On October 28, Rabbi Shleffar and Imam Muhammad Fasih held an open campus discussion at San Quentin on war and death around the world.
Thirty-five prison residents came together with the two religious leaders to share their concerns of the ongoing conflicts in Palestine and Ukraine, as well as the overall psyche of this nation.
Rabbi Shleffar opened the interdenominational ceremony with the Jewish Prayer for the Dead, El Maley Rakhamim. The guided meditations allowed Shleffar to discuss the current tragedies.
“Five hundred thousand lost in Ukraine, nine thousand lost in the Middle East, nineteen in Maine, one lost in New York— Wadea Al Fayoume, stabbed 26 times for being Palestinian. The Middle East madness is crazy, so is the rest of the world,” Rabbi Shleffar said.
As leader of San Quentin’s Jewish Community, the Rabbi asked his Jewish ensemble to play a traditional American song to set the tone. Shleffar asked everyone in attendance to partake in Bob Dylan’s, “Blowin’ In The Wind,” calling attention to the similarities between current times and the 1960s. After the song, the Rabbi opened the floor to questions or feelings.
Brother Lamavis “Shorty” Comundoiwilla, opened the Q&A by saying, “It appears there are major issues and [some are created] from the outside looking in. Everyone has their rights, and it is within their right to protect what they have. If someone wants peace you have to give the peace you want.”
Imam Fasih noticed the tension and encouraged everyone to recognize their feelings and the sensitivity of the subject.
“No one’s hands are clean in these senseless killings,” said brother Ismael Freelon. “No one wants to come to the table to make sense of all of this. Why do we oppress each other?”
The Imam noted that the root of war is often in authorities who do not want to attempt conflict-resolution.
“Brothers, war will always exist—we have to accept it,” Fasih said “We know we don’t want suffering, oppression, blood and terrorism—hell no! We are grassroots people and we should be wise enough not to drink the Kool-Aid and self-destruct.”
“Israel and Palestine have co-existed for decades, centuries. It goes back to Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael, who were all cousins and who co-existed. Let’s not forget this.”
The Imam then described God’s compassion, saying God is aware of the oppression due to the lack of barriers between the oppressed and God.
Imam Fasih reminded the incarcerated participants that peace in prison can and must exist among all cultures and religions. He added that in prison, choosing sides does not help. “We must create love here. You can voice your opinion just do not become the aggressor and pray we will all co-exist like before. We want peace, prosperity, health, and good living. God bless all of you.”
Rabbi Shleffar added, “The core to bias is thinking that what we know is the truth. We must not do this; we must continually ask questions, because if we think we have the answer, we are actually stuck.”
Other participants chimed in, insisting that the inaccuracies in mainstream media misinforms the masses.
“Muslims will fight oppression, but will not become the oppressor and traditionalists remember that the ‘48 treaty created the territories of Israel and Palestine,” Comundoiwilla said.
Rabbi Shleffar then prepared to close the event, reassuring the crowd that San Quentin will offer more interdenominational services during this time of strife. He said it is important to take moments for peace and stepping back when facing anger.
“If we want peace and believe in those words, from our hearts, we must model it within the prison walls. It starts here in this prison we know as San Quentin,” said John Zeretzke, violinist, resident, and Jewish Music Clerk.