Rituals Tough to Mix, but Peace Is Plentiful at Interfaith Event

Call it a religious triple-header.

On Saturday, for a second year, the National Conference for Community & Justice hosted its Triple Celebration -- an interfaith observance of Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan.

The event drew more than 300 to the Newport Beach Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for an evening of religious ceremonies and dinner.

Sponsors said the event was widely attended because this year the holidays fall in close proximity. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan ends 11 days earlier each year and visits every month of the calendar. This year it ended Friday.

The event is aimed at fostering friendship and understanding among religions -- a task that can sometimes turn awkward. Just planning the dinner can get tricky.

Each faith imposes its own dietary restrictions, and organizers encountered a new wrinkle this year. Since the event was held in a Mormon temple, meals could not include tea or coffee, which contain caffeine. This caused a small controversy among lovers of those beverages, said coordinator Shazeen Mufti. “We had to explain to people that it would be the same as if we brought a ham into a mosque or synagogue,” she said.

The timing of dinner is also a matter of diplomacy. Last year, the event fell during Ramadan, and Muslim participants fasted during daylight hours. “Planning was difficult because they wanted to eat right away -- they’d gone all day without food,” Mufti said. “We ended up having two dinners, one early one for the Muslims and a second one later in the evening. That was tough.”

Other complications have less to do with faith. For example, as Rabbi Rick Steinberg demonstrated a Havdalah ceremony -- a ritual that marks the end of the Sabbath -- he was prevented from lighting a braided candle traditionally extinguished by dipping it in a glass of wine. “Due to fire codes, we’re unable to light the candle tonight,” Steinberg told onlookers .

Despite such challenges, participants said they relished the opportunity to share knowledge of their faiths.

“For Muslims, it gives us an opportunity to come out and put a face on our religion, rather than have someone else put a face on it,” said Imam Yassir Fazaga, of the Islamic Foundation of Orange County.

Steinberg, of Temple Shir Ha-Ma’alot in Irvine, said he too was thankful for the chance to speak to adherents of other faiths. “I want to talk about the most controversial part of Hanukkah,” the Rabbi told the audience. “That is: How is that darn thing spelled?”