Everyone knows that there’s a conflict between the West and radical Islam right now; and the Jewish community’s particularly been vulnerable to this. But I feel like I’m not praying for or acting for a group that we’re in conflict with; I’m praying for humans and I’m acting for humans. I think we have to remove those boundaries, and that’s part of what prayer does, also, is, reminds us of our core humanity. That we’re not members of one faith; we’re just humans standing humbly before an amazing God. – Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz

As he prepared for Yom Kippur this year, the most solemn religious fast of the Jewish year, Rabbi Dr. Schmuly Yanklowitz wrote a meditation on the tragic human situation in Syria which was featured in the “On Faith” section of the Washington Post. Rabbi Yanklowitz finds lessons in the Jewish teachings of this time of year that demand action in the face of injustice and human suffering – wherever that’s happening in our world. Rabbi Schmuly is Executive Director of Valley Beit Midrash in Phoenix, Arizona.

Click the “play” button above to hear the interview. To download this audio, click hereDownload Scroll down to read the transcript. To hear the entire September 14, 2013 State of Belief Radio program, click here.

Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz State of Belief Radio Interview: September 14, 2013

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