Metro Detroit’s Jewish, Muslim Communities Come Together To Volunteer On Christmas
About 800 volunteers of multiple faiths are expected to lend a hand for Mitzvah Day.
On Christmas Day, Detroit-area Jews and Muslims will come together to volunteer in place of Christians celebrating the holiday. Mitzvah Day is the largest day of volunteering by Detroit’s Jewish community each year – with about 800 volunteers.
WDET’s Jake Neher sat down with Mitzvah Day Co-Chair Micki Grossman and Imam Mika’il Stewart Saadiq of the Michigan Muslim Community Council to talk about the event.
“I think there’s a lot of satisfaction and pride that we can work together and nobody stops and says, ‘Wait a minute, why are you here?’ We’re here because that’s what our hearts and minds tell us to do,” says Grossman.
Stewart Saadiq says the event is uniquely Detroit.
“There’s something special about the way we work together in Detroit,” he says. “The way we use art. The way we use religion. And, if we’re really conscious about it, it could also beat back a lot of the hate and a lot of the classism and racism that’s being permeated around in society because of the political times. So, I think Detroit and Detroiters, we can be examples and model Americans to lead this country.”
For more information or to volunteer for Mitzvah Day, call 248-642-5393. You can also find this and similar events organized by the Michigan Muslim Community Council here.
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
