In Support of Park51, A Letter from A Rabbi

I will never forget the disheveled, homeless Jewish fellow who sauntered into my synagogue one Saturday morning. As he walked by, some members of the congregation flinched, and I reminded myself to treat him just as I would treat any other guest. We developed a friendship over the next few months. At the end, when […]

A Welcome Letter from John, a member of the Park51 Team

My name is John Lichten and I have been working at Park51 since September 2010.  I was raised Episcopalian and have been attending church (on and off) for most of my life.  Maybe this surprises you, as you might imagine Park51 as a purely Muslim organization – or maybe, you imagine it to be the […]

Learning to See; Park51 and my Second Day at Work

August 10th, 2010. I sat in a hall listening to my new boss, Sharif El-Gamal, developer and Board Member of the Park51 Community Center, explain the project to the families of the 9/11 victims.  It was my second day at work and my first official introduction the Park51 project. A graduate fresh from a masters […]