{"id":4912,"date":"2017-04-06T17:00:47","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/?p=4912"},"modified":"2017-04-06T17:03:33","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:03:33","slug":"jews-muslims-unite-to-learn-from-a-japanese-american-internment-resister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/2017\/04\/06\/jews-muslims-unite-to-learn-from-a-japanese-american-internment-resister\/","title":{"rendered":"Jews & Muslims unite to learn from a Japanese-American internment resister"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release
\nMedia Contacts:
\nSusan Rosenthal (for Temple Sinai), (510) 282-3776 or susanfrosenthal@comcast.net<\/a>
\nFatih Ferdi Ates (for Pacifica Institute), (818) 921-0170 or f.ates@pacificainstitute.org<\/a>
\nRobert Berger (for Karen Korematsu), (310) 422-9102 or oakberger@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Several East Bay Jewish and Muslim organizations are joining together on
\nSunday, April 9th to learn from the experience of Fred T. Korematsu, the legendary
\ncivil rights champion who filed suit against the mass incarceration of Japanese
\nAmericans during World War 2.<\/p>\n

\nTemple Sinai, Oakland\u2019s oldest Jewish congregation, and the Pacifica Institute,
\na Muslim community organization based in Albany, are co-sponsoring a potluck
\nbrunch featuring Karen Korematsu, daughter of the civil rights leader and
\nFounder\/Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute. Among the other
\norganizations participating are Temples Beth-El and Netivot Shalom in Berkeley.<\/p>\n

\nThe Korematsu event will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday,
\nApril 9th at the Pacifica Institute, 979 San Pablo Avenue in Albany, second floor.
\nMedia are invited to attend and cover the event. We can also arrange media
\ninterviews in advance with Karen Korematsu or the event organizers.
\nThe gathering is a direct response to the shameful spread of anti-Muslim and
\nanti-Semitic actions and rhetoric in the wake of President Trump\u2019s election.
\n\u201cInterfaith efforts like this are a meaningful way to honor my father\u2019s legacy by
\nsending a powerful message that we reject discrimination and hate based on religion,
\nrace or national origin,\u201d said Karen Korematsu.<\/p>\n

\nDuring the brunch, Jewish and Muslim attendees will hear from Ms. Korematsu
\nabout lessons from her father\u2019s struggle. In 1942, at the age of 23, Fred Korematsu
\nwas arrested and convicted for refusing to go along with the U.S. government\u2019s forced
\nremoval and internment of Japanese Americans. He appealed his case all the way to
\nthe Supreme Court, which ruled against him. In 1983, however, that conviction was
\noverturned by a federal court in San Francisco and in 1998 he received the
\nPresidential Medal of Freedom, the nation\u2019s highest civilian award.
\n\u201cFred Korematsu is a great example for both the Jewish and Muslim
\ncommunities of how we can fight for equality and social justice,\u201d said Fatih Ferdi Ates,
\nDirector of the Pacifica Institute\/Bay Area.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cGrowing up in the U.S., lots of people can\u2019t fathom that something so terrible
\ncould ever happen here today,\u201d said Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi at
\nTemple Sinai. \u201cBut they didn\u2019t think it would happen then, either. I would like people
\nto be able to recognize the real threats that are being posed to our way of life, right
\nnow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nThe Korematsu event will involve more than passive listening. After hearing
\nfrom Ms. Korematsu, participants will gather in mixed Jewish-Muslim groups to
\ndiscuss lessons learned and specific steps that the two communities can take together
\nand with others to prevent similar injustices today.<\/p>\n

\nThe gathering is the latest step in a year of growing cooperation between
\nTemple Sinai and the Pacifica Institute. The relationship between the two institutions
\nbegan in early 2016, when Rabbi Mates-Muchin sent a letter to the Pacifica Institute
\noffering solidarity in the face of the Trump campaign\u2019s anti-Muslim rhetoric. The two
\nfaith leaders visited each other\u2019s organizations and started building a partnership that
\ninitially involved members sharing a women\u2019s Passover Seder, a Ramadan dinner, and
\na Thanksgiving dinner.<\/p>\n

\nBut Trump\u2019s election made the organizations determined to do more than
\nshare cultural traditions.
\n\u201cAfter the election, it became real \u2013 not just campaigning,\u201d Ates said. \u201cWe had
\nthe Muslim ban, building a (border) wall, closing the door to immigrants, and bomb
\nthreats to Jewish community centers. Being in dialogue is not just about words. It\u2019s
\nabout taking action, being in solidarity in difficult times, and moving forward
\ncollectively.\u201d
\nRabbi Mates-Muchin said it\u2019s particularly important to show the world that
\nMuslims and Jews can work together against injustice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn so many places around the world, Jews against Muslims and Muslims
\nagainst Jews is a thing that people take for granted,\u201d she said. \u201cBut here, we are
\nworking together against the threats that affect us all. We stand together when the
\nother is in pain. And we will triumph together when our world looks more like the
\nideal envisioned by both of our traditions.\u201d
\n——————————————————————————————-
\nThe Pacifica Institute, founded in 2003 in southern California, strives for social
\njustice, interfaith cooperation, advocacy through positive change, relationship building
\nand partnership for the common good through a wide range of activities. Inspired by
\nthe transnational movement called Hizmet (\u201cservice\u201d in Turkish), it operates 15 centers
\nthroughout the West Coast. See http:\/\/pacificainstitute.org.
\nTemple Sinai, a Reform Jewish congregation founded in 1875, is the largest
\nsynagogue in the East Bay, with about 1,000 families. Its many social action programs
\nreflect its commitment to \u201ctikkun olam,\u201d repairing the world. See
\nhttp:\/\/oaklandsinai.org.
\nBoth Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin and Fatih Ferdi Ates are available for
\nmedia interviews about their organizations\u2019 partnership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release Media Contacts: Susan Rosenthal (for Temple Sinai), (510) 282-3776 or susanfrosenthal@comcast.net Fatih Ferdi Ates (for Pacifica Institute), (818) 921-0170 or f.ates@pacificainstitute.org Robert Berger (for Karen Korematsu), (310) 422-9102 or oakberger@gmail.com Several East Bay Jewish and Muslim organizations are joining together on Sunday, April 9th to learn from the experience of Fred T. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":4913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[541,532],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eastbay-branch","category-press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4914,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4912\/revisions\/4914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pacificainstitute.org\/bay-area\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}