Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity

Product Description Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity is a groundbreaking study introducing to the popular reader, the story of respectful and loving interfaith relations between Sufis (Islamic mystics) and Jewish spiritual thinkers for nearly one thousand years. From the inception of Islam, to the Golden Age (8th-12th centuries) Jewish-Sufis of Arabia, North Africa and Spain, through the Kabbalists in Spain and the Holy Land, and then into 18th century European Hasidism, Islamic and Jewish ideas commingled to influence both paths, as well as strongly influencing the Jewish mystical system. This story is important to understanding contemporary Jewish-Muslim relations. As Egyptian Ambassador Sallama Shaker notes: “Block’s narrative is an eye-opener for peace activists and politicians who are in search for genuine peace built on mutual respect – This is a ‘must read book’.” Rabbi Abi Ingber, Founding Director for Interfaith Community Engagement at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, concurs, saying: “His theories of interrelationships and mystical cross-fertilization wake up our historical senses and unabashedly challenge our contemporary assumptions.” Many medieval Jews interacted with and were influenced by the Sufi way. Moses Maimonides, considered the pre-eminent Jewish medieval thinker, Solomon ibn Gabirol, whose “piyyut” are still sung during the Sabbath liturgy the world over, Judah Halevi, whose work, according to the chief Rabbi of Palestine in the early 20th century, contains that which is most precious about the Jewish soul and hundreds of other seminal Jewish thinkers often read Sufi treatises in Arabic, wrote Islamic-inspired mystical odes and sometimes even based their interpretations of Jewish tradition on Sufi thought and practice. Some Jewish thinkers went so far as to quote Islamic thinkers directly. Fragments of Sufi tracts are woven through medieval Jewish writings, from those of Moses Maimonides’ son Abraham, to Judah Halevi’s “Sefer ha-Kuzari.” Some Jewish thinkers, such as the 11th century Bahya ibn Pakuda, went so far as to rework the Jewish spiritual path in light of Sufi influence. His “Guide to the Duties of the Heart,” which is still read by Jewish practitioners to this day, is essentially a Sufi mystical treatise, translated into Hebrew. Medieval Jewish libraries were sprinkled with Sufi and Islamic tracts, often translated into Hebrew, and some leaders, such as David Maimonides (15th century), went so far as to mention Muslims by name, with paeans to their virtuosity and wisdom. This study demonstrates the deep and abiding respect that Jewish religious figures often had for Muslim thinkers. It also explores how Islamic influence reverberates within Judaism to this day. This book not only provides readers with a new perspective on Jewish spirituality, but also adds a vital study to the extant literature on Muslim-Jewish relations. It could change how contemporary Jewish-Muslim relations are considered, solidifying an appreciation for how deeply are these two religious paths interconnected. More than just a historical work, this book provides a fresh perspective on the social, religious and political issues that have complicated Jewish-Muslim relations since the founding of Israel. Popularizing this little-known tale of mutual respect and spiritual love can activate a narrative of peace – so unusual in these difficult times in the Middle East –between these children of Abraham. Reviews "Block’s historical review of the encounters of Jewish mystics with Sufi masters is as inspiring as it is fascinating, as hopeful as it is insightful. This meeting of Jewish and Muslim mystics offers a foundation for the collaboration of Jewish and Muslim activists. This is a book for both scholars and politicians. If mystics can learn from each other, we can hope that politicians might do the same." -Paul F. Knitter, Paul Tillich Professor of Theology, World Religions and Culture - Union Theological Seminary "Block opens up an entirely new area of consideration in the study of the Golden Age of Spain - an era of unbridled mystical growth both in the Jewish and the Islamic world. His theories of interrelationships and mystical cross-fertilization wake up our historical senses and unabashedly challenge our contemporary assumptions. The great Rumi taught, "Be soft earth so that you may sprout flowers of many colors." Tom Block has softened the earth of history and the opening to a new contemporary relationship." -Rabbi Abie Ingber, Founding Director for Interfaith Community Engagement at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, & a co-creator of the award winning multi-media exhibit, A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and The Jewish People. "Tom Block's book "Shalom/Salaam" is an inspiring, intriguing, and informative narrative which emphasizes how Jews and Muslims lived together for more than one thousand years where both had mutual respect and shared growth. Block's narrative is an eye-opener for peace activists and politicians who are in search for genuine peace built on mutual respect and full acknowledgment of contemporary wrongs committed in the name of God in order to avoid what the author describes as ''further calamities in the Middle East". This is a 'must-read' book." - Ambassador SALLAMA SHAKER, Ph.D., Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Egypt and Egyptian Ambassador to Canada. Visiting Professor of Middle East & Islamic Studies, Yale Divinity School. "As a Muslim scholar, and a professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, I am very heartened and excited by this study, which shows clearly the direct and ongoing influence between Islamic and Jewish mysticism. Although the current relationship between Jewish and Muslim practitioners, especially in Israel and the surrounding countries, is quite difficult, there is much positive history between the two People. Studies such as Thomas Block's book can help point the way back to a time when the Muslim and Jewish People shared much in terms of history, mysticism and even Prophets." -Mohamed Hawary, Professor of Religious Jewish Thought and Comparative Religions, Dept. of Hebrew Studies, Faculty of Arts, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt "Tom Block’s book opens a window on cross-cultural learning between Jewish and Muslim philosophers and theologians that has gone on for centuries. In a world in which religions are all too often used to sow seeds of conflict and hatred, it is good to be reminded that at the heart of our respective faith traditions lay teachings about ultimate truth, mystery and holiness that should bring about greater understanding and unity." -Rabbi Sid Schwarz, author of Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World, founder of the PANIM Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, and senior fellow at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership "Strictly for the sake of future historians, this book and the founding of Fons Vitae's Spiritual Affinities line are inseparable. This study transcends the political differences over Palestine/Israel. Even the title expresses the idea of spiritual links transcending political conflict, decommissioning the religious content to the conflict." -S. Abdallah Schleifer, Distinguished Professor, Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, The American University in Cairo "The subject of this book is of the highest interest and I am very glad to hear of its publication. May your contribution to the necessary interreligious dialogue be warmly received and accepted." -Jean Louis Michon, French traditionalist scholar and translator who specializes in Islamic art and Sufism "This book is about the passion of a young American Jew to uncover the spiritual affinity of Sufism and Kabbalah, because he believes his work can advance the humanization of the Muslim-Jewish relationship. That relationship has suffered a great deal from rampant, tragically flawed "scholarly" theories on innate racial inferiority/superiority, theories that accompanied the emergence of intense ethno-nationalism, especially in Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the brutal resultant persecution of Jews in these regions. Add to that the toxic effect of the Israeli-Arab relationship today . . . Tom writes for educated lay people who share his hunger for healing Jewish-Muslim relations and a strong interest in spirituality. But his book might also spur some academic researchers to look more deeply into the subject." -Joseph Montville, a former American diplomat who served in the Middle East, North Africa and the Department of State. He directs the Abrahamic Family Reunion project working closely with Israeli and American Jews, Muslims and Christians to recover the history of their creative coexistence from the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century.