Impact

A Message From the Executive Director

Dear Change-makers and community members,

As a stakeholder in the NewGround community, we wanted to share with you some of the amazing successes NewGround has accomplished over the past few years to champion change. The upcoming U.S. presidential election has generated a drastic rise in social division. As NewGround  launches our fall programming and prepares for this December’s first ever virtualized Trailblazer Talks, we are also working diligently to confront the tide of phobia and promote pluralism.

On September 24, 2015, I was appointed to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. I joined community leaders from across the nation in making recommendations for improved relationships between faith-based organizations and the government. It is an exciting new endeavor for myself and for NewGround.

Over 18 million people have viewed the new Buzzfeed video, “I’m Muslim, But I’m Not…,” featuring Change-makers such as Saaliha Khan and Tom Earl, our own former NewGround staff members, and Marwa Abdelghani, our former Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change (MAJIC) advisory board member. The video is a vehicle for change — celebrating the many faces of Muslim Americans across Los Angeles.

Harvard University’s Pluralism Project Director Diana Eck praised NewGround in the 17th issue of the Journal on Inter-Religious Studies.  A piece on the transformative power of relationships written by NewGround is also published in the issue, while the Jewish Journal and Alt Muslimah ran our thought piece on resolving differences, co-authored by Andrea Hodos, an alumna of our Professional Fellowship program, and myself.

Our Change-maker initiatives, such as the Sardari & Morady StoryTwo Faiths One Prayer, and 72 Virgin Mocktails, among many others, have reached over 150,000 people locally and globally amplifying our message of pluralism.

We invite you to explore more about our change-makers in action right here on our website, www.mjnewground.org, and continue the conversation on social media @MJNewGround to see how we #BreakNewGround together.

With gratitude,

Aziza Hasan

Executive Director

February 16, 2018

NewGround and Pluralism

Check out board members Edina Lekovic and Brie Loskota in a publication released today by The Aspen Institute on how NewGround occupies an important role in this incredibly […]
February 16, 2018

Aziza at Temple Emanuel

Executive Director, Aziza Hasan, presented at Temple Emanuel Beverly Hills. Speaking on NewGround’s Two Faiths One Prayer video, Aziza talked about the power of Muslims and Jews […]
October 18, 2017

Hilton Foundation

NewGround Executive Director, Aziza Hasan attended the 2017 Hilton Humanitarian Symposium on October 11. In a session with Deepak Chopra, he discussed transcending divide by sharing stories and connecting […]
October 18, 2017

Tackling Homelessness

The 2016-2017 MAJIC season culminated in the Y4Y Fair, or Youth for Youth, an event focused on educating the community about youth homeless and doing direct […]
October 18, 2017

Days of Compassion

NewGround tackles homelessness, joining Mayor Eric Garcetti and more than 100 religious leaders from across LA, in launching Days of Compassion – an interfaith effort to rally […]
August 10, 2017

Over 400 Muslims and Jews Gather to Break Bread

  Over 400 Muslims and Jews attended NewGround’s Community Iftar! Each year, NewGround convenes the largest gathering of Muslims and Jews in Los Angeles to break […]
April 26, 2017

Community Iftar 2017

Each year, NewGround convenes the largest gathering of Muslims and Jews in Los Angeles to break fast (Iftar) at a Jewish Temple. Join us for dinner and […]
April 7, 2017

More Courage- Show

  NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change  in partnership with the Jewish Women’s Theatre cordially invite you to a new show: More Courage We all want […]
April 7, 2017

Rendezvous Film Screening and Panel

  Rendezvous: Film Screening and Panel Discussion Sponsored by HUC-JIR in partnership with reGeneration, NewGround, and Muslim Public Affairs Council. Join us for a screening of […]
April 7, 2017

Y4Y (Youth for Youth) Fair

Did you know that according to the 2016 Homeless Count there are almost 1200 unaccompanied homeless youth in the LA Metro area who don’t have a […]
June 20, 2016

LA City Hall Iftar

NewGround change-makers stand up and speak out. On June 14th, NewGround change-maker Jason Velazquez, a gay Muslim man from Florida, shared his reflections on the tragedy in Orlando and a moment […]
June 20, 2016

Change-maker Projects 2016

NewGround fellows design projects to connect with and improve their communities. Our recently graduated professional fellows have developed some amazing projects over the past 8 months. […]
June 20, 2016

NewGround Community Iftar & Fellowship Celebration 2016

The single largest gathering of Muslims and Jews held during Ramadan in Los Angeles! On June 8th, 350 Muslims and Jews came together at the historic Wilshire […]
March 8, 2016

NewGround named a top innovative organization by Slingshot!

NewGround was named one of America’s top 50 innovative Jewish organizations for the 3rd year in a row! The annual Slingshot Guide, which highlights the best […]
February 5, 2016

NewGround Around Town

  NewGround leaders inspire dialogue around Los Angeles.  NewGround Executive Director Aziza Hasan spoke on the future of Islam in Southern California along with retired Councilman […]
February 5, 2016

NewGround on BuzzFeed and CCF

“A priest, a rabbi, and an imam get together…” With over 1,000,000+ views, check out the latest BuzzFeed video featuring NewGround Board member Rabbi Susan Goldberg; MAJIC Advisory Board […]
September 24, 2015

TEDx & PBS feature NewGround

TEDx & PBS NewGroud Executive Director Aziza Hasan’s TEDx Talk Now Available Online HERE! Watch how Aziza shares transformative stories that illustrate the power of “Unlocking the Courage of Curiosity” […]
September 20, 2015

BuzzFeed Highlights Change-makers

Have you seen it yet? Check out our BuzzFeed video HERE. Find our NewGround change-makers Saaliha Khan, staff member, Marwa Abdelghani,  MAJIC alum and community outreach fellow […]
August 25, 2015

Harvard’s Diana Eck Recognizes NewGround

Harvard’s Diana Eck Recognizes NewGround World-renowned scholar, Diana L. Eck from Harvard University Pluralism Project recognizesNewGround in the latest issue of the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue on pages 57-58 in an […]
August 20, 2015

NewGround at Parliament of World’s Religions

NewGround Presenting at Parliament of the World’s Religions A group of NewGround alumni will present at the Parliament of the World’s Religions Conference to be held in […]