Anisa Mehdi To Speak In Montclair On 'Abraham Path Initiative'

MONCLAIR, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Bnai Keshet in Montclair. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Writer-journalist Anisa Mehdi, an Iraqi-American who serves as executive director of Abraham Path Initiative, a walking route on the West Bank, will speak via Zoom at Bnai Keshet’s Kaplan Minyan, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 11 a.m. The talk is free and community is invited to join; visit https://www.bnaikeshet.org/kaplanminyans for the link.

Her talk, “Walking a Fine Line: The Abraham Path Initiative” is informed by the idea that walking in the footsteps of Abraham in villages off the beaten path can affirm the region’s innate hospitality and kindness as opposed to its mainstream associations of hostility and fear. In the process, she said the walking tour can foster economic development and tourism. "It's a bold, personal, cross-boundary cultural experience to walk in the footsteps of Abraham,” says Mehdi, who believes in the power of walking to create stronger links between people at this vital time in the region.

An Iraqi-American of mixed religious heritage, Mehdi values the variety of cultures present in the Middle East, or Southwest Asia, and appreciates the concomitant tensions that can arise For 20-plus years, she was a broadcast journalist in mainstream American news media, with credits at National Geographic, 60 Minutes, Frontline, PBS, NPR, ABC, and the BBC. She has two Emmys, a CINE Golden Eagle, and awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for reporting on religion and the arts. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Jordan. She currently lives in Maplewood.

The Bnai Keshet Kaplan Minyans are named for Reconstructionist Judaism founder Mordecai Kaplan, who sought to create a Jewish framework for discussions of ethics, culture, history and current events. They are designed for people who enjoy a communal Shabbat and want to enrich their understanding of Jewish peoplehood in an alternative, less traditional setting. Reconstructing Judaism in Montclair and Greater Essex County, Bnai Keshet is an inclusive synagogue located a 99 South Fullerton Ave., Montclair. For more, call 973-7464889 or visit www.bnaikeshet.org

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