Seeking to Foster Sense of 'Shared Humanity' in Wayland

“An easy thing to do when you’re afraid is turn on somebody who is different from yourself.”

It is that reaction to fear that Rabbi Katy Allen said she hopes to combat with the interfaith and multicultural Yom HaShoah program she, along with Weston’s Spirit of Life Catholic community, has organized for May 1.

Yom HaShoah is known in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day. “Shoah” is the Hebrew word for Holocaust.

Allen leads Ma’yan Tikvah, an alternative congregation based in Wayland that seeks to be “a place of hope and trust for those seeking a meaningful connection to Judaism through study, prayer, experiences of nature, care of the environment, and social justice,” according to the congregation’s website.

On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. she, along with Rev. Ron Hindelang of Spirit of Life will lead a “multimedia evening” that will include readings, music and movie clips focused on genocide remembrance and reflection, a press release reads.

“We’re going to talk about the Holocaust in general and genocide in general,” Allen explained. “Where do we go, what do we do? Why do we need to remember the Holocaust, and that the remembrance has to do with what we do and how we behave. Where do we as individuals stand?”

Allen said the evening is intended to provide attendees with hope in the face of hatred and fear in the world. She said she hopes people leave the event with “a sense of our shared humanity and a little bit of encouragement to be strong.”

In addition to the multimedia aspects of the evening, Miki Morita, a volunteer with the Never Again Campaign of Japan, will offer a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

“[The tea ceremony] is about hospitality,” Allen explained. “It’s about us learning to be welcoming to one another.”

The event takes place May 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Wayland’s .