Beginning in February of 2009, JIDS has been conducting monthly dialogues that bring together dozens of Jews and Muslims for friendly, yet frank, encounters. We encourage participants to speak their minds, but to do so respectfully. We believe that if a participants cannot find a way to make a point with love in their hearts, it is better saved for another day.

Our members come from different mosques and synagogues. We represent different denominations within these faiths. We include men and women, members of clergy and laypeople.

JIDS takes seriously the statement in the book of Exodus that the Jewish people are to become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” only we apply that statement to the Islamic people as well. We challenge all participants to acquire the minds of scholars and the compassion of prophets.

It is the hope of the founders of JIDS that, soon enough, our dialogues will cease to concentrate exclusively on enlightening each group about the other, and evolve to the point where we can work together on projects to uplift our communities, our nation and our world. Whether this goes by the name of the Hebrew “tikkun-olam” or the Arabic “islah,” we care as deeply about repairing the world at large as we do about eliminating ignorance within our own communities. If you are a man or woman of peace who shares these values, please join us.