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

April 18, 2018

NewGround’s Impact

April 12, 2018

Holocaust Remembrance Day

On April 12, NewGround joins those around the world in reflection and remembrance on Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Read more about “One in Thirty” […]
March 28, 2018

Young Leaders in Action

Over the past few months NewGround and The Righteous Conversations Projects have been hosting digital storytelling workshops for this years MAJIC Change-Makers.  The workshops are designed […]
March 28, 2018

Meeting the Moment Podcast

NewGround Board Member, community leader, and communications strategist Edina Lekovic has recently launched her podcast Meeting the Moment. The podcast explores our capacity to dig deep and step up […]
March 2, 2018

Event: Death Over Dinner

The 2018 NewGround Changemaker Fellows invite you to the first Death over Dinner: Jewish-Muslim Edition on Sunday, April 15. Death Over Dinner is a national project […]
March 2, 2018

Guest Speaker: Gary Mason

On February 27, we welcomed, Gary Mason, a Methodist clergy person, who has spent 27 years in Belfast dedicated to facilitating the peace process in Northern […]
March 2, 2018

Jewish Journal Feature

Earlier this week, The Jewish Journal published an article highlighting NewGround’s Trail Blazer Award Dinner.  We would like share a special thank you with the author […]
February 16, 2018

Panel on Religion and More

In late January, NewGround had the honor of joining the University of Southern California for a panel on religion, civic communication, and storytelling.  Aziza Hasan, representing NewGround, spoke […]
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. […]