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Jews, Muslims show unity through bike ride (original link here) 

Interfaith group of cyclists tours Chicago mosque, synagogue

July 08, 2012|By Erin Meyer, Chicago Tribune reporter
    • Jewish and Muslim cyclists gather downtown Sunday for an eight-mile bike tour from a Chicago mosque to a synagogue.
Jewish and Muslim cyclists gather downtown Sunday for an eight-mile bike tour from a Chicago mosque to a synagogue. (Michael…)

A group of Muslim and Jewish cyclists found common ground Sunday on Chicago pavement as they biked across the city from a downtown mosque to a North Side synagogue.

"We have a lot more in common than we have differences," said Julie Hochstadter, at the end of the eight-mile bike ride organizedby the Jewish-Muslim Community Building Initiative to bolster interfaith relations in Chicago.

About 60 riders met in the morning at the Downtown Islamic Center, a mosque in the Loop. They removed their shoes and gathered for a breakfast of baklava and bananas on the floor of the center's expansive prayer room, where Muslims who work or live in the Loop pray daily. It was the first time in a mosque for some of the Jewish riders.

"I believe in the idea that Jews and Muslims should do activities in the city together as a way to move the world closer together," said Northwestern University professor Laurie Zoloth, who participated in the ride even though she was fasting Sunday in remembrance of tragedies suffered by the Jewish people.

"We fight, but we are still cousins," agreed Muhammad Ullah, building manager at the Islamic center. "We love each other, but we don't want to share."

Hochstadter, the executive director of a social networking site for Chicago cyclists called thechainlink.org, said Sunday's ride was inspired by a 2006 interfaith bike trek across Jerusalem that she participated in.

There, Hochstadter said, relationships between the Jewish and Muslim students — many grew up amid the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the Gaza Strip and West Bank — were often tense. That wasn't the case Sunday afternoon as the group traveled "as a single organism" north along Broadway to Anshe Emet Synagogue and on to the lakefront in Lincoln Park for a picnic.

"So here we are as active Muslims, Jews and Americans," said rider Melissa Simon as the breeze produced small white-capped waves in the distance. "We cannot fix the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today. But we can put all of our heart energy into the pedals and spend time with people."

efmeyer@tribune.com

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 9, 2012 at 5:52pm

We had a lot of everyone who joined us.  

Serge Lubomudrov said:

Pity I wasn't able to ride . . . though I'm neither observing Jew nor devout Muslim :)

Permalink Reply by Eric B on July 10, 2012 at 11:40am

That was such a good ride.  In Judaism we have a tenet called tikun olam, a directive to heal the world.  This ride was a step in that direction.  I can only hope that the spirit of fellowship we experienced on the ride will continue and lead to bigger and better things.

Shalom - Salaam - Peace 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on July 10, 2012 at 11:47am

Technically speaking the article was about the ride and not about the chainlink so the thread title is incorrect, but I'll let this one slip...

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 10, 2012 at 12:45pm

ok you are right. we were mentioned in the article, the article wasn't about us.  The ride made onislam too. 

Duppie said:

Technically speaking the article was about the ride and not about the chainlink so the thread title is incorrect, but I'll let this one slip...

Permalink Reply by Seth on July 16, 2012 at 3:13pm

My little blog post on the Treasures of Uptown site is technically about the ride too.  And I took a few more pics if anyone wants them - nothing spectacular.  But the ride was!  I was so inspired I bought a bike that very afternoon, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 16, 2012 at 3:36pm

That's so awesome you bought a bike that afternoon!  

As they said in Hebrew:

Titchadesh!

(teet-chah-dehsh; Literally: You shall be renewed.) (M)

This is a nice thing to say to males when they make a new purchase, whether they've bought clothing, a new car, or a new house. If you're speaking to a girl or woman you should say Titchadshi (teet-chahd-shee). To a group of people, say Titchadshu (teet-chahd-shoo).



Seth said:

My little blog post on the Treasures of Uptown site is technically about the ride too.  And I took a few more pics if anyone wants them - nothing spectacular.  But the ride was!  I was so inspired I bought a bike that very afternoon, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

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