May 10, 2004

Two articles written by mayors May 5 about their leadership role and involvement in education were posted on the New York Times website. These articles were written by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and San Jose (CA) Mayor Ron Gonzales. Two more articles will be posted in the coming weeks on the website that were written by Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill and Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory. The United States Conference of Mayors anticipates additional articles written by mayors to be posted on the website that describes their leadership role in education in their city. To find these articles go to: www.nytimes.com/leadership.

Mayor Martin O'Malley Hosts a Jewish/Muslim Passover Seder Luncheon

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley hosted a Jewish/Muslim Passover Seder luncheon April 20 in city hall. Though Passover actually occurred April 6-13, this event provided over 70 participants the opportunity to share a meaningful exchange of culture. In many ways, the event set a standard globally for cross'cultural communications. Participants included the Baltimore Jewish Council, the Maryland Muslim Council and the Islamic Society of Baltimore.

There has been continual exchange of information between the Baltimore Jewish and Muslim communities. The dialogue has grown to include the Washington (DC) suburban area. It now also consists of the two faiths sharing in some of the more festive traditions. For example, in December of 2003 the Maryland Muslim Council & Islamic Society of Baltimore hosted an Eid ul Fitr dinner (a festival marking the end of Ramadan). Leaders of the Jewish community were invited to the event and provided kosher food. Just a few weeks earlier, O'Malley invited Muslim leaders to city hall to make Iftar (post-fast meal after sunset during Ramadan) with them.

At the Passover Seder luncheon, Imam Hassan Amin from Masjid Ul Haqq opened the ceremony with a prayer in Arabic. Then, Rabbi Steven Schwartz from Beth El Synagogue presided over the reading of the Haggadah (the book containing the story of Passover and the ritual of the Seder, traditionally read at the Passover Seder). O'Malley helped the Rabbi by reading certain passages. The delicious meal that include matzo (unleavened bread) was followed by a question and answer session; and the event concluded with a closing prayer by Imam Earl El-Amin from the Muslim Cultural Center. The luncheon was a grand success and all look forward to the next cultural exchange event.