We are committed to working with other faiths and communities to create a united, equal and prosperous Western Cape. Promoting harmony, goodwill and peace among different people allows us to come together to assist those in need and strengthen bonds of community within the broader Western Cape. What affects one citizen, affects us all.
We were honoured to attend an interfaith prayer for the City of Cape Town last Sunday, 6 February, organised each year by Cape Town Interfaith Initiative (CTII) speaking alongside representatives of the Muslim Judicial Council, Cape Flats Interfaith Declaration, Cape Town Unitarian and the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute. This year, the event was held in Kalksteenfontein which is a small community situated between Bonteheuwel and Bishop Lavis. It saw different faiths sharing their prayers of community, peace, hope and prosperity through either song, prayer or words of wisdom. Our Executive Director, Daniel Bloch and Chairperson of our Associate Relations subcommittee, Dawn Nathan-Jones, represented the Western Cape Jewish community.
Daniel offered the Jewish community’s prayer for a crisis-free year, overcoming COVID-19, assistance to those battling homelessness, poverty and unemployment and praying that those in charge have the foresight and courage to strengthen and unite our communities. He ended the prayer with: ‘He who makes peace in high places, may he bring peace for us all and let us say Amen ‘Oseh shalom bimromav. Hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu. V’al kol Yisrael V’imru AMEN”
We thank the CTII programme directors, Imam Salieg Isaacs and Rev Nima Taylor for hosting us alongside our fellow faith-based organisations and members of the Kalksteenfontein community. A truly special moment was when around 20 senior citizens and 35 young children from Kalksteenfontein were treated to a hot meal and a cold drink – courtesy of those of us in attendance. Each of the faith-based organisations handed out a meal to the young and old. The smiles on their faces and the gratitude in their eyes completed a remarkable afternoon.
#CommunityCares #Interfaith #Intercommunity
