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

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 […]
March 30, 2015

NewGround at Adat Chaverim

Change-makers, Faraz and Eliyahu, Represent NewGround at Adat Chaverim “It was enriching to learn about the transformative experiences Eli and Faraz have had with NewGround. Their […]
March 25, 2015

Change-makers Achieving the Impossible Dream

Listening and Achieving the Impossible Dream by Abigail Barash Muslim and Jewish Young Adults Forge Community in Los Angeles Can Jews and Muslims actually get along? […]
February 28, 2015

Wrestling Jerusalem

NewGround Change-makers at Wrestling Jerusalem: NewGround Facilitator, Ramin Nematollahi, Speaks on a Panel at the Pico Union Project: Wrestling Jerusalem is a dynamic one-man play tackling […]
January 22, 2015

Remembering our Change-maker, Dr. Maher Hathout

Remembering and Honoring Our Change-maker, Dr. Maher Hathout: Aziza Hasan Appears on Straight Talk Podcast to Talk about Resolving Conflict “Don’t lose yourself to anger. The […]
January 22, 2015

Passover the Christian Extremists

Full blog post visible at patheos.com The recent tragedy at the Jewish Community Center in Kansas is a reminder that more than 3,000 years after the […]
January 11, 2015

NewGround Shares Stories

Board Member Edina & Alumna Lia Share NewGround Stories: On January 11, 2015, NewGround had the pleasure of presenting at All Saints Episcopal Church for an […]
January 1, 2015

Change-maker Leads Intentional Listening Exercise at Yeshiva in Israel

Alumna Sarah Fort Sholklapper Leads Intentional Listening Exercise at Yeshiva in Israel I led an intentional listening exercise for my community at an traditional, egalitarian yeshiva […]
May 14, 2014

Islam Plain and Simple’ by Tariq Jalil

One part of the NewGround process that stood out for me was being able to talk about Islam the way I understood it, how I practiced […]
April 22, 2014

Passover The Christian Extremists

*Split the Moon welcomes guest contributor Tarek Shawky, an attorney and former Public Defender, with his first column. -Tarek Shawky The recent tragedy at the Jewish […]
November 25, 2013

NewGround Alumni Share Core Values with Servas” by Ben Gertner and Fares Alhassen

As representatives of NewGround, we were invited to speak at a gathering of Servas about our experience as members of NewGround’s first cohort in 2007. Founded […]
November 10, 2013

“A Muslim Take on Pew’s Poll on Jewish American Identity” by Affad Shaikh

A recent Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project study on Jewish life in America got the cogs turning in my head from conversations I had […]
September 6, 2013

A Jew and A Muslim? by Affad Shaikh

A Jew and a Muslim… …sounds like the beginning of a joke or the beginning of an unpleasant story. Yet the recent Jewish Journal article with […]