Abraham's Table

Rabbi Uriarte, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore are joined by the Executive Director of the Anne Frank Center on the campus of The University of South Carolina, Dr. Doyle Stevick, to discuss what we learned from touring that exhibit. To find out more about The Anne Frank Center - the official partner of The Anne Frank House in the USA and Canada - visit their website: www.annefrankcenter.com .

Rabbi Uriarte tells a story of a time when a Torah Scroll fell to the ground during worship to begin a conversation about how Judaism, Christianity and Islam think of and revere holy objects.

Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore discuss the challenges of aging and of the systems of healthcare in our culture and how our faiths may serve as guides and resources as we make decisions for ourselves and our loved ones.

Rabbi Uriarte, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore continue the conversation we began in Episode 7 and talk about how the practices of our faith are taught, encouraged and lived especially as children grow into maturity.

Today's episode explores how children, youth and new converts become adult members of our faith communities. Are there rituals or rites of passage that mark the move from childhood to full adult participation in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim practice? How does one become Jewish, Christian or Muslim? Welcome to Abraham's Table!

In Season 2, Episode 6, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte, and Rev. Skidmore discuss same sex marriage, divorce, interfaith marriages, and more. Come and listen.

In episode 5, we begin a conversation about the traditions and practices of wedding ceremonies in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. And we begin to talk about the meaning of marriage itself as an institution. Join us for interfaith conversation!

Jews observe Passover. Christians observe Lent and Easter, and Muslims observe Ramadan. How are these holy seasons observed, and what is their purpose in the lives of the faithful? This episode was recorded in 2025 when all three holy seasons were being observed concurrently. Why do they sometimes happen at the same time and in other years do not? Welcome to Abraham's Table!

Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Uriarte and Rev Fowler Skidmore continue the conversation they began in Episode 2 about death. What do Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe about death? What are the rituals around death in each of our faiths? How do those beliefs affect how we respond to death as people of faith? And what do our traditions teach about what happens after this life?

We begin Season two by exploring how our faith helps us mark and interpret the cycles of life and the rites of passage that are common to everyone. Today we begin at the end . . . . with death. How do Judaism, Christianity, and Islam deal with death? Join us to learn more!

Welcome to Episode ONE of a brand-new season of Abraham's Table! Imam Omar Shaheed and Rev. Ellen Fowler Skidmore welcome Rabbi Erik Uriarte to our interfaith discussions! Today we introduce ourselves, and look forward to a new season of listening and learning! Welcome to Abraham's Table.

As the war between Israel and Gaza grinds on, the suffering and costs of war seem unbearable. Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about what "Peace" really means in each of our faiths and what God's Peace requires of the faithful. How can we become agents for God's peace in the world?

Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Skidmore talk about the October 7, 2023 attack of Hamas on Israel and the resulting war. Rather than focus on where we disagree with each other (and we do), we identify and focus on areas where we can agree. Even in the midst of war, we are called to live as faithful Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Rev. Ellen F. Skidmore reflects on the absence of food laws in the Christian tradition and compares and contrasts Christian practices around food with what we learned about food practices in the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

Imam Shaheed teaches us about the rules and practices governing foods that are both Halal (lawful or permitted) and haram (unlawful and unpermitted) for faithful Muslims. We learn that there are many parallels between Jewish and Muslim practices.

In most every religion, food and faith are connected. Join us as we learn more from Rabbi Case about food and faith in the Jewish tradition. What does "kosher" mean? Why is it important? What sorts of foods show up in the celebrations of Jewish high holy days? And how might a non-Jewish host welcome their Jewish friends to share a meal?

How can we, individually and as a nation, move forward when it comes to the legacy of slavery and other types of trauma that are part of our national psyche? Compassion is key. Listening to another's story is important. Listen in as Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Skidmore discuss this high stakes and all important topic.

Juneteenth was declared a national holiday in 2021. How might this observance serve both the black and the white communities in America as an opportunity for education, discussion, and healing of the wounds that still affect our national life?

Following our conversations about the right use and interpretation of our Scriptures, Imam Shaheed, Rabbi Case, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore discuss the difference between true prophets and false prophets. How is a prophet defined in Judaism, Christianity and Islam? And how are the faithful to tell the difference between someone who speaks for God and someone who will lead us astray? How can we tell t...

Rabbi Case, Rev. Skidmore and Imam Shaheed continue their discussion of Scriptures that have been used to justify and support violence. And in this episode we turn our attention to the Christian Scriptures. How are Christians to hear and to interpret passages that have historically been used to justify slavery, violence against the vulnerable, hate and bigotry? What are our interpretive principles...

We continue our conversation about Scriptures that have been used to justify hate, terror and murder. In this episode, we focus on Jewish Scriptures. Rabbi Case walks us through many difficult passages, giving us much food for thought on how to read Scripture.

The use of Scriptures - Jewish, Christian, and Muslim - to justify violence, hate, or war is deeply troubling to the three of us. Today, beginning with our national experience of 9/11, we begin a conversation about what our Scriptures actually say and how those passages are rightly understood and applied to the life of faith. In this episode we hear from Imam Shaheed about how he interprets portio...

In our nation there are deep divisions about the meaning of justice and equality. The three of us agree that our definitions of these terms must be rooted in our love for God, self, and neighbor.  But, what constitutes justice? In what sense is it true that "all men are created equal" as our Declaration of Independence proclaims?  what do justice and equality look like from an Islamic, J...

When we get to know those from other faith communities, our world view widens. But it can be difficult to know how to live out of and honor our own faith tradition, experience, and language without assuming that the way we pray or speak is the only language that God will recognize as faithful. In humility (before God and others), Rabbi Case, Imam Shaheed, and Rev. Fowler Skidmore reflect and talk...

As we look both backwards and forwards at the history and possibilities of our nation, how do we view the life, work, and preaching of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Was he a prophet? How do his sermons sound when Jewish or Muslim ears are listening?  Should, or how should, Dr. King's life and work affect our own faith perspectives and lives?