An Interfaith Breaking of the Fast

8:55 PM in Berlin. As the sun sets, the call to prayer “Allahu akbar” sweeps over the family houses in Britz. A strong-voiced caller, signals the approaching breaking of the fast. More than one hundred people of every religion and worldview found themselves in a garden in a residential area of Neuköln at the House of One Foundation’s invitation. Member of Parliament Frank Heinrich (CDU) as well as State Secretary Gerry Woop from the Senate Department for Culture and Europe were among the guests that sat side-by-side at picnic tables and huddled under heating lamps on this cool evening.

Ramadan and Iftar, the breaking of the daily fast during Ramadan, are now a matter of course in the religious holiday calendar in Germany, as are invitations to non-Muslims to eat together at an Iftar. “The breaking of the fast is only really wonderful, when you can share it with many people” said Imam Osman Örs as a welcome to the guests. “God created man in difference and diversity. It is also his will that we get to know one another and value one another.” One of the central goals of the House of One is to facilitate encounters like this that allow people to get to know one another.

This sentiment can also be felt in the words of Minister Gregor Hohberg, member of the House of One’s steering committee: “As Christians, we feel deeply connected to Muslims in these weeks - but not only - because fasting also plays a big role in Christianity. It makes us inwardly free for connection to God.” Cantor Esther Hirsch from the Jewish community Sukkat Schalom intoned the Hebrew song “Hine ma tov.” The words from the 133rd Psalm translated mean: “Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

Like an affirmation, the drizzle subsides before the dates are served to break the fast. There was animated discussion at the tables between many people that were meeting each other for the very first time: the rabbinical student and the student from Syria, the father who just recently moved to Berlin from Turkey and a woman from the Neuköln neighborhood, or the evangelical teacher and the Muslim businesswoman. With every meeting, with every encounter of curiosity, respect, and joy on this evening, prejudice fades away and a feeling of community grows.

In this spirit, we wish everyone a peaceful and blessed Ramadan.