Ridgewood May 23, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 11 They embrace different religious traditions, grew up in different cultures, and live on opposite sides of the ocean. Who would have expected they would become friends? But Rabbi Gloria S. Rubin and Imam/Shaykha Halima Krausen were determined to overcome the obstacles: some easy to identify, others far more subtle. The community is invited to hear about their shared view of humanity on Saturday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Israel & JCC in Ridgewood. “Muslims, Jews, and Friendship: Seeing through the Eyes of the Other,” is open to the public, free of charge. The temple is located at 475 Grove Street in Ridgewood. The event, which will follow regular Shabbat morning worship at the synagogue, is being co-sponsored by Saint Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church on Fairmount Road and the Muslim Society of Ridgewood. The Rev. Canon John G. Hartnett of St. Elizabeth’s and Mahmoud Hamza of the Muslim Society readily offered their communities’ support after Temple Israel’s spiritual leader, Rabbi David J. Fine, Ph.D., reached out to them. The three serve together on Ridgewood’s Interfaith Clergy Council. Rabbi Rubin, a retired pulpit rabbi and Temple Israel congregant, and Imam Krausen, spiritual leader of the German-speaking Muslim community in Hamburg, Germany, met in 1995 at an interfaith gathering, the Standing Conference of Jews, Christians and Muslims in Europe, held in Bendorf, Germany. A senior rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City at the time, Rabbi Rubin came to the conference eager to explore a topic outside the standard rabbinical school curriculum. She chose to focus her study that week on Qur’anic Arabic. Imam Krausen was the instructor. Conference participants observe the days of rest of all three faith traditions. On Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath) after- ‘Muslims, Jews, and Friendship...’ set for June 16 noon, the rabbinical student and imam took a long walk together on a road through the woods. The conversation about their respective families, beliefs, and communities led to the discovery they are kindred spirits. The two haven’t stopped talking since, and now, 17 years later, have co-authored a book, “Unlikely Friends.” Born into a Catholic/Protestant German family, Imam Krausen converted to Islam in her teens. Now widely considered Europe’s foremost female Muslim scholar, she was the German media’s go-to contact following the 9-11 terrorist attacks and remains a frequent commentator on interfaith issues and conflicts on the continent. She is a published author, lecturer, and teacher, and participates in numerous international interfaith initiatives, includ- ing recent sessions held in Germany, the UK, Jerusalem, Sudan, Morocco, Austria, and Sweden. She was on the committee that translated the Quran into German, with commentary, wrote an introduction to the Plaut Humash from a Muslim perspective, and has appeared on a panel with the Dalai Lama. Rabbi Rubin has been a keynote speaker, lecturer, and teacher at interfaith events held in the U.S. and Europe. She is the author of numerous articles on parenting and family issues for national magazines and was the editor of the arts and entertainment section of The Jewish Standard, an independent weekly covering the Bergen County Jewish community. She is co-author of “Living with Your New Baby” (Franklin Watts, 1978). Glen Rock The Glen Rock Police Department has arrested a 21year-old Brooklyn man who tried to pass a bogus prescription at Rock Ridge Pharmacy and then attempted to flee. Patrolmen Murray Yang and Frank McGovern ran the man down. He was charged with fraud, forgery, identity theft, receiving stolen property, flight, and resisting arrest. He was lodged in Bergen County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. Police said the man used a pad, reportedly stolen from a New York psychiatrist who was not implicated, to write Police arrest man who tried to present forged prescription himself a prescription and try to purchase oxycodone at Rock Ridge Pharmacy on Rock Road on May 15 at about 6:45 p.m. A clerk stalled and tipped off the police, who captured the man. Police said that a ring, which includes three men and a woman, has tried to pass forged prescriptions in Hawthorne and Fair Lawn, and had a previous try at CVS in Glen Rock in April. Police said these individuals may also have passed prescriptions in Brooklyn and New York State. J. KOSTER