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Keeping the Faith

Duke students celebrate religious holidays throughout September

As students adjust this month to the start of classes and myriad activities that mark the beginning of a new academic year, members of Duke's Muslim and Jewish communities will gather to celebrate important religious holidays.

At sundown on Friday, Sept. 18, Muslim students will convene in the Great Hall for a campus-wide iftar, or breaking of the fast, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Across campus at the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, Jewish students will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish new year, with services and shared meals.

"This is the most important time in the Jewish calendar," says Rebecca Simons, director for Jewish Life at Duke. "We celebrate the beginning of the new year and are given the opportunity to start the year on the right foot."

Similarly, Duke Muslim Chaplain Abdullah Antepli notes that Ramadan is especially significant for Muslims because it is considered the month when the teachings of the Qur'an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, leading to the birth of Islam.

Both holidays are based on the lunar calendar, and include rituals such as prayer, fasting and communal gatherings.

During Rosh Hashanah, rituals include attending services at a synagogue, spending time with friends and family, and enjoying traditional meals.

"One of our customs is to wish people a sweet and healthy new year," says Simons. "We eat sweet foods and say a prayer over apples dipped in honey." Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, Jews celebrate Yom Kippur, with a 25-hour period of fasting and prayer.

"As part of the Yom Kippur service we ask forgiveness for different discretions," says Simons. "It's a time of reflection -- a time to put the past behind us and look forward to the rest of the year."

During Ramadan, which began Saturday, Aug. 22, Muslims abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset each day.

"After sundown, we break our fast with an ‘iftar' meal. We are allowed to eat, drink and we have rituals, ceremonies and worship as well as prayerful moments," says Antepli. During Ramadan, an extended worship service called the "tarawih" follows the fifth and final daily prayer.

"I like to think of [Ramadan] as a type of spiritual gym where we try to gain some spiritual muscles -- a time for contemplation, spiritual discipline and improving our spiritual skills," says Antepli. "Faith requires practice and discipline, too. To earn a Duke degree, you bust your brain for four years. If you want to see God's fingerprints on your life, you have to work out your religious and spiritual skills."

With the opening of the Center for Muslim Life last spring, this is the first year that Duke's Muslim community will be able to utilize the space at 406 Swift Ave. for Ramadan. Down the street at 1600 Campus Drive, the Freeman Center celebrates its 10th anniversary and will host Kosher meals and services during the holidays.

The overlap of the two holidays also provides opportunities for interfaith dialogue and community building, say religious leaders on campus. Students from Duke Hillel and the Muslim Students Association are planning a Jewish iftar together, and both Jewish and Muslim groups have celebrated Shabbat dinners and iftars with members of other faith groups.

Interfaith events and activities during the holidays are also supported by Duke's Faith Council. Established in 2007, the Faith Council meets regularly to discuss interfaith issues, sponsor public events and support engagement on interreligious issues.

"We're trying to not only understand other faiths, but to deepen participants' practice of their own faith by being challenged," says Faith Council coordinator Emily Wilson-Hauger.

Both Antepli and Simons stress the importance of making new students aware of the planned religious activities, and creating a home-away-from-home for students across the faith spectrum. They and others also offer support and guidance for students balancing religious observance with the demands of class and other activities, not only during this month's holidays but also with the Hindu festival of Diwali in October, Christmas and other events throughout the year.

"I think it's a stable force among rapidly changing things," says Duke junior and Hillel president Scott Gorlick. "You could have tests, interviews and other things going on, but the Freeman Center is a constant at Duke. It's about building community -- having a building and having a place where students can feel comfortable."

Adds Antepli, "We try to figure out how to give these students a sense of home. Duke is not only home for these students intellectually and culturally, but also spiritually."