International

After eleven years of work strengthening interfaith dialogue on the urban front lines of one of the most religiously diverse cities in the world, the Interfaith Center of New York (ICNY) has begun to share its unique approach and learn from the best practices of other organizations doing similar work internationally. Thanks to a generous matching grant from the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Foundation, ICNY has launched a “Sister Cities” initiative that will enable us to share our work with urban centers in Europe—beginning with those cities that have similar religious demographics, security concerns, and immigration challenges as New York City.  Following a year of research in which ICNY staff members mapped interfaith activities in Glasgow, London, Paris, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, Leicester, Birmingham and Barcelona, the James Parks Morton International Visiting Fellows Program at the Interfaith Center of New York brought the first international delegations from Barcelona, Spain (lead by UNESCO-Catalonia) and Glasgow, Scotland (lead by The Scottish Interfaith Council) to New York City June 15th – June 25th, 2009. Both UNESCO-Catalonia and The Scottish Interfaith Council brought eight religious and civic leaders to New York for the first of three annual interactive seminars. The seminar included:

• Participation in ICNY programs (The Rabbi Marshall T. Meyer Retreat on Immigration Reform, Stony Point, NY; Courts and Religious Leader Roundtables, Manhattan, NY)
• Site visits to houses of worship in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn
• Meetings with elected officials with expertise in immigration and multicultural issues (Queens Borough President’s Office; Office of New York City Human Rights Commissioner)
• Cultural visits (The Tribute Center at the World Trade Center Site; Museum of Jewish Heritage; The Museum of Native American History)
• Reflection sessions on comparative approaches and methodology in interfaith work
• Culminating public event in which delegation members share their reflections and observations with the wider New York City interfaith community

In 2010 and 2011, a similar interactive seminar with grassroots religious leaders from New York, Barcelona and Scotland will take place in Barcelona and Glasgow. Delegates representing New York city will be selected.

The goal of this three-year sister city program will be to enrich the interfaith work and networks within each of the participating cities: New York City, Barcelona, and Glasgow. In addition, the Interfaith Center of New York is exploring the possibility of a publication showcasing best-practices of all three cities in the area of interfaith work and civic participation.