Muslims, Jews gather at Denver mosque to help feed the hungry*

Electa Draper

(Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

Local Muslim and Jewish groups worked together Sunday, November 18th, 2012, to make roughly 1,000 peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to hand out to Denver's homeless and hungry at the Northeast Denver Islamic Center.

The newly formed crew immediately settled into their sandwich production and happy chatter. They didn't discuss the violence, tension and deaths in Israel and Gaza.

"We're not here to talk about that. We're here to build relationships that will let us talk about things like that," said Rabbi Stephen Booth-Nadav of Wisdom House Denver, a center for multifaith engagement.

"I don't think God wants us to be killing each other," he said. "I think he wants us to be feeding each other."

Alma Ortiz Sayaya, 9, is neither Muslim nor Jew. Her mother, Louise Ortiz, said they heard about this gathering and wanted to be there "to see how one person can make a difference." Alma already divides her allowance among spending, saving and charity.

Other partners in this interfaith event to benefit Denver's homeless and hungry were the American Jewish Committee, the Multicultural Mosaic Foundation and The Peanut Butter Plan, a grassroots movement to help feed the poor.

*A news excerpt from The Denver Post. Read more