My job as a member of Ideastream Public Media's engaged journalism unit is to tell people's stories, to show empathy, to understand how someone else feels in order to properly tell their story, their truth.
It is my job to see things from their perspective and to draw from my own personal experiences to try to better understand people. Sometimes, that means really stepping away from my own situation to listen fully to what others have to say.
My most recent feature involves how the Jewish and Muslim communities are approaching the 2024 election. This year's election is fraught with raw emotions, pain and suffering as both communities cope with the impact of the ongoing war in the Middle East. Both Jews and Muslims have a deep attachment to that land, whether they call it Israel or Palestine, or whether it is seen as the Jewish homeland or the home of the Palestinians.
As an observant Jewish person who has a historical understanding of one side of this issue, it is important for me to understand things from all points of view, to understand the way people feel so that I can properly tell their story, from their perspective. Having an open mind and understanding and respecting everyone's feelings on the matter is essential.
I've noticed that despite the big differences, — whose land it is, whose at fault and so on — the two sides have more in common than one might think.
In talking to Jewish and Muslim leaders, I see a shared pain and trauma as their family members and friends in the homeland suffer. I also see shared policy goals, including a desire for access to maternal and mental health care in Northeast Ohio and ensuring their communities have a voice and are heard by their leaders.
But, most of all, I heard a desire for peace from both communities.
Faten Odeh, executive director of the Cleveland and Northern Ohio Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said as much when I interviewed her for my feature on the impact of the ongoing Middle East war on the 2024 election.
"I think all people, all reasonable people, want violence to end," she said. "And when we say a 'cease fire,' we want it to end for all the people suffering there, not just the Palestinians. Right. Not just the Muslims, but for the Muslims, Christians and the Jewish people and the civilians that live there. And I think that all reasonable people would agree with that. And so, if we can agree on things like universal health care, other social justice issues, economic justice issues, I think that we can agree on. Right. Wanting the end to the suffering for all people."
I heard the same from the Jewish community not only in my interviews, but also in prayers said as I attended the High Holy Days, ending with Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, on October 12. My community prayed for not just the safe return of the hostages and the safety and security of Israel, but for peace as represented by prayers and songs, including Sim Shalom, which translates from the Hebrew as:
"Grant peace, goodness, blessing, grace, loving-kindness, and compassion to us and to all Israel Your people. Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your presence. For with that light, You gave us a life-giving Torah, an appreciation of loving-kindness, righteousness, blessing, mercy, life, and peace. May it be good in Your sight to bless Your people Israel at all times, at every hour with Your peace. You are worshiped, O Lord, who creates peace."
Empathy. It's essential to what we do as engaged journalists and it helps reveal certain truths, including how Muslims and Jews can share a hope for lasting peace.
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