Karim Khayati, Rabbi Deanna Sussman, and Rev. Sarah Jones are leaders in the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian faith communities, respectively, that make up the unique Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska. A fitting place to begin The Vote Is Sacred bus tour, and their thoughts are a fitting way to start this week’s show.
Karim Khayati is a co-founder of the American Muslim Institute and currently serves as vice president. He is also a board member of the Tri-Faith Initiative of Omaha. Both positions reflect his passion for continuing to make Omaha a thriving, diverse community.
Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin serves as the Associate Rabbi of Temple Israel in Omaha, Nebraska. It is one of the three faith communities co-located on the Tri-Faith Initiative campus.
Rev. Sarah Rentzel Jones is Congregational Care Minister at the Countryside Community Church, the Christian partner of the Tri-Faith Initiative. Countryside is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, and was established in 1949.
Hear the full November 2, 2024 episode here.
TRANSCRIPT
REV. PAUL BRANDEIS RAUSHENBUSH, HOST:
I had the chance to be with three of the leaders of the Tri-Faith initiative. We just got off of the stage for the kickoff for The Vote Is Sacred, and I’m with them right now. Please introduce yourselves, and then we’re just going to have a little conversation.
KARIM KHAYATI, GUEST:
Karim Khayati, I’m the president of the American Muslim Institute, the Muslim partner on the Tri-Faith Initiative.
RABBI DEANNA SUSSMAN, GUEST:
I’m Rabbi Deanna Sussman, and I’m one of the rabbis at Temple Israel, the Jewish partner of the Tri-Faith Initiative.
REV. SARAH JONES, GUEST:
Sarah Jones. I am the minister of congregational care at Countryside Community Church, the Christian partner on the Tri-Faith Initiative.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
If you all don’t know, the Tri-Faith Initiative is really one of the most powerful and very singular efforts at bringing communities together in real relationship. And so this was a real inspired place to have our kickoff.
Maybe I can start with you, Rabbi. What does it mean to be, one, part of the Tri-Faith Initiative, but then also, how that translates into this moment of how The Vote Is Sacred?
DEANNA SUSSMAN:
Being part of the Tri-Faith Initiative is, honestly, one of the most beautiful gifts of my life. It is an opportunity to be in sacred partnership with people of different beliefs, different religious diversity, bringing all of those people together in conversation in an authentic relationship, so that we can really do the holy work of understanding each other – not with the intention of agreeing, but in understanding ourselves and each other even better as a result of our relationships together.
And I think that that, in a nutshell, is what makes voting such a sacred act of responsibility, because the greatest act we can give to each other is the mitzvah, the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. And that is what it means to vote. It is to make sure that every voice is heard. Every vote is cast, every vote is counted, and making sure that we are acting with intention, and that we’re manifesting our religious values in the voting box, because we have the opportunity to showcase what it means to love your neighbor as yourself.
We can love our neighbor as ourselves by fulfilling our religious values: by caring for the poor, the orphan, the stranger, the widow; by freeing the oppressed, by repairing the world, by ensuring that all who are hungry have a place and enough to eat, by caring for the sick. We can make sure that we are manifesting democracy by doing that act of love for each other, because that is what democracy looks like.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
Beautiful. Karim, what about you?
KARIM KHAYATI:
First, as a Muslim partner, we understand this is the most privilege, and especially that happens in America. And we understand that with this privilege, there is there’s a fundamental obligation on how to get the next generation of Muslim and other minorities to enjoy this privilege of pluralism, of being heard. Of having, perhaps, a different perspective or a complementary perspective, and being an equal partner on the table. And the Tri-Faith gave us all that opportunity. And I think today, as an organization, as leadership, we understand that we have that crucial obligation to engage in that civic responsibility vis-a-vis the country and the state that we’re part of.
So we take this very seriously, and I think it’s my personal perspective – and I think I can speak for the rest of the leadership – that the work we do today, from relationship-building to the programming side, to determining how this country continues is crucial for the next generation and the generation to come, on so many levels. Economic, social justice matters. Environmental issues. So this is key for us. And that’s how we think about our responsibilities toward a major issue like participating in the democracy of the United States.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
One of the great things that, the – I still think of him as Reverend, but he’s now Senator Raphael Warnock – talked about, voting is also about the next generation. You know, this is about now, but it’s also about, what’s the future? Pastor Sarah, maybe you can say a few words from your perspective.
SARAH JONES:
Sure. As the Christian partner on the Tri-Faith campus, we have to be always very careful not to be paternalistic, but also to be somewhat protective of our siblings who are in these neighboring faith communities – because we know that we have privilege as Christians, but we also know that that privilege can be stripped away, because the way that we practice our Christian faith is not aligned with Christian nationalism.
We are very welcoming, inclusive, affirming of LGBTQIA rights. And we also are here because we want to be in relationship with our Muslim and Jewish neighbors – not in any way, sense, or form to convert them, but to be learning from them; and having them teach us how to grow in our own faith.
So it’s crucial for us to protect all of the freedoms that we have. And in this moment in time, voting is essential to that, because we are at a fork in the road, and depending on the outcome of this election, our faith practices could look really different depending on who is our president.
PAUL RAUSHENBUSH:
This is so helpful. And, you know, I’m from an interfaith background in my own family. And so I like to say I have an interfaith heart. And I feel like my heart is very welcome at the Tri-Faith Initiative. Thank you all so much for all you did. And thank you so much for being a part of this Vote Is Sacred Tour, we really appreciate it.
