Wednesday, February 26, 2025
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Learning From Ramadan: A Non-Muslim Perspective
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Feature by: Adam Kirtley, Interfaith Chaplain
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At the very center of interfaith work is the opportunity to not only learn about others, but in doing so, enrich our own spiritual journeys as well. For example, as a Christian, my appreciation for the story of God’s commitment to humanity is enhanced by participating in a Seder with my Jewish friends. My understanding of God’s “still, small voice” has been broadened by sitting in silence with Buddhists. And with Ramadan commencing in just a few days, there are many things we can learn from our Muslim friends and colleagues.
Ramadan is a sacred time in the Islamic calendar when Muslims draw themselves closer to God by abstaining from food and drink from sunup to sundown and by emphasizing charity to those in need. This year, Ramadan begins on Friday, Feb. 28, and ends on Saturday, March 29.
Perhaps the most obvious lesson from Ramadan addresses discipline and restraint. While most of us will not choose to fast with our Muslim friends, might we do well to limit our intake of certain things? Should I perhaps reduce my consumption of “breaking news” and political discord? Instead of a steady diet of fear and divisiveness, I may restrict myself to news that provides the information I need and hold back on stories which might tantalize me but aren’t very good for me in the end.
Ramadan also teaches us that struggle is universal to the human experience. While most Muslims I know look forward to Ramadan, none of them say that the fast is easy. It’s not meant to be. In the midst of struggle, we sometimes find resources within us that we didn’t know were there but can help us cope in difficult times. It’s also true that sometimes we feel depleted, and that internal strength is hard to find. So it’s helpful to remember that we’re not alone. On one hand, our experiences of difficulty are very different. On the other, there are important ways in which this is something we all share.
I am reminded of yet another Ramadan lesson when I have been lucky enough to participate in an iftar—the daily fast-breaking meal that takes place when the sun sets. Often Muslims gather to celebrate the day’s end by eating sweet dates with their friends and family before sharing a larger meal. In these moments, I’m struck by gratitude for things that we sometimes take for granted—food, drink, family and community. Exciting new research validates the lessons my mother taught me in childhood. It turns out that taking stock of that for which we are thankful really is good for us! This is perhaps especially so these days when we are confronted with so many stories of loss.
Read more.
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Emeriti Professors Publish Works on André Trocmé
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Retired Whitman professors Mary Anne O’Neil and Pat Henry have translated the memoirs of André Trocmé. As a Protestant pastor in France and an early conscientious objector, Trocmé was a Righteous Gentile, responsible for saving no fewer than 2,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Their translation, “The Memoirs of André Trocmé: The Pastor Who Rescued Jews,” will be published in the fall by Plough Books. To introduce Trocmé to an American audience, they also recently published “André Trocmé’s Christian Pacifism” in Today’s American Catholic, an online journal, and “André Trocmé: Waging War with the Weapons of the Spirit” in Fellowship Magazine.
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Together25 Art Event Tomorrow
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The Walla Walla Community Change Team will host “Together25” on Thursday, Feb. 27, from 6–7:30 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom. This free, family-friendly event will showcase community members who have created art to tell their stories of trauma/addiction and recovery/resilience. (Flyer attached.)
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Silent Disco Event on Friday
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Whitman Events Board will host a “Silent Disco” event on Friday, Feb. 28, from 7:30–10 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom. Enjoy a night of fun and dancing. Refreshments will be provided. (Flyer attached.)
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Third Space Speaker Series Event Announced
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The next Third Space Speaker Series event will take place on Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom. (Flyer attached.) The event will feature activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, who is set to become the first Vietnamese woman to go to space. Her activism led to Congress passing the sexual assault Survivors’ Right Act of 2016, she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 and was on Time magazine’s “Women of the Year” list in 2022.
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Apply for the Ben Rabinowitz Award
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The $3,500 Ben Rabinowitz Award assists students with demonstrated leadership skills who wish to implement new projects or learning opportunities that promote compassion in medicine or politics and enrich the campus community. Learn more online, then submit your application to Noah Leavitt, Co-Director for the Career and Community Engagement Center for External Affairs. All applications are due Wednesday, March 12, at noon.
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The SSRA 270 Winter Mountaineering Skills class went winter camping last weekend at Horseshoe Prairie. The 11 students and two instructors built a solid winter camp and four snow shelters. The weather started out nice, then turned wet and challenging on Sunday, but everyone learned a lot, had fun and persevered. See more photos on Instagram.
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La Maison (Interest House)
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Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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