Nearly 200 gather to strengthen Hindu-Jewish bonds at Monroeville temple
‘Harmony Across Traditions’ delivers Hindu and Jewish Pittsburghers song, food and chance to learn together
An evening of song, food and conversation enabled local Hindu and Jewish Pittsburghers to foster greater ties.
The June 8 event, which organizers called “Harmony Across Traditions,” welcomed more than 180 attendees to Monroeville’s Hindu Jain Temple and highlighted shared interests.
“Both communities have a lot of similarities when it comes to our customs, our culture and how we see humanity,” Geetika Tandon said.
According to Tandon, the director of philanthropy for the Hindu American Foundation, recent events have necessitated greater ties between Hindus and Jews.
“Both communities have been struggling with their identity [in light of] anti-Hindu hate or antisemitism,” she said. “We need to gather together as one community and show the human side of it, humanity — show the world how we can walk and go toward peace, build peace in the community and stand there for each other.”
Sunday’s event demonstrated such a path by inviting local residents to spend hours together in conversation and song. After arriving at the Monroeville temple around 4 p.m., participants sipped tea and shared histories.
Tree of Life’s Rabbi Jeffrey Myers donned a prayer shawl he received as a gift during a 2023 visit to the temple.
“It’s like a talit,” Myers said.
Nearly an hour later, Myers joined Congregation Beth Shalom’s Rabbi Seth Adelson on stage to sing “Hatikvah” and “Shalom Aleichem.”
Adelson, who like Myers is a trained cantor, explained the cultural significance behind each piece.
Whereas “Hatikvah” is Israel’s national anthem, and references biblical tropes regarding a return to Zion, “Shalom Aleichem” is traditionally sung by Jewish people on Friday nights as Shabbat begins, Adelson said. “Jewish poetry and music as it has come down to us through the ages always builds on what we had in the past.”
Sheela Rajau, who led attendees in “Jana Gana Mana,” India’s national anthem, said the song encourages an abandonment of conflict and serves as a “timeless call for peace and unity across cultures.”
Laura Cherner, director of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council moderated a conversation between communal leaders and noted the significance of such gatherings.
“It’s so important for our communities to come together and celebrate tradition or commonalities, and to learn from one another,” she said. To have both communities “come together for the specific purpose of building relationships, and bridges, and learn from one another is really such a special thing.”
For more than 3,000 years, “both traditions have gone through a glorious history,” Sai Patil said.
The active temple member, who serves as director of project management at Viatris, said Hindus and Jews can learn from each other’s “perseverance.” Despite experiencing various atrocities, both groups “continue to exist, continue to fight and continue to survive.”
This moment calls for greater mutual reliance, Bhavini Patel told attendees.
“At a time when so much of the world can feel divided, uncertain and scary, gatherings like this remind us of something very powerful: We are stronger, wiser and more joyful when we come together,” the former candidate for Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District and current executive director at Sustainable Pittsburgh said.
Led by spiritual guides and communal leaders, the nearly 200 attendees closed the formal program by singing “America the Beautiful.” Afterward, participants moved to another portion of the temple’s community hall to enjoy a catered vegetarian dinner from Udipi Cafe. Kosher meals, under Vaad supervision, were also available.
Before the evening’s close, Julie Paris, StandWithUs Mid-Atlantic regional director, told the Chronicle Sunday’s program resulted from “years of discussions between Hindu leaders in the Pittsburgh community and Jewish leaders looking for ways to connect, realizing that the rise in hate targeting both the Jewish community and the Hindu community is dangerous, and that together we can be stronger.”
Shared communal values, she continued, is a reminder that although “both of our communities are under attack, we are committing to digging deeper into who we are, to learning about one another and to investing time in our community for the greater good.”
David Knoll, chair of Federation’s Community Relations Council, praised the event and said he hopes to see new relationships bloom.
“I think any chance for faith-based communities to get together in friendship and support is desperately needed, not just in times like this but at all times,” he said. “We need to come together and learn from each other.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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