Interfaith dinner planned for hundreds
About 200 people of all faiths gathered in 2007 in Shelby County at the Islamic school Pleasant View to share food and prayers with their Muslim neighbors as they broke their daily fast at sunset during Ramadan.
Over the next decade, the event grew to attract an annual crowd at least double in size.
“It’s a tremendous experience,” said Senior Rabbi Micah Greenstein of Temple Israel in Memphis.
This year, the 12th annual Memphis Interfaith dinner is planned for June 3 from 6-9 p.m. with a breaking of the fast at 8:10 p.m. with water and dates, followed by the sunset Maghrib prayers and dinner of lamb, rice, beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, fruits, vegetables and desserts.
Dr. Alim Khandekar, a surgeon and a founder of Memphis Interfaith who was born in Burdwan India and came to Memphis in 1975, said organizers pick a date every year for the dinner so friends, well-wishers and people who are curious about the Muslim faith can come and join.
“We plan to do it in 2019 and 2020 also,” he said.
The theme of this year’s Ramadan dinner is “enrichment through selflessness,” and speakers will include Greenstein, Rhodes professor Yasir Qadhi and Christ Missionary Baptist Church Senior Pastor Gina Stewart.
“It’s a great event,” said Senior Pastor Stacy Spencer of New Direction Christian Church in Memphis. “We concentrate on issues and perspectives in our community and in our nation. We come together and see we have common ground and look for solutions to the problems that plague us.”
Stephen Montgomery, pastor at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, looks forward to the dinner every year. Over the years, he has been both a speaker and a regular guest at the event.
“I rarely experience the kind of hospitality that our Islamic friends have extended at the Ramadan dinners,” he said. “Not only is the food something I look forward to, but even more importantly I’ve appreciated the friendships and the many things that I have learned from those of a different faith. I’ve found we have a lot more in common than we have in differences. It’s just a real good time for all involved.”
The interfaith dinner is a free event at Esplanade, 901 Cordova Station. To register, visit memphisinterfaith.org.