Special Courier News article xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 3rd ANNUAL INTERFAITH PEACE DAY CELEBRATION Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition in collaboration with various local organizations is planning to host the 3rd Annual Interfaith Peace Day Celebration on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in Somerville to “commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples” as called for by the United Nations General Assembly. The 2009 Peace Celebration will highlight the need for increased community and global awareness, fellowship and friendship. Speakers and Prayer groups from many religious groups as well as interfaith religious leaders have been invited to provide prayers for peace and the music by local artists. The International Day of Peace will be a part of the celebration to promote peace, fellowship and goodwill and commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples. We are seeking community sponsors for the event and asking you to donate $50 to be a community sponsor of this event. The funds will be used for printing, mailing and other program planning costs. Your organization will be listed in all our publications as a community sponsor. If you are interested in being a community sponsor, please make check payable to SCCDC and mail to SCCDC, P.O. Box 5082, Somerville, NJ 08876, before July 31st so that we can star publicizing this event. SCCDC is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization and contributions are tax deductible. See www.sccdiversity.org. If you need more information, please give me a call at 908-369-4318, email:
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Thanking you in advance for your anticipated support for this special event xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Leadership Breakfast - May 29, 2009 Please read the article about our breakfast program. ========================================================= Diversity Leadership Breakfast May 29, 2009 8:00 am - 10:00 am Where: Loukas LA Diner, 3205 US Highway 22 Branchburg NJ, 08876
As the population of Somerset County grows, we are also seeing growth in diversity in all of its dimensions. I would like to invite you to join other elected officials and community leaders for a special breakfast on Friday, May 29 and take part in a very important dialogue about diversity in our community. We expect to have an excellent group of speakers to talk about various aspects of diversity and invite you to share your experience with others. Please call Tulsi Maharjan at 908-369-4318 or send us and Email:
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___________________________________________________________ Interfaith Community Forum "PATHS TO TRUTH" "The Role of Scripture" Interfaith understanding starts with open conversations among various religions. Religion and religious belief are often an area of intense conviction and passion. TOPIC The Role of Scripture PANELISTS Dr. Gurprakash Singh – Garden State Sikh Association Father Ed Murphy – Episcopal Priest Rabbi Jack Kramer – Congregation Knesset Israel Deacon Ray Chimileski – Meditation Teacher Vikas Chawla – Art of Living Foundation Ashley Avaregan - Bahai Community Zaheer Hussian- SCMC
VENUE MAY 31, - St. Luke Parish - Long Valley Sponsoring Organizations: Garden State Sikh Association, Somerset Hills YMCA, Friends of Nepal- NJ, Friends of American Muslims, NJ Human Relations Commission, NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, Bahai Community of Somerset County, Art of Living Foundation, Rotary Club of Branchburg, Rotary International District 7510 ============================================================== New Jersey Caribbean Festival 2009 DELIGHT YOUR SENSES Join the Fun Experience the cultural richness of the Caribbean Islands. Enjoy the rhythmic and soulful sounds of soloists and bands from the Caribbean Islands. See cultural dances. Taste cultural delicacies. All day activities for the whole family: face painting, martial arts, clowns, jugglers & balloons, special children’s musical performances, cultural dances, crafters and more……… Saturday, June 27, 2009 Time: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM 720 Hamilton Street, Somerset Free Admission Sponsored by:
Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, Hamilton Street Business & Community Corporation, Jamaica Organization of New Jersey Community Sponsors: NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, N.J. Human Relations Council For additional information:
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or visit the Web site at http://www.Jaorgnj.org
Interested crafters and vendors please call 908—581-6172 to register +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interfaith Community Forum "PATHS TO TRUTH" Interfaith understanding starts with open conversations among various religions. Religion and religious belief are often an area of intense conviction and passion. To celebrate the deepest and most profound expressions of spiritual insight which lie at the core of all major religions, the SCCDC Interfaith Forum announces a new public workshop series, “PATHS TO TRUTH”. This series of dialogues will be person-centered, not doctrine-centered. Their objective is to tell the stories of the struggles, the beliefs, the journeys of discovery and the ultimate mastery and triumphs of spiritual seekers from the view of each spiritual tradition. TOPICS Practicing Charity , Compassion and Forgiveness, Prayer, Reflection and Meditation, The Role of Scripture PANELISTS Moderator Dr. Tulsi R. Maharjan, Chair, Diversity Coalition. Speakers: Dr. Gurprakash Singh – Garden State Sikh Association Father Ed Murphy – Episcopal Priest Rabbi Jack Kramer – Congregation Knesset Israel Deacon Ray Chimileski – Meditation Teacher Vikas Chawla – Art of Living Foundation Ashley Avaregan - Bahai Community Ashraf Lutfi- SCMC Himanshu Jain - International Jain Society Jaspreet Singh - United Sikhs
Sponsoring Organizations: Garden State Sikh Association, Somerset Hills YMCA, Friends of Nepal- NJ, Friends of American Muslims, NJ Human Relations Commission, NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, Bahai Community of Somerset County, Art of Living Foundation, Rotary Club of Branchburg, Rotary International District 7510 For more information contact
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Speakers information Biographies of Panelists Ashley Avaregan Ashley Avaregan is a member of the Bahá’í Community in Somerset, NJ, where he has lived since 1994. Ashley was raised in northern New Jersey and has lived in Southern Africa and Eastern Europe. He has been married for the last 14 years and has two children. Ashley is Vice President and Mid-Market Specialist at ING, where he has worked since 1996. Ashley has worked as the assistant to the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Representative in New York, coordinating preparatory activities for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in China. Vikas Chawla is a senior teacher for the Art of Living Foundation, which has
presence in over 150 countries. He has taught breathing and stress management seminars for the past nine years to thousands of individuals from various backgrounds. He is working as a Vice President in Morgan Stanley and is currently on the U.S. Board of Directors for Art of Living. Ray Chimileski is an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon serving at St. Luke Parish in Long Valley. He is a student and teacher of the world’s meditation traditions and coordinates a lay contemplative community “The Way of the Good Heart”. Ray is a professed Oblate in the Order of St. Benedict and directs retreats in interfaith spirituality. In December 2000, Ray founded OPERATION CHILLOUT, a grassroots coalition of volunteers dedicated to resolving the multi-faceted problem of homelessness in NJ by direct compassionate action - by relieving the suffering of those “who fall through the cracks” of the social welfare system one person at a time. Himanshu Jain Himanshu was born in Banswara, Rajasthan, India and raised in a religious family where he underwent learning Jainism for over 15 years, becoming a keen student of Jain Philosophy from his childhood. In recent years, he is pursuing scientific understanding of various tenets of Jain Philosophy. For the past 4 years he has taught the day-to-day relevance of Jain Philosophy to teenage students at a Jain School in Iselin, NJ, and is a regular speaker at the monthly Jain studies discussion forum organized by International Jain Sangh (IJS). Himanshu serves as Vice President of the International Jain Sangh. He is currently building an online Jain study portal that can serve as a one-stop educational website on Jain Philosophy, Literature, Rituals, Festivals, and its role in modern day World. Jack Kramer has served as the rabbi of Congregation Knesseth Israel (CKI) of Bound Brook, NJ since June of 2007. He first congregation was in 1977 at Temple Micah in Washington, DC, while studying at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. Although he remained continuously active in congregational life through lay leadership, and teaching, he left the rabbinate for a number of years for personal reasons. During that time he taught and worked in the corporate world. He returned to his original dream of serving as a rabbi in 2005, and he is continuing his studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City. In addition to his work with the synagogue, he is active in community outreach and promoting interfaith understanding. He is a graduate of Rutgers College where he majored in Hebraic Studies and Religion. He is also the proud father of Adam age 27 and Miriam 24. Tulsi R. Maharjan, Ph.D. Tulsi is the founder and current chairperson of the Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition. His community involvement includes past chairperson of the America-Nepal Society. He currently serves on numerous boards of community organizations including Friends of Nepal-NJ and The NJ Ethnic Advisory Council. He is also a charter member of the Branchburg Rotary club. He is a graduate of Leadership New Jersey program and currently serves as a Vice Chair of the New Jersey Human Relations Council, the NJ Governor’s appointed position. Father Ed Murphy received his doctorate from Rutgers University in 1976, and has been a psychologist since that time. During the middle 1990's he felt a call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and was ordained in 2000. He is the former Rector of St. Paul's Bound Brook, and is now an associate priest at St. Martin's Church in Bridgewater, NJ. He is presently the vice-chairperson of the SCCDC. Gurparkash Singh has a Ph.D. from University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and a Post Doctoral fellowship from Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. He is trained as a neuroscientist and molecular biologist, and is currently working for Bristol Myers-Squibb. He has a college going daughter, and lives with his family in Basking Ridge, NJ. Jaspreet K. Singh Jaspreet is Staff Attorney for UNITED SIKHS, a UN affiliated, international not-for-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the World. Jaspreet's work with the ICHRA (International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy) project regularly engages him both with specific cases and community organizing, as well as development of international strategic goals and legal positions. He is a member of the Georgia Bar and the American Bar Association, and is active in international human rights. ========================================================= Come Join our Annual Interfaith Worship Service  Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:30 PM Congregation Knesseth Israel
229 Mountain Ave
BOUND BROOK, NJ
Come hear how gratitude is expressed in many different faith traditions: Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Sikh, Bahai , Confucianism and Jain. Come meet Rabbi Jack Kramer and many other faith leaders of our community.
Each tradition's prayer of thanksgiving will follow short meditations on gratitude.
Food and fellowship will follow in our social hall.
For more information: Contact: Rabbi Jack Kramer
732-469-0934 ================================================================== Congratulations to 2008 SCCDC Diversity Awards Winners
The Somerset County Diversity Coalition announces the winners of the 7th annual SCCDC Diversity Awards. The SCCDC Diversity Award is designed to recognize exceptional individuals who live and/or work in Somerset County. The award recognizes individuals, corporation(s) and organizations who embrace the principles of the diversity Coalition which promotes tolerance and understanding in the entire community and whose courageous actions have embodied the values of civility, tolerance, diversity, and cooperation in the advancement of public dialogue and public policy on diverse issues. This year’s honorees are: Education: Kathleen S. Feigley, Executive Director, Kangaroo Kids School, Branchburg Government: Hon. Sue Pai Yang, Compensation Judge, Bridgewater and Leadership Somerset, A special program of Somerset County Faith Community: Hindu Temple and Cultural Society USA, Inc. Bridgewater Youth Leaders: Keely Swan, Branchburg Business: Anna Lustenberg, Verizon Foundation Community Service: Sascha Higazi, Bound Brook Police Officer ___________________________________________________________ ============================================================ Ray Chimileski receives the Unity Achievement Award from
the NJ Governor's Human Relations Council.
Ray Chimileski, member of the SCCDC and chair of the Marketing committee was honored last week by the New Jersey Human Relations Council, with the Unity Achievement Award for his tireless effort to help homeless veterans. The Operation Chillout, launched by Ray, an interfaith, grassroots coalition of volunteers dedicated to easing the burden of homeless people throughout Northern New Jersey has been helping many homeless veterans for the past 5 years. Congratulations, Ray, for your outstanding work, we are very proud of you. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bound Brook Celebration The Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition (SCCDC), in collaboration with local originations will be holding its annual 5th Annual Bound Brook Community Day and Central American Independence Day Celebration on September 14, 2008 from 11:30 am to 5:00 pm. The annual community day will not only highlight the diversity of cultures in Central Jersey and Bound Brook it will also be a celebration of our community spirit in Bound brook honoring those who make a difference. As part of our event we will be recognizing organizations and individuals who have made a difference in the community. Live music representing many cultures will be presented. Along with the music there will be food and crafts representing the community. This year’s program will be combined with the Central American Independence day celebration and 85th Anniversary of the temple Congregation Knesseth Israel. ********************************************** 2nd Annual Interfaith Peace Parade and Festival Sunday, September 21, 2008 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM Downtown Somerville - In front of the Court House Come join us in commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nationals and peoples. Program will consists of children’s activities, talks by interfaith leaders, information booths for promoting international peace, understanding, and goodwill. Enjoy music, special displays and sample ethnic food. Sponsoring Organizations: Rotary International District 7510, Coalition for Peace and Action, Rotary Club of Branchburg, New Jersey Peace Action, Somerset Voices for Peace and Justice, 1-877 WHY Islam, The Art of Living, The Spiritual Unity Network, Taskforce for Humanity Coalition, Raritan Valley Chinese School, Center for Understanding Islam, New Jersey Buddhist Vihara Society, National Council of Negro Women - Raritan Chapter, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills, International Jain Sangh, Praise Korean Presbyterian Church-Franklin, Garden State Sikh Association, St. Luke Parish Meditation Group –Long Valley, The Children’s Museum, St. Luke Lutheran Church-Dunellen, Friends of Nepal – NJ, Hindu Temple Society, Inc. Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, Working Families WIN and NJ Citizen Action. FOR MOR INFORMATION CONTACT
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*************************************************************************** Diversity Picnic July 19, 2008 4 pm to 9 pm for more information call 908-369-4318 Saturday, May 17, 2008 - Community Cultural Celebration Hillsborough High School's "Community Cultural Celebration" Saturday, May 17 from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Hillsborough Middle School ================================================================ SCCDC receives NJHRC AwardEach year the New Jersey Human Relations Council (NJHRC) awards organizations and individuals who make a significant contribution promoting prejudice reduction to prevent crimes based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or disability. This year, the work of the Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition (SCCDC) will be recognized at the NJHRC’s annual awards luncheon on November 1st, at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. Over the years, the SCCDC has sponsored many ethnic festivals and cultural diversity roundtables as well as publishing a multi-cultural resource guide distributed to schools, libraries and other institutions in Somerset County. The coalition convenes educational conferences and training workshops to meet the community’s needs on promoting inter-cultural understanding. www.njhrc.org ============================================================================== Invitation to meet international judges, Sunday, November 4, 2007, 5:30 pm at RVCC Grand Conference Room
The National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) is having a National Convention at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, PA from November 7 to 11, 2007. As the District 3 Director of NAWJ (NJ, DE, PA, & Virgin Islands) and the Chair of the International Judges Committee of the NAWJ Convention, I would like to share with you our upcoming plans. Our committee has initiated a pre-convention people-to-people program for the international judges (IJs). The theme is “America through the eyes of the legal and community leaders.” Fifteen IJs have accepted our invitation. They include two Supreme