education and Community Building. To become a CONNECT Faith partner, please reach out to [email protected]. CONNECT Faith offers training, workshops and technical assistance for faith leaders and their communities as well as spiritual counseling for survivors.

Turning Point for Women and Families: We are working remotely. Our hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 10am to 6pm. To reach us please call at 718-550-3586 or email [email protected]

Turning Point’s RESOURCE GUIDE FOR NYC DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC – this list includes resources for:

– Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence

– Other Domestic Violence Services

– Food Assistance in each borough and Long Island

– Financial Assistance

MASSACHUSETTS:

SafeLink https://casamyrna.org/get-support/safelink/: 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (877) 785-2020, 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (877) 521-2601 (TTY)

Our Deaf Survivor’s Center: 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (885) 812-1001

Additional resources in Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/domestic-violence-programs-for-survivors

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Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests or comment on our podcast series? Would you like to suggest a guest or topic for a future podcast episode? Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

This episode of “Interfaith Matters” is hosted by co-producer AJ DeBonis, engineered and edited by co-producer Michelle Polton-Simon, and executive produced by Kevin Childress.

Pictured (clockwise from top left): AJ Debonis, Rev. Kyndra Frazier, Brother Mark Lane, Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein

“Social Distancing” – if that phrase wasn’t an important part of your vocabulary before March 2020, it likely is now. The COVID-19 outbreak has led to policies that prohibit in-person public gatherings, and has forced religious communities into uncharted territory, requiring faith leaders to navigate safety guidelines while continuing to respond to the needs of their communities.

In today's episode we discuss (over Zoom, of course) the challenges to providing pastoral care in this time of the pandemic, with three New York City faith leaders, to hear how they’re fostering connection, engagement, and well-being in the midst of a worldwide crisis.  

Joining us for this conversation are:

Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein, Rabbi-in-Residence, Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability

Father Mark Lane, Brooklyn Oratory parish of St. Boniface

Rev. Kyndra Frazier, Associate Pastor of Congregational Care and Wellness at First Corinthian Baptist Church, and Executive Director of The Hope Center.

Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests or comment on our podcast series? Would you like to suggest a guest or topic for a future podcast episode? Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

This episode of “Interfaith Matters” is hosted by co-producer AJ DeBonis, engineered and edited by co-producer Michelle Polton-Simon, and executive produced by Kevin Childress. 

Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Pictured (l. to r.): Rev. Dr. Luis Barrios, Minister Erica Poellot, & author Jimmie Briggs

We launch season five of the “Interfaith Matters” podcast with a critical conversation about faith community responses to the opioid/overdose crisis in New York City, where in 2018, there were 1,444 unintentional overdose deaths, of which 80% involved opioids. Rates of overdose have increased in the Bronx, specifically the South Bronx, and among Manhattan and Staten Island residents as well.

Note that everyone interested in this topic is invited to our February 24 conference "Faithful Responses to the Overdose Crisis" - see below.

For people of faith, this overdose crisis is a spiritual and moral crisis too, as racism, misogyny and class discrimination are recognized as factors that not only contribute to a person's exposure to and involvement with drugs, but are impacting their ability to access help.

Our guests in this conversation are three New Yorkers who are experts on the subject:

Rev. Dr. Luis Barrios, of Holyrood Episcopal Church – Iglesia Santa Cruz in Harlem Heights

Minister Erica Poellot, Harm Reduction Coalition Director of Faith and Community Partnerships

Jimmie Briggs, a journalist who has written extensively on the topic

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AN INVITATION

If you are interested in learning more about this issue, we invite you to attend a day-long retreat for religious and civic leaders on February 24 called Faithful Responses to the Overdose Crisis: Building Congregations and Communities of Care. Drawing on the path breaking work of the Harm Reduction Coalition’s Faith in Harm Reduction program, the retreat will help to build a multifaith healing justice movement, through education, advocacy, and spiritual care centered on the dignity and divinity of all New Yorkers – including those who use drugs. 

 

REGISTER HERE

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Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests or comment on our podcast series? Would you like to suggest a guest or topic for a future podcast episode? Please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

This episode of “Interfaith Matters” is hosted by co-producer AJ DeBonis, engineered and edited by co-producer Michelle Polton-Simon, and executive produced by Kevin Childress. 

Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Host Hannah Meholick (left) and Dr. Georgette Bennett (right)

On the latest episode of "Interfaith Matters," host Hannah Meholick talks with Dr. Georgette Bennett, founder, and President of the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, about a newly-released biography of Dr. Bennett's late husband, Rabbi Marc Tanenbaum. 

