"The people you see outside your doorstep now and the people you can imagine in Rings of Peace across the city are showing up because they can’t sit still. They can’t read the news of the day and NOT weep. They can’t feel the rise of fear and hatred and do nothing!"
Rabbi Yael Splansky addressing the Imdadul Islamic Centre
congregation on March 22, 2019.

The above words uttered by Rabbi Yael Splansky express the deep and heartfelt emotion of empathy felt by all decent humans across the globe, and here in Toronto, in the wake of the brutal and senseless massacre of 50 innocent persons assembled for Jumah prayers in the House of God in Christchurch, New Zealand one week earlier.
To assuage the feeling of hurt and to offer some degree of comfort to those whose hearts were still bleeding after the incident, the Jewish community in Toronto took the lead and formed a "Ring of Peace" around 17 mosques and Muslim places of worship on the day of prayer, Friday March 22.
There were young people, old people, Jews, Christians and non-believers each one with a heart and in each heart, a private prayer woven together with the prayer of those affected for a world bereft of such unspeakable horror.
And the world has seen its full share of such horrors – in Quebec City, in Pittsburgh and now in New Zealand.
Members of the Holy Blossom Temple attended in full force and formed a Ring of Peace around the Imdadul Islamic Centre "to celebrate our common ground."
In the words of Rabbi Splansky, "You might wonder what is inside the hearts of the friends and strangers standing outside your door today? First and foremost, compassion and love. Our Torah, our sacred scripture, instructs us to 'Love our neighbour.' To Love your neighbour is to show up for your neighbour."
In her moving homily, Rabbi Splansky continued:
"What else is in our hearts today? A deep sadness. The kind of grief that aches. To imagine the slaughter of innocent people at prayer is enough to break the heart into a thousand pieces. That famous teaching from the ancient Rabbis of the Mishnah goes on to say: 'To destroy a single life is to destroy an entire world; and to save a life is to have saved a world entire.' I understand you know these words, because a version of these very words is found in your holy book, the Koran. Fifty lives cut short. Fifty worlds destroyed. How does one grieve for fifty worlds? How can we bear the burden of such a heavy grief? Just like this. Just like this. By being together. By holding on to one another. The 20th century Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber, taught that 'All real living is meeting'."

By Sayem Khan
Providing opportunities for youth where they can develop leadership skills and become better individuals is a challenge faced by many communities. Although the creative ideas shared by young students and their energy can provide significant value to any organization, due to lack of planning and proper leadership many organizations do not achieve the desirable goal.
Imdadul Islamic Centre created an example of youth empowerment at its Annual Youth Symposium on Sunday, March 24th. The program started with opening remarks by the young and dynamic MC Fatima Khan, only 15 years old, followed with the calming recitation of different verses from the Holy Quran by 11-year-old Hafiz Ateeb Nawaz who memorized the Quran within two years. The translation of the verses shared the message of unity and being tolerant. Also highlighting the occasion were recitations by 11-year-old Grade 6 honor student Jannah Khan, 9-year-old Hafizah Inaaya Nawaz and 6-year-old Umayah Al-Ismaily.
The talents of Imdad Centre’s youth are widespread and the musical performance of two sisters Salma Azeez and Alysha Azeez bears testimony to that. The piano cover of Alysha of the popular song, Lean on Me, touched the hearts of many members in the audience. Alysha and Salma also performed a duet cover showcasing their talent using a number of musical instruments.
This opportunity provided young high school students like Mosab Anwary, a dedicated volunteer of Imdad, to come out of their comfort zone and take the courage to share their talents such as public speaking skills. Mosab provided a brief description on theology and similarities in various rituals between Islamic and Jewish faiths.
A unique aspect of this program was the involvement of the youth from the Holy Blossom Synagogue. The intention of organizing this event was not only to create a space for the Muslim youth to grow but also to build a strong friendship amongst youth from other Faiths.
The lesson of growing as a community and being kind to everyone regardless of their differences was celebrated by all youth participants. Two young members from Holy Blossom Temple, Eli Sol and Avishai, recited verses from the Holy Torah as well as impressed the audience with their musical abilities.
Youth unemployment is not a widely spoken topic, one which many youth would like to see being discussed at all levels. A highly promising leader of Imdad Centre, Zubair Kwaja Moinuddin, discussed important skills for our youth to develop so they can prepare themselves for the employment market while sharing a number of motivational stories told by an inspiring visionary Jack Ma.
I also had the pleasure to share my experience of my visit at the Holy Blossom Temple and to express the gratitude of the entire Imdadul youth members for the unconditional support and love showed by members of the Jewish community during the time of hardship faced by the Muslim community. I mentioned how “the Ring of Peace” event provided us the assurance of religious freedom and being proud of our religious beliefs.
In addition, young leaders also heard from representatives Sister Penny Fancy of IDRF, Rabbi Yael Splansky of Holy Blossom Synagogue and Mohamed Kassim of TARIC. Brother Kassim highlighted the achievements of young athletes from the TARIC Islamic Centre who went on to demonstrate outstanding achievements in Basketball. Many other representatives from various organizations were present including the President of IMO Brother Omar Farouk and Principals and students from Nile Academy.
At the end of the program all the young participants were heavily praised by the organizers and presented with flowers by Imdad's Matriarch Hajjin Shareefan Khan who conducts the Sister's program at Imdad and whose mentorship was acknowledged by Executive Member of Imdad Centre Sister Neisha Echert .
Another highlight of the event was the presentation performed by the Toronto Police Talent Acquisition Team. Cst. Ismail Dhukai who is also a recruiter along with the Muslim Liaison Officer Cst. Haroon Siddiqui were delighted to have an opportunity to interact with the members of Imdad Centre. Cst. Dhukai addressed some of the key requirements such as education and physical fitness to be a police officer. They also talked about various volunteering, civilian and youth summer opportunities. As the city gets more diverse Toronto police plans to hire more officers from visible minorities especially Muslim women officers wearing hijab to reflect the representation of various communities.
Overall, it was an event filled with happiness and fostering new friendships. The vision Imdad Centre’s Board of Directors had, to create a positive space for the youth, finally came true.
I humbly acknowledge the effort of President Haroon Sheriff, Brother Osman, Brother A.Rahman, Brother Zafrul and Sister Neisha for their outstanding mentorship and leadership. Their continuous support really provided higher level of confidence to all the participants including myself to express ourselves and perform according to our potential.
[Sayem Khan is a Student of York University (Schulich-BBA). He is the winner of Chancellor Bennett Scholarship, a Member of TPS-Muslim Consultative Committee and Member of Imdadul Youth Council (IYC).]

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