Since October 7th many Muslims and Jews the world over have stopped talking and in some cases turned on each other.
Amid this turmoil a Rabbi and an Imam managed to keep their friendship alive and have launched this podcast to show the power of dialogue in bridging divides between the two communities.
This bi-weekly podcast will explore how Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis have, despite their many disagreements, managed to stay friends while war rages thousands of miles away.
They are two men of faith who speak to each other in 'good faith.'
Imam Nasser Kurdy, originally from Jordan, is a Manchester-based surgeon and lay Imam.
Rabbi Dovid Lewis, is a native Mancunion and has led the south Manchester Jewish Community since 2011.
They’ve been friends since 2012, but became closer after Nasser was stabbed in his neck outside his mosque (as reported in The Guardian) in South Manchester in 2017.
Together, they’ve championed dozens of interfaith initiatives across schools and premiership football clubs in the north west of England since October 7th. For example, they recently co-led an assembly for teenagers on navigating difficult conversations about Israel-Palestine.
Imam Nasser Kurdy: "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects relationships within our local communities. Jews and Muslims are having great difficulty speaking to each other. There's no dialogue. Hence this podcast, it's about dialogue."
Rabbi Dovid Lewis: "In our own communities, we might like to think we are influential: Nasser leads the mosque, I lead the synagogue. However, neither of us are able to make a direct difference to what's happening in Israel, Palestine, Gaza, the West Bank. But what is our responsibility? It is to make sure that it doesn't spill over into our communities, into the friendships that we have made with one another."
Subscribe now to join the conversation
This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production, supported by the Cardinal Partnership Foundation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Since October 7th many Muslims and Jews the world over have stopped talking and in some cases turned on each other.
Amid this turmoil a Rabbi and an Imam managed to keep their friendship alive and have launched this podcast to show the power of dialogue in bridging divides between the two communities.
This bi-weekly podcast will explore how Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis have, despite their many disagreements, managed to stay friends while war rages thousands of miles away.
They are two men of faith who speak to each other in 'good faith.'
Imam Nasser Kurdy, originally from Jordan, is a Manchester-based surgeon and lay Imam.
Rabbi Dovid Lewis, is a native Mancunion and has led the south Manchester Jewish Community since 2011.
They’ve been friends since 2012, but became closer after Nasser was stabbed in his neck outside his mosque (as reported in The Guardian) in South Manchester in 2017.
Together, they’ve championed dozens of interfaith initiatives across schools and premiership football clubs in the north west of England since October 7th. For example, they recently co-led an assembly for teenagers on navigating difficult conversations about Israel-Palestine.
Imam Nasser Kurdy: "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict affects relationships within our local communities. Jews and Muslims are having great difficulty speaking to each other. There's no dialogue. Hence this podcast, it's about dialogue."
Rabbi Dovid Lewis: "In our own communities, we might like to think we are influential: Nasser leads the mosque, I lead the synagogue. However, neither of us are able to make a direct difference to what's happening in Israel, Palestine, Gaza, the West Bank. But what is our responsibility? It is to make sure that it doesn't spill over into our communities, into the friendships that we have made with one another."
Subscribe now to join the conversation
This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production, supported by the Cardinal Partnership Foundation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this first episode we get to know Imam Nasser Kurdy and Rabbi Dovid Lewis; how they met, whether Kosher food is also Halal, how Nasser’s stabbing changed their relationship and why October 7th changed everything in their lives.
Background to podcast
In the very best of times, it’s rare for an Orthodox Rabbi and Imam to become such good friends - but how much more so since October 7th?
Since that day, Muslims and Jews the world over have stopped talking to each other, and in some cases turned on each other - leaving communities worldwide heartbroken.
Yet Nasser and Dovid, religious neighbours in south Manchester, England, not only choose to keep their friendship alive but are trying to use it as a force for good.
This is how our podcast came about.
This bi-weekly series (every two weeks) will explore how a 'pro-Palestine' Muslim and a 'pro-Israel' Jew, have maintained a friendship through open and honest dialogue, even as war rages thousands of miles away and is affecting relationships within their local communities.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about the podcast please email mark@schweigers.uk or philip@larchmontfilms.com
This is a Mark Schweiger and Larchmont Productions co-production, supported by the Cardinal Partnership Foundation.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.