Ramadan: Jews, Christians and Muslims Break Bread at Payrow Plaza

Lots of kids enjoying Turkish food

Bethlehem's Zoning Hearing Board was scheduled to hear four cases on June 22. Meetings can get pretty crowded. It was still a surprise to see a big tent pitched outside Town Hall before the hearings started. Fortunately, the 150 people inside had no interest in variances or nonconforming uses. They were there for a Ramadan dinner and included people of all faiths - Muslim, Jew and Christian. The meal, completely free of charge, was for anyone interested in interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

Northampton Attorney Dean Berg and his wife, participated in the dinner. 

What is Ramadan? According to the Lehigh Dialogue Center, "Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. Every year we ask our friends and neighbors to participate in a life experience in the month of Ramadan. We organize Ramadan dinners at our centers, our member's homes, churches, synagogues and colleges to portray and experience the Ramadan's role in sharing, feeding and helping the poor."

Ramadan is between June 5 and July 5 this year.

Ohran Guven sings a prayer while Dr. Kent Ozman and other Muslims holds hands out.

Ramadan Tent Dinner At Payrow Plaza

As the sun sank into the horizon, a group of hungry people began eating dinner inside a tent pitched at Payrow Plaza. Unlike most Musikfest revelers, this group is observing Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayers for Muslims around the world. The Lehigh Dialogue Center and Peace Islands Institute offered a meal, completely free of charge, to anyone interested in interfaith and intercultural dialogue. Another meal will be offered tonight.

Among those I saw at last night's meal was Lehigh County Judge Edward Reibman.

Ramadan ends on July 17.

Ramadan Tent Dinner in Christmas City?

For two days next week, the Turkish American community is inviting you to share dinner, in the hope that "by breaking bread together we will have a stronger dialogue and better understanding of each others values, faith and ethnicity."

These dinners will be on July 17 and 18, 8:30 PM, at Payrow Plaza in Bethlehem. They're free and open to all, though you are asked to call or email in advance. They come courtesy of Lehigh Dialogue Center, Turkish Cultural Center Pennsylvania and the City of Bethlehem.

What is Ramadan? According to the Lehigh Dialogue Center, "Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting, in which Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk. Every year we ask our friends and neighbors to participate in a life experience in the month of Ramadan. We organize Ramadan dinners at our centers, our ember's homes, churches, synagogues and colleges to portray and experience the Ramadan's role in sharing, feeding and helping the poor."