By The Rivers Podcast

This episode we interview two guests working for food justice. Ruhel Islam and Claire Baglien work together on the Gandhi Mahal Interfaith Garden. We discuss the ability of food to bring people together, the challenges of urban gardening, the idea of a caste system in food and the practice of regenerative agriculture.Some links mentioned in the podcastMN Interfaith Power and Light Gandhi Mahal Restaurant Interfaith Garden project < bit.ly/2lkDGRg >Regenerative Agriculture < bit.ly/2lkNwCF >Our Guests’ inspirational textWherever You Go, There You Are < bit.ly/2lkLL8g >SupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

This episode we bring you a recording of Rabbi Shavit-Lonstein’s brief presentation at the Nusrat Mosque in MN during Eid Al-Adha, a major Islamic festival celebrating the biblical story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son as a demonstration to loyalty to God. It examines this story from three perspectives, that of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The approach is based on the idea that the friction of differences enable personal growth and deepen relationships. The presentation was born our of time spent examining these texts with the By The Rivers interfaith study group, which is open to everyone. Copes of the texts we used are below. Some links mentioned in the podcast:Eid Al-Adha < bit.ly/2cnHx0E >The Blind Men and the Elephant < bit.ly/2crYXpB >Download Study Texts from Torah, New Testament and Qu’ran. SupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

For this episode, we bring you the recording of an important event: Congress Under the Gun: Federal Legislation and the Fight Against Gun Violence. By The Rivers hosted this round table discussion on August 17, 2016. It was coordinated by Protect Minnesota, a local organization which works to prevent gun violence as part of the national effort known as DisarmHate.Participants:- United States Congresswoman Betty McCollum - Minnesota State Representative Dan Schoen - John Finnegan, Jr., PhD, Dean, University of Minnesota School of Public Health - Joan Peterson, Associate Chair of Protect Minnesota and Brady Campaign board member- The Rev. Nancy Nord Bence, Executive Director Protect Minnesota (Facilitator)Links:Protect Minnesota SupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Past episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

Rev John Bellaimey, Upper school chaplain and head of religion department, and at the Breck Schools in Minneapolis, joins us in a podcast recorded a few months agoI asked John here because of his work with High School students as a teacher and a councilor. In todays world, where on one hand, we celebrate differences and diversity, and on another, we feel more siloed into our own religions traditions, I chat with John about the importance of learning about other’s traditions and faiths as teens, and even before. John and I are going to look at Why its better not to wait: Learning about other religions in High School.Some links mentioned in the podcast:TED ED talk: The five major world religions Book The Tree Of World Religions Blog Our Guests’ inspirational text:St. Francis of Assisi Contact:Email John at johnbellaimey@breckschool.orgSupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker By The Rivers, Interfaith, Rev John Bellaimey, Breck Schools, trees and rivers blog

We discuss the work of Interfaith Action and their programs which bring communities together to end poverty in East Metro of St. Paul. They focus on comprehensive solutions which are culturally appropriate and focused on structural change to and building the infrastructure of opportunity. We discuss the evolution of what used to the St. Paul Area Council of Churches, the importance and challenges of this work in faith communities, and some opportunities at this difficult time. Some links mentioned in the podcast:Interfaith Action MDC North Carolina and David Dodson State of the South Our Guests’ inspirational text:Birkat Hamazon (Jewish prayer following a meal) Contact:Randi at Interfatih Action SupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

The Interfaith Amigos (Imam Jamal Rahman, Pastor Don Mackenzie and Rabbi Ted Falcon) presented at Common Good Books in St. Paul on June 6. By The Rivers had the honor of recording their presentation and the question and answer session that followed. They spoke about their journey, shared their learning and read from their latest book. Some links mentioned in the podcast:Interfaith Amigos Books SupportPatreon: Please support this podcast by visiting and donating. FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast, or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

John and Hans join us to discuss the current state of interfaith relations and the work of The Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning. We discuss the importance of relationships before dialogue, the reflexive association of violence and religion, and the work of the center to empower the next generation of leaders. We note some cultural changes on University campuses which leads us to propose a new bumpersticker: “Interfaith dialogue: you are already doing it.”

Anse Tamara Gray & Sarah Abe join us from Daybreak Press Global Bookshop & Gathering Space, on the University of MN campus. We discuss the power of books to inspire political activism, talk about one particular book in particular, the Qur’an, and look at the upcoming celebration of Ramadan. We also notice the ability of different faith traditions to come together around social issues, Some links mentioned in the podcast:Bookshop and Meeting space: daybreak.rabata.orgEmail daybreak@rabata.orgTwitter @DaybreakPressOur Guest's inspirational text:Book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Book Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination FeedbackYou can share feedback on this episode on Twitter @by_the_rivers or #BTRpodcast,  or via email podcast@bytherivers.org. We welcome audio and written comments.Other By The Rivers Podcast episodes are available on:By The Rivers website iTunes Spreaker

Vic Rosenthal, Director of Jewish Community Action, joins us for an interview on Social Change in interfaith communities. We touch on the power of conversations to inspire individuals and change policies; we learn about how Vic uses Jewish tradition to inspire him to work for universal values, and we see how these values helped many to work for the MN Marriage Amendment. You can reach Vic via:Email< mailto:vic@jewishcommunityaction.org > or Twitter .

An interview with Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein discussing the origins and goals of our new multi-faith life cycle and leaning center located in St Paul MN.

A brief teaser to our new podcast!