JENNIFER ADAMS Wilder Hall's dining facility has become a place where MHC's observant Jewish and observant Muslim students can break bread.

To Andrea Ayvazian, the dean of religious life, it is "the little miracle." To Beverly Daniel Tatum, dean of the College, it is "a beacon of hope." To Sister Shamshad Sheikh, the College's Muslim adviser, it is "the most exciting thing to happen at Mount Holyoke College." And to Efraim Eisen, the College's Jewish adviser, it is "a lovely flower, showing the world that here on our campus, Muslims, Jews, and all our students can live together and eat together."

At last Thursday night's dedication and celebration of the College's new kosher/halal dining facility, College officials and members of the Pioneer Valley's Muslim and Jewish communities spoke about the creation of a place that nourishes not only the body, but the spirit as well. More than one speaker saw in the dedication, a response to the terrorist attacks of earlier in the week, a place of peace amid violent events, and a cause for hope and celebration in a world suddenly made grim.

JENNIFER ADAMS Andrea Ayvazian, center, dean of religious life, joins hands with the College's Jewish chaplain, Efraim Eisen, and Muslim chaplain, Sister Shamshad Sheikh.

After a service in Abbey Interfaith Sanctuary, participants walked to Wilder Hall, the home of the new kosher/halal facility, where they shared blessings and a meal. "I find myself in need of some hope, and I suspect I am not alone in that," Tatum told the audience of about seventy-five people gathered in the sanctuary. "And that makes me especially happy to be here because I find the successful creation of our kosher/ halal dining facility to be a real beacon of hope during these times of trial."

Said Tatum, "We are tremendously grateful to the Mount Holyoke alumna's generous donation of the resources to renovate the Wilder dining hall. But all the money in the world would not have helped us be successful if we had not had the commitment to dialogue and cooperation between the Jewish and Muslim communities. It is that commitment and cooperation that has ensured the success of this project. And for me that is the source of my greatest hope."

"This is the most exciting thing to happen at Mount Holyoke College," said Sheikh. "As one of the students said, 'We are so lucky to have a place where we can eat without any doubt.'" "This event means a lot to our Muslim students, especially at times like this when they need to be welcomed and supported," said Rani al-Jammal, a representative of the Muslim Students Association at the University of Massachusetts. "May God bless this venture, and peace be with you all."

The kosher/halal dining hall, one of a handful of its kind on American college campuses, was approved by the College's board of trustees in March and largely funded through a $250,000 donation by an anonymous alumna. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week and is open to all students.

For many, the creation of the dining hall is a compelling reminder of the shared roots of Judaism and Islam. Wilder "allows our students to observe more fully our traditions that have been passed down to us from our father, Abraham," said Eisen. "It is important to remember that one of the great traits of Abraham was his great hospitality. He would open his tent to all, and break bread with sojourners of all types from all lands. He knew, as we know today, that bringing peace means making others welcome. And one of the greatest ways of doing that is sharing a meal."

Imam Wasam Abdul Baki of the Islamic Society of Western Massachusetts noted that Islamic and Jewish dietary laws are rooted in the same idea: focusing on what is holy as a means of being free from "the hatred of the earth." "When we talk about halal and kosher, we think directly about God,” he said. "A society of peace and harmony, freedom, freedom for everybody, this halal brings, and this kosher [brings]."

Lawrence Fine, Irene Kaplan Leiwant Professor of Jewish Studies and chair of the department, called the dedication "a remarkable milestone." "This is a Mount Holyoke celebration, but it is in particular a celebration of the cooperation between two religious communities," Fine said. "In light of the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict, this cooperation here at Mount Holyoke, this mutual respect, this friendship, is no small thing. It reminds us that Judaism and Islam have a lot in common."

Eisen closed his talk with a brief prayer: "Holy source of life, may these acts of goodwill and hope and community spread tonight out into the entire world and serve as a beacon of light and hope. May the women of Mount Holyoke College display to the world that we cannot only make peace, but break bread together, and share the truth that we are all part of one great family. Amen."