Written by Gerald and Deborah Strober, "Confronting Hate: The Untold Story of the Rabbi Who Stood Up for Human Rights, Racial Justice, and Religious Reconciliation" details the life and career of the esteemed Rabbi, a seminal 20th-century figure in interfaith relations in the US and around the world. Most importantly, the book provides a roadmap for moral leadership today as well as a blueprint for religious resistance against the rising incidence of hatred in our nation.

Dr. Bennett's reflections on her husband and their marriage include a moving account of their first meetings, and their shared life of social justice activism, including their productive involvement with the Rev. Billy Graham. 

 

Dr. Georgette Bennett is a sociologist by training who has spent the past 25 years advancing interreligious relations. She founded The Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding in 1992 to combat religious prejudice, and founded the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees in 2013, to mobilize support for alleviating the suffering of Syria's war victims. Among many other honors, Dr. Bennett has been recognized by the Syrian American Medical Society for her work on behalf of Syrian refugees.

 

 

 

Available now from Amazon and other booksellers 

 

Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests or comment on our podcast series?  Would you like a suggest a guest or topic for a future podcast episode? Please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

This episode of "Interfaith Matters" is hosted and edited by Hannah Meholick, and engineered, and executive produced by Kevin Childress. 

Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Women and the Criminal Justice System

 

Former Members of America's Fastest Growing Prison Population Share Their Journeys

 

How Faith Communities Can Help

 

 

At a recent event produced by the nonprofit organization Circles of Support, and held at St. Philip's Church in Harlem, three women: Lanetta Hill, Afrika Owes, and Diana Ortiz, shared their personal stories of incarceration, release, and return to society and lives of criminal justice advocacy, while touching on some of the major issues facing women in prison. They also helped us understand how faith communities can play a positive role in helping women return home successfully.  

Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests, or a comment on our podcast series?  Would you like a suggest a guest or topic for a future podcast episode? Please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. 

This episode of "Interfaith Matters" is hosted by co-producer Hannah Meholick, and engineered, edited and executive produced by Kevin Childress. 

Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Join podcast host Hannah Meholick at the 10th annual "Spiritual Sounds of the East Village" concert, held earlier this year at the Town & Village Synagogue, as Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sufis, and other New Yorkers come together to celebrate the East Village's 250+ year history of diverse people living, working, and worshiping together in harmony. Between musical performances, Hannah talks with organizers, performers, and audience members about the importance of sharing our cultures and faiths with our neighbors.

Performance Credits (In order of appearance):Nechung FoundationLama Pema DorjeGeshe Tashi La, The Center of Universal PeaceOrthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin ProtectionThe Right Rev. Fr. Christopher CalinArchdeacon Fr. Michael SuvakSimona Breazu & Jennifer Cross, music directorsMedina Masjid MosqueImam Yousef Abdul MajidMohammad Nasir Uddin, PresidentElder Muhammed YousufLight of Guidance Sufi CenterKainat Felicia Sharifa NortonMuinuddin Charles SmithSharif Matthews, music directorThe Catholic WorkerJoanne KennedyMark Ettinger, conductorTown & Village Synagogue,Rabbi Larry SebertCantor Shayna PostmanMiddle Collegiate ChurchRev. Amanda Hambrick AshcraftRev. Bertram JonshonJohn Del Cueto, music director

 

Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests, or a comment on our podcast series?  Please feel free to leave comments on your podcast player, or send us an email at [email protected].  And please be sure to rate us!

"Interfaith Matters" is co-produced by host Hannah Meholick and engineer and editor Jeff Berman, and executive produced by Kevin Childress. Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Young New Yorkers on

"Leading through Faith and Advocacy"

 Recorded before an audience at the East End Temple

 

How does faith inspire social justice work? 

How does advocacy inform faith?

When the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) launched a campaign called #FaithJusticeHero, we invited New Yorkers to celebrate leaders from diverse faith communities who are doing inspiring social justice work.  Four of these impressive young #FaithJusticeHero’s join host Hannah Meholick on this episode of ICNY’s “Interfaith Matters” podcast, to discuss faith and advocacy. These leaders share their stories.

 Guests (pictured above, left to right):

 Hannah Meholick, host

 Kyndra Frazier, Executive Director of the HOPE Center, and Pastor of Congregational Care & Counseling, First Corinthian Baptist Church, Harlem

 Joshua Stanton, Rabbi of East End Temple and a Senior Fellow at CLAL - The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

Gagan Kaur, Director of Community Development for ThriveNYC at the Mayor’s Office

Shahana Hanif, Director of Organizing and Community Engagement, Office of City Council Member Brad Lander (Brooklyn District 39)

 

Hannah and the rest of our "Interfaith Matters" crew, Kevin Childress and Jeff Berman, with four inspiring #FaithJusticeHero's

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Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests, or a comment on our podcast series?  Please feel free to leave comments on your podcast player, or send us an email at [email protected].  And please be sure to rate us!

"Interfaith Matters" is co-produced by host Hannah Meholick and engineer and editor Jeff Berman, and executive produced by Kevin Childress. Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Intro and outro music for this episode are excerpts from “Maximum Relax” by Lee Rosevere, used under CC BY 4.0 / Edited from original.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik (left) and Mohammad Modarres

In this episode of Interfaith Matters, two New York City leaders – one Jewish and one Muslim – discuss the importance of food in bringing people together across lines of cultural and religious difference.

Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis and co-host of “The Rev and The Rabbi” program on 77 WABC Radio, is a leading advocate for offering kosher and halal meals in New York City’s public schools, an initiative which received funding last year to launch a pilot program.

Mohammad Modarres, a Ted Talk resident and keynote speaker, is the founder of Abe’s Meats, a business that produces meats which are both Zabihah Halal and Glatt Kosher. Proceeds from Abe’s Meats are used to fund Interfaith Ventures, a nonprofit that Mohammad co-founded to promote interfaith dialogue and unity.

Rabbi Potasnik and Mohammad Modarres met up recently for this conversation on food and faith in the Library of the East End Temple, with a few friends in the audience.

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Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests, or a comment on our podcast series?  Please feel free to leave comments on your podcast player, or send us an email at [email protected].  And please be sure to rate us!

“Interfaith Matters” is hosted by Hannah Meholick, and engineered and edited by Jeff Berman.  Learn more about the podcast team on our website.

Intro and outro music for this episode are edited excerpts of “Maximum Relax” by Lee Rosevere, used under CC BY 4.0 / Edited from original.

Host Hannah Meholick, with (clockwise from top left):

The Very Reverend Fr. Thomas Zain, Dean,St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral

Fr. Gregory Saroufeem,St. Mary and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Manhattan

The Right Reverend Archimandrite Father Christopher Calin,Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection (Orthodox Church in America)

Rev. Fr. John Vlahos, Dean,Holy Trinity Cathedral (Greek Orthodox)

In the last episode, we looked at how Orthodox Christianity made its way to the United States and established communities here in New York City.  In this episode, we experience exquisite expressions of Orthodox faith in architecture, paintings and music, while examining how different groups of Orthodox Christians are connecting across lines of faith.  Why do Orthodox Christians venerate icons?  How does the architecture of an Orthodox church evoke the embrace of God?  How does music uniquely articulate Orthodox faith? And how do Orthodox Christians in New York City share their traditions and practices with non Orthodox Christians?  Listen in, and experience the faith of our 200,000 NYC neighbors.

 

 

Podcast Questions? Comments?

Have a question for our guests, or a comment on our podcast series? Please feel free to leave comments on your podcast player, or send us an email at [email protected]. And please be sure to rate us!

“Interfaith Matters” is hosted by Hannah Meholick, and engineered and edited by Jeff Berman. Learn more the podcast crew here.

Pictured above (clockwise from top left):

The Very Reverend Fr. Thomas Zain, Dean,St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral

Rev. Fr. John Vlahos, Dean,Holy Trinity Cathedral (Greek Orthodox)

The Right Reverend Archimandrite Father Christopher Calin,Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection (Orthodox Church in America)

Fr. Gregory Saroufeem,St. Mary and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church of Manhattan

 

 

Don't forget to wish "Happy Christmas" to Christians today - that is, to the hundreds of millions of Orthodox Christians in the world who celebrate Christmas on January 7 (or in some cases, January 6). 

 

Orthodox Christianity is ancient - with some churches connecting their lineages back 2,000 years to particular disciples of Christ - and while various forms of Orthodox Christianity are prominent in Russia, Greece, Egypt, Syria and many other countries, there over a million followers in the United States, and around 200,000 here in New York City.

 

It is our NYC Orthodox Christian neighbors who are the focus of today's podcast episode, an interview with four leaders of communities in Manhattan and Brooklyn.  We learn from them how each community made its way into the United States, and settled in New York City, sometimes initially facing severe discrimination. 

 

We also examine the challenges the Orthodox Christian Churches face in New York when representing the history, tradition and values of an ancient faith, while ministering to people living in this modern, diverse city, and also welcoming new immigrants (and sometimes refugees) arriving with no familiarity with English language or American customs. 

 

This discussion is a rich and rewarding foray into Orthodox Christian life in New York City - so much so that we decided to present it in two parts.  Subscribe and watch your favorite podcatcher for the second episode to drop in a week or so, which will focus on the "sights and sounds" of Orthodox Christianity such as liturgical music, art and architecture - what you see & hear might be surprising!