Wieder Meets With Muslim Leaders To Promote Religious Tolerance

Rockland County Legislator Aron B. Wieder (D-Spring Valley)) convened a meeting with Jewish and Muslim leaders in Rockland on Friday.

“Our gathering was a very positive experience for all of us, and I look forward to holding even more meetings in the future to promote harmony and understanding among all the diverse groups in Rockland,” Wieder said in a prepared statement. “Open dialogue and tolerance are unassailable virtues of a decent society, and we must do more to encourage that behavior in Rockland.”

With recent national and international headlines fostering more intolerance against Muslim-Americans, Wieder said he sought to use the story of Hanukkah, in which one small remaining canister of oil lit the Temple’s menorah for eight days in the midst of great darkness, to demonstrate how even a small gathering about tolerance could serve as a starting point to wipe out prejudice. During the meeting, he presented Sheikh Tosun Bayrak with a menorah as a symbol of friendship and to convey a message about the holiday of Hanukkah and religious tolerance.

Wieder decried the recent anti-Muslim sentiments perpetuated on a national stage, saying adherents to both religions have faced struggles and tribulations.

“All it takes is a single light to bring hope, solace, and peace,” he said, referencing the light of the menorah and its storied capacity to overcome all darkness in the world.