The event, held Dec. 12 at the Jewish Museum of Buenos Aires, invited participants to share a meal prepared according to their cultural traditions. After blessing the food according to their faiths, each of the 18 women shared her name and religious background – as well as a special memory associated with the items she brought to the table.
“We think that women do a lot for peace, and this has to do with the care we give to our families,” said Maria Eugenia Crespo de Mafia, Global Support Coordinator for URI’s Cooperation Circle. “This is made visible in the love we have for keeping traditions vital -- and in the way we prepare our food.”
Following the presentations, the group had a “rich exchange” of dialogue while sharing a meal together, Maria said. The women also visited the Templo Libertad synagogue, located next to the museum, and had the opportunity to ask questions of the congregation.
“Each of us went home renewed in the strength to build bridges, starting from our own homes,” Maria said. “It was a simple, sweet and comforting encounter.”
The gathering was the second “Nuevo Sabores de la Infancia,” or “Tastes of Childhood,” event hosted by the Bridge Builders, an interfaith youth organization sponsored by the U.S. Embassy that works closely with URI’s Escuela de Amor Cooperation Circle. The group convened in an Islamic center in 2011 and plans to meet – and eat – in a Christian parish hall next year.
