“I grew up in a small town called Paradise,” said David Fraccaro, the coordinator for Sojourners: A Ministry with Detained Immigrants. “Paradise, Indiana, that is.”
Fraccaro stood before an audience of 200 and addressed the array of Columbia students and locals who gathered at the Union Theological Seminary Wednesday evening for the eighth annual Interfaith Iftar. The event, founded by Adem Carroll after Sept. 11, 2001, hosted a coalition of social and political organizers interested in harnessing the power of New York’s diversity during a holiday that encourages community and activism.
Fraccaro was one of five panelists who spoke about contemporary attitudes toward immigrants, a topic that was central during this Iftar, the ritual “breaking of the [Ramadan] fast.” This particular Iftar fell near the midpoint of Ramadan, which typically spans one month and occurs based on a lunar calendar.
Entitled “Making Room at the Table: Hospitality and Immigration”, this year’s Interfaith Iftar featured a period of both Muslim prayer and multifaith meditation. Afterwards, participants filtered into the seminary’s refectory where they were advised to “sit next to people they don’t know” by Sarah Sayeed, an organizer of the event.
Onlookers nodded their heads in agreement throughout the speeches as the evening sun filtered in through the cathedral’s stained-glass windows, reflecting the vibrant hues of the prayer rugs strewn about the room. Audience members of different ages, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds sat side by side throughout the Interfaith Panel, passing along plates of food and pitchers of coffee and tea.
Among the crowd sat members of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and the New Sanctuary Movement. Panelists also hailed from various religious backgrounds, and included Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Buddhists, and Christians.
“After 9/11, many felt that the city was under attack,” Carroll said. He said now is the time to look critically at New York’s ethnic richness through the lens of its growing immigrant community.
Aisha Al-Adawiya echoed his sentiments. “Ramadan used to be a time when I could relax after a long year of activism,” the long-time social activist said. “Post-9/11, that’s no longer the case. Iftars have become social gatherings and public forums. Everyone’s involved.”
Mary Kohlmann contributed reporting to this article.
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