Judaism and Islam are forever bound together as sister religions.

The holiday of Rosh Hashana is a time for introspection. It is an important time to reflect on the achievements in Muslim-Jewish dialogue and the opportunities to further strengthen our bonds for the coming year.

There is much that unites us, including our shared values and traditions. Muslims and Jews working hand in hand is what will ultimately lead to the success of our region. As we usher in the Jewish new year on Monday evening, we must commit ourselves to furthering our relationship and dialogue.

The great Mahatma Gandhi once noted: “If we are to respect others’ religions as we would have them respect our own, a friendly study of the world’s religions is a sacred duty.”

As religious leaders, our responsibility is to find a path toward peaceful coexistence between all religions and all people, especially the world’s three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Over the past year, we have seen many achievements in this area. In Dubai, a group of dynamic young Emiratis arranged a joint iftar-Lag B’Omer celebration and invited Muslims and Jews to celebrate the holidays together. Our organization has arranged Shabbat meals in both Bahrain and Dubai, bringing together diplomats, Emiratis and Bahrainis — both Muslim and Jewish — to break bread and talk about our commonalities. Friday is a special day for both religions and we celebrate together.

Just a couple of weeks ago, a bar mitzvah was held in Bahrain for the first time in 16 years. In attendance were Muslims and Jews.

A few months back, Muslim and Jewish ambassadors participated in a joint panel discussion about the role of interfaith relations and how they are propelling the region forward.

Abdulla Rashed Al-Khalifa, Bahrain’s ambassador to the US; Yousef Al-Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the US; Houda Nonoo, former Bahraini ambassador to the US; and Marc Sievers, former US ambassador to Oman, all spoke about why interfaith dialogue is critical for the region.

For 1,400 years, Judaism and Islam were inextricably linked in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and in medieval Spain. Each had a common ancestry, similar values and holy scriptures.

We are enjoined by our faiths to find a path toward peaceful coexistence between all religions and all people. Therefore, in order to establish a channel of communication and cooperation between Jews and Muslims, between Judaism and Islam, the following steps are necessary.

First, we must lead by example and communicate to our own congregations that peace is a basic human right. We must stand together should any of our communities suffer harassment or attacks.

And we must overcome some of the misrepresentation, demonization, stereotyping, prejudice and lack of awareness in the world through an ongoing educational process that teaches peace and respect for each religion.

Second, as each of us takes enormous pride in our own religion’s history, culture and tradition, so too must we pride ourselves on our level of understanding and tolerance of each other’s religion. Just as we encourage our own people’s pride in our own religions, we must castigate those who show intolerance and ignorance of other religions and cultures.

Third, it is our responsibility to guide our people toward looking for the inestimable value of peace, and not in the “importance” of religious conflict. Yes, the world is made up of different races, colors, ethnicities, religions, and political ideologies.

However, the seeds of peace begin to grow when people of all faiths and backgrounds are encouraged to communicate, tolerate, accept, respect, and ultimately trust one another.

As the Jewish new year approaches, let us reflect on the wise words included in the UN manifesto on the Culture of Peace, which states: “We must learn to use one another’s religious belief as ways to connect — not as reasons for conflict.” May these words serve as a guiding light for everybody in this region for the coming year.

Judaism and Islam are forever bound together as sister religions. We are intertwined in our faith, liturgy, history and culture. It behooves us to maintain an open dialogue and cherish our similarities and our differences with respect, acceptance, coexistence and love for each other. We owe it to our communities, to our people and to our common father Abraham.

Piece first published in Arab News.

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie is the rabbi of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities and the senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates. He tweets under @RabbiElieAbadie.

Featured Image courtesy Lovin Dubai.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will usher in the Jewish year of 5781, begins on the evening of Friday, Sept. 18, and commemorates the anniversary of the creation of the universe. As is appropriate for a holiday commemorating what Jews consider to be the penultimate divine act, its canvas is the entire world, all of humanity.

For Jews, Rosh Hashanah is a time of introspection and self-examination, during which we reflect on the good and the bad that each of us have done over the past 12 months and resolve to do better in the coming year. Specifically, we resolve to be just and compassionate to people of all faiths and nationalities, according to the aphorism of Rabbi Hillel, a first-century sage: “What is hateful to thee, do not do unto your fellow man. This is the whole law; the rest is mere commentary.”

For the growing Jewish communities of the Gulf, this is a joyous time to reflect on the blossoming of Jewish life with the support of enlightened governments in this region. As the “Rabbi to the Gulf” who worked hard for more than a decade to bring about this blessed result, I share in the euphoria. However, this Rosh Hashanah, I respectfully urge the Jews of the Gulf to look beyond the Jewish community to the challenge of coexisting positively with the overwhelmingly Muslim populations among whom they are living.

We must appreciate the positive steps forward that we are seeing in the Gulf when it comes to their embracing our religion. For example, I appreciate how Arab News is breaking taboos by publishing articles from Jewish leaders. Personally, I was honored to be asked to write an op-ed that was published on the front page of the paper the day after the UAE-Israel announcement and then again last week after Bahrain and Israel announced their deal. They also published a special “Deep Dive” report on the Jews of Lebanon last week on Sept. 12.

Indeed, the Jews of the Gulf have a unique role: To be ambassadors from our people to the larger Muslim world. They must endeavor to reach out to their Muslim brothers and sisters and build lasting ties of communication and cooperation. Together, the Muslims and Jews of the Gulf can set an inspiring example to our brethren around the world, showing them that interfaith communities can truly live together in friendship and trust. Let us accomplish this together in the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, which celebrates our common humanity, and of the recently observed Muharram, the Islamic New Year.

During this season of reflection and repentance, the rabbis eulogize human beings’ ability to cast off obsolete ways of thinking and fundamentally change their actions for the better. In that context, let us reflect on the many positive changes we have witnessed in the Gulf over the past 12 months. Just think about the amazing things Muslims and Jews can accomplish together in the years ahead, such as overcoming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and other serious illnesses in the Middle East and beyond, or applying advanced irrigation techniques to green the desert and increase food production for the benefit of all of humanity. The possibilities are limitless.

Rabbi Marc Schneier is President of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.

Article first published on Arab News.