The two Eids – Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha – are the two main holidays in Islam. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the primary focal points of the High Holiday period in Judaism. Yet unlike some festive occasions (e.g., mid-Ramadan iftars or Passover seders), Jews and other non-Muslims typically know very little about the Eids and aren’t likely to have experienced them, and Muslims and other non-Jews likewise tend to know very little about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. JIDS believes that it’s high time that our entire community becomes familiar with all of these blessed events, and we feel thrilled at the ability to devote our next session to making that happen.
Please join us on Sunday, December 7th, from 3-5 pm, at the Islamic Community Center of Potomac, 10601 River Rd., Potomac, MD 20854 for a dialogue entitled “The Eids and the High Holidays.” The afternoon will include Q&A and, of course, ample time for small group discussions. A flyer for the event is attached; we encourage you to distribute the flyer to your respective communities. RSVPs should be sent to [email protected].
To lead us on this occasion, we will have two wonderful local religious leaders — one of whom happens to be my daughter! Imam Refai Arefin is the Imam at the Islamic Community Center of Potomac. Imam Refai previously served as Imam of the Islamic Assoc. of Greater Hartford, in addition to performing duties as the Deputy Chaplain of the Connecticut State Legislature. He has wide exposure to Islamic law and sharia education and has followed courses at and been associated with the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Al-Balqaa’ University in Amman, and studied under various scholars in Fez and Damascus.
Rabbi Hannah Spiro is the rabbi of Hill Havurah, an independent congregation on Capitol Hill. Rabbi Hannah is a 2017 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She serves on the board of directors of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and is involved with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Rabbi Hannah also served for multiple years on the Steering Committee of the Imam-Rabbi Summit for the DC Area.
