INTERFAITH INSTITUTE
For Justice, Peace and Social Movements
Giving…Giving Back
An interfaith event to explore and share the meaning of gift and giving in different
faith traditions.
Tuesday
November 30th, 2010
Sunset Community Centre
6810 Main Street, Vancouver [map]
7 to 9 PM
With panelists:
• Hanane Korchi, Muslim
• Rachel Lewis, Buddhist
• Sister Victoria Marie, Christian
• Rabbi David Mivasair, Jewish
• Priti Shah, Hindu
• Patricia Vickers, Ts'msyen Nation
The goal of this public forum is to provide an opportunity for interfaith exploration and analysis of gift and giving among those working for progressive social change. The panel will be followed by small group discussions and a report-back.
Panelists have been invited not as “religious experts,” but because they are progressive people of faith whose traditions inform their work for social change. Panelists will respond to two questions on the subject of Gift and Giving:
1. How are gift and giving understood in your tradition? (What is best and most life-giving in your tradition? What is problematic, difficult or contradictory in your tradition?)
2. How does your tradition inform your own giving and your work for change/justice?
Their offerings will be an example and a catalyst for conversation for the rest of us. Join us in this exciting evening of passion, commitment and analysis as we grapple with:
gift economies, critique of charity, property and ownership, women’s alternative economies, maternal giving, non-paid labor and volunteerism, faith-motivated giving and capitalism, gift in an interfaith context monetary gifts and taxation, giving to political causes, economic disparity, redistribution of wealth and more
This event is the first step in a larger process. Participants in the forum are invited to work with the collective as we take the next steps, which could include: a conference, scholarly analysis, workshops, actions, a publication.
For more information e-mail loraldyk@hotmail.com
Panelist Bios
Rachel Lewis was raised in the Anglican church, and came to Buddhist practice while studying for her physics PhD. Since then, she has spent over 300 nights on silent meditation retreats, as well as completing Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioners Program and starting teacher training through the Community Dharma Leaders program. She sits with DIY Dharma and the BC Insight Meditation Society as well as teaching meditation classes at Alouette Correctional Centre for Women. I am interested in how spiritual practice can transform activism, service and professional work into gifts to the world.
Hanane Korchi is a board member of Vancouver’s Islamic Speakers Bureau, dedicated to developing greater awareness about Islam and Muslims. Hanane is a Graphic Design graduate from Capilano College where she is currently back studying Arts Management. Her artistic skills include a variety of crafts as well as fine arts. Her volunteer work with the Muslim community ranges from local fundraisers to MSA National work to month-long retreats abroad with Deen Intensive. She recently traveled to Damascus to study Arabic and calligraphy for a short time.
Dr. Victoria Marie, osc - Roman Catholic - is a Franciscan Sister of Joy, a community researcher, local activist, and Vancouver Catholic Worker. Her social justice work and interests have taken her to Colombia with Witness for peace and in the 1990s to Kenya and Mexico. In March 2006 and August 2007, Dr. Marie participated in Christian Peacemaker Teams delegations to Kenora and Grassy Narrows (Ontario) to learn more about Aboriginal human rights issues. The need for and the opportunity to participate in this exchange of ideas and practices on gift and giving is what attracted me to this event.
Rabbi David Mivasair is a Vancouver-based rabbi who has lived for four years in Israel, most recently in 2001. He is recognized for his compassionate teachings and progressive views, actively supporting: peace in the Middle East, calling upon both Israelis and Palestinians to work towards a peaceful resolution and same-sex marriage, as a founding member of the coalition of rabbis who publicly came forward to support same-sex marriage and the first BC rabbi to marry same-sex couples. Reb David is the rabbi of Vancouver’s progressive Ahavat Olam congregation and Seattle’s Eitz Or. I can imagine a number of points to bring into the discussion from a Jewish religious perspective. It would be interesting to hear how much other traditions share those same ideas or are actually different.
Priti Gami Shah practises Hinduism and finds it natural to embrace all religions as facets of the One Truth and her spiritual, social and civic consciousness transcends all barriers. She is an active member of Shri Satya Sai Centre of Coquitlam. A community based social justice activist, since 1988 she has been involved in lobbying against systemic barriers which prevent migrants from fully participating in Canada. She believes in expanding the circle by building capacity and leadership voices of marginalized persons, and is currently organizing around the living wage campaign. Priti is Director of Pratham BC Foundation, a non-profit organization which funds literacy of street children in India. I am excited to learn the spiritual significance of giving in various faiths and how we can come together across traditions to work on struggles of disparities by “giving” and transforming.
Dr. Patricia Vickers, PhD RCC Indigenous/Christian, Ts’msyen/British—is an ethno-consultant in the areas of education, mental health, conflict resolution and capacity building. Her current emphasis is on how Ancestral Law can facilitate positive change within Indigenous communities and the jurisdictions that interact with them. Patricia is a published author who has written extensively on community and mental health issues as they relate to Indigenous history. In Ts’msyen/Nisga’a/Gitxsan territories we have a saying: “sag ayt k’uulm g’oot” when translated means “Together as One Heart.” This encouragement is used by the wise to ground and focus us toward respect and equanimity. Bringing together the treasures of our ancestors is a worthy effort by individuals and institutes.
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