Jewish Telegraphic Agency featured research from the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, a partnership among USC, Hebrew Union College and the Omar Ibn Al Khattab Foundation.
The report found that Muslim-Jewish engagement is growing in the United States, with the greatest expansion occurring in the past two years.
More than 70 percent of these groups have emerged since 9/11. Of those, half were created in the past 24 months.
Half of the groups have no staff or budget, demonstrating a heavy reliance on volunteerism. Fifty percent of existing groups raise less than $250 a year, according to the report.
The major focus of these Muslim-Jewish initiatives is religious and social dialogue, followed by social action work and participating in each other’s rituals. A minority reported focusing on political dialogue.
Many of the newest groups emerged from the Weekend of Twinning, a two-year-old project of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding that has brought together more than 200 mosques and synagogues for weekends of joint activity. Seventy percent of the mosques and synagogues that took part in the 2009 weekend say they have developed ongoing relationships.
The Religion News Service published CRCC and the Center’s full press release on the findings.
