A rabbi and an imam walk into a school… and change hearts and minds

Since the terrorist attack of October 7 and ensuing Gaza war, the pair have been invited to more than 20 private and state schools and colleges to speak side by side in front of more than 10,000 pupils. With the start of the new school term, they hope to reach thousands more by the end of this year.

“When we’re standing in front of a large audience of students, I might begin by explaining that I’m from the Middle East, I’m Muslim, and my heart and my words lies with the Palestinians. So how come I’m standing next to this guy?” says Kurdy, who led Altrincham Mosque for more than a decade.

Imam Nasser Kurdy[Missing Credit]

“And then I might introduce myself as being the polar opposite to him, that I’m young and good looking,” jokes Lewis, who leads South Manchester Synagogue (Bowdon). “That’s our opening gambit; it usually grabs their attention.”

More seriously, they say the key to the project’s success is that “our friendship, connection and respect for one another is genuine, and listeners pick up on that.”

The duo met around 12 years ago, when they would see each other at the occasional communal or interfaith event in Manchester, but it wasn’t until Kurdy was the unfortunate victim of a stabbing attack in 2017 whilst leaving an Islamic centre that Lewis reached out and a friendship between the two quickly developed.

Over the years, the pair have had conversations in private, where they have laid bare their “deepest feelings about the conflict in the Middle East, and listened to each other’s pain and trauma, and out of that, we’ve come to understand and trust each other,” Kurdy says.

“Students see that when we interact,” he continues. “When I speak, Dovid is looking at me and listening. When he speaks, I look and listen to him. When the kids see that, that we’re not trying to one-up or catch each other out, but we’re interacting respectfully and with empathy, they know it’s something they can replicate themselves.”

“Even more important than speaking is listening,” Lewis added. “If you’re listening just waiting to speak, you’re not really listening. And there is power in forgiveness, even where there is disagreement, power in empathy and in absorbing other peoples’ anger.”

Sometimes, the results of their dialogue are unexpectedly impactful. In one school they spoke at, there was a Palestinian refugee who had never met a rabbi before, and he became “visibly moved” while listening to Lewis and Kurdy address his school. “He had anger and pain in his heart,” Kurdy says, “and I think he wondered why I was not shouting at [this pro-Israel rabbi]. He was sweet enough to put his hand up and ask a question in front of 300 students.”

Lewis answered his question “with patience, with empathy”, Kurdy says, and the Palestinian boy afterwards came up to shake the rabbi’s hand.

“We’ve had Syrian students do the same. Unless you’re in the room to witness the transformation [that takes place] in some students yourself, it’s hard to describe. Talking can be so powerful,” Kurdy says.

“It’s about addressing a person’s humanity,” Lewis adds. “Our faiths provide guidance, certainly, but most of the time, we’re not using our respective sacred texts to justify conversing. Instead, we’re appealing to people on a human level, and everyone shares that in common.”

Imam Nasser Kurdy[Missing Credit]

They say the demand for them to come and speak in schools is more than they are able to keep up with, and the number of requests from London in particular, taking into account the commute back and forth, is proving unsustainable in the long term. They hope to encourage or inspire a London-based rabbi and imam to take over the reins in the region, and “some potential names have already been floated”.

“Whilst we’re proud of what we’ve done, we’re not unique,” says Lewis. “There must be other pairings across the country, so the hope is to replicate our efforts in an organic way with another rabbi and imam who are legitimately fond of each other as we are.”

When you see Muslim kids who’ve never met a rabbi before approach Rabbi Lewis after a session, shake his hand and tell him, ‘Thank you’, it’s a powerful sight

In order to reach a wider audience, Lewis and Kurdy recently started a podcast, The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue, where they don’t shy away from difficult topics such as ‘what is Zionism?’

Kurdy adds: “I believe there used to be close association and friendships between rabbis and imams up and down the country, but the Middle East conflict has really put a dampener on many of these interfaith relationships. It’s time to rebuild them.”

Mark Schweiger is the creator of the project and accompanies the pair to their sessions.

Having left the corporate world following October 7 to pursue interfaith work, Shweiger says it has been a “phenomenal and highly rewarding journey so far, and the response has been unbelievable.

“When you see Muslim kids who’ve never met a rabbi before approach Rabbi Lewis after a session, shake his hand and tell him, ‘Thank you’, it’s a powerful sight.

“We’re not there to change minds about the conflict,” Shweiger says.
“We are there to give the students a different narrative so that they can formulate their thoughts having heard both sides of the coin.”

The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue can be listened to on Spotify and other digital platforms