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    Salaam/Shalom: A Jewish Teacher in an Islamic School
    Salaam/Shalom: A Jewish Teacher in an Islamic School
    Salaam/Shalom: A Jewish Teacher in an Islamic School
    Ebook98 pages44 minutes

    Salaam/Shalom: A Jewish Teacher in an Islamic School

    By Janet C. Goldman

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    About this ebook

    Salaam/Shalom is the true story of a Jewish womans experiences as a teacher in an Islamic school as she embraces a beautiful awakening and learns to focus on likenesses rather than differences.

    Janet Goldman relies on extensive research and her own personal experiences during her two years of teaching at the Islamic school to offer a compelling glimpse into the many similarities between Islam and Judaism. Through comparing religious and cultural practices, ranging from prayer traditions to food, Goldman hopes to help bridge religious barriers and encourage a peaceful world.

    In this book, the lucid descriptions of both Jewish and Muslim traditions and our respective communities will help bring about understanding and hopefully, more peace through knowledge. Rabbi Alan Katz, Temple Sinai, Rochester, NY

    Janets book is not only a self-reflection but also for many, a raising of the curtain.
    Yasmin Kabir, Principal, Westfall Academy

    www.janetcgoldman.com

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateAug 18, 2014
    ISBN9781491742389
    Salaam/Shalom: A Jewish Teacher in an Islamic School
    Author

    Janet C. Goldman

    Janet Goldman has taught elementary school for nine years. She has a MS in education from Nazareth College, a MBA from George Washington University and a BA in economics from Union College. Goldman and her husband, Mike, are parents to three adult children and live in Pittsford, a suburb of Rochester, New York.

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      Book preview

      Salaam/Shalom - Janet C. Goldman

      Copyright © 2014 Janet C. Goldman.

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      iUniverse

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.iuniverse.com

      1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      ISBN: 978-1-4917-4237-2 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4917-4238-9 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2014913592

      iUniverse rev. date: 8/18/2014

      CONTENTS

      Preface

      Acknowledgments

      Chapter 1 A Warm Reception at My New School

      Chapter 2 Prayer Time in an Islamic School: Similar to Judaic Practices

      Chapter 3 Clothing in an Islamic School: More Parallels with Judaic Tradition

      Chapter 4 Food Prepared by Muslim Families: Delicious to Explore Its Likeness to Jewish Cuisine

      Chapter 5 Language in an Islamic School, Compared to Hebrew and Yiddish

      Chapter 6 Islamic and Quran Studies Class: Similar to Jewish Religious School

      Chapter 7 Holidays Celebrated and Not Celebrated

      Chapter 8 School Events

      Chapter 9 Friday, Day of Prayer: Similar to but Different Than the Jewish Sabbath

      Chapter 10 Family: Of Importance to All

      Chapter 11 Women: Roles, Stereotypes, and More

      Chapter 12 Conclusions

      Sources

      I dedicate this book to my husband, Mike; my two sons, Dan and Brian; and my daughter, Shauna. With their support, love, and understanding, I gained the confidence to encounter new experiences and follow my passion.

      PREFACE

      My purpose for writing this book is to share a very special cultural experience. For two years, I was a Jewish schoolteacher in a private Islamic elementary school. Through my daily interactions and observations, I learned that the politically diverse people of two different faiths, Islam and Judaism, share many common bonds. Continually, I noticed my Muslim students and their families engaging in many aspects of my own daily routine: praying, selecting clothing, choosing foods, using language, spending time with family, and nurturing warm interpersonal relationships. I made my comparisons more meaningful by providing researched information to support my interpretations and by speaking with the school’s principal and a local rabbi. Complications arose when I sought to include visual aids. Frequently, I wasn’t able to obtain the consent of the photographers or the people photographed. Also challenging was remembering people’s exact words when I wished to represent dialogue. I decided to paraphrase, since this book was written one year after the experience and was edited several years later. With my book, I hope to have a positive effect on my readers by improving interfaith relations. My goal is a realistic one. If only my book could affect public awareness and help facilitate the peace process in the Middle East.

      Of note is the fact that in the school year when this book was edited, 2013–14, I’m once again teaching at the same Islamic school. Although I left my position for a brief time to explore the job marketplace, it is significant that I returned. My passion for teaching in the school’s warm environment drew me back.

      The cover picture nicely displays the front view of Westfall Academy. The school is located within the Islamic Center of Rochester.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      So many people helped make this book possible. First, I’d like to thank my husband, Mike; my two sons, Dan and Brian; and my daughter, Shauna, for their continual encouragement. Without their support, I wouldn’t have had the courage to pursue my unusual teaching experience or have had the time to write this book. I’d also like to thank my mother, Sarah Chapman, who is a former elementary schoolteacher, and my sister, Barbara Dworkin, who is my role model, a teacher of English as a second language, and a strongly committed volunteer who seeks to improve interfaith relations within her own community. I’d also like to honor the memory of my father, Lewis Chapman, who, along with my mother, guided me toward patience and understanding.

      Many people helped me ensure the factual accuracy of this book and minimize the possibility of offending my readers. For their support in this regard, I’d like to thank Rabbi Alan Katz of Temple Sinai, Rochester, NY; Yasmin Kabir, principal of Westfall Academy (my school); Mohammad Zafar, former president of the board of directors of the Islamic Center of Rochester; Sareer A. Fazili, president of the board of directors of the Islamic Center of Rochester; Asiya Ali, a parent of a student in my former first grade class; her cousin, Asra Yousufuddin, a librarian; Heather Finch, a parent of a student in my former class and also a former teacher within the same school; and three other teachers at the school—Amanee Albaram, Samia Zahid, and Stefanie Tabry. For their assistance with the photographs, I’m grateful to Samia, Fatimah Berliana Monika (a parent volunteer), and my daughter. I’d also like to thank the people who allowed me to include photographs of themselves or their children. I’m grateful to the photographers Richard Roberts and Art Cashmere for the photographs of my temple. To refresh my memories of school events, I asked my former first grade students Lydia and Nadia Abu-Baker for their perspective. For help with the citations and improving my book’s marketability, I thank Dr. Muhammad Shafiq, director of Nazareth College’s Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue. For his assistance with the approval process and his objective perspective, I’d like to thank Ron Newman, my temple’s former board president. As a first-time author, I was grateful for the advice of George Dardess and Anthony Sciolino, both of whom are Roman Catholic deacons. By sharing their publishing experiences, they offered me considerable assistance. Without a doubt, I am also very grateful to the entire publishing team at iUniverse.

      As a teacher at Westfall Academy, I want to thank the following for ensuring the fine quality of the school: Westfall Academy’s entire school board (the Westfall Academy Education Committee), the Westfall Academy Parent–Teacher Association, and the school’s administrators, staff, and volunteers.

      CHAPTER 1

      A Warm Reception at My New School

      Introduction

      In December of 2009, I took a

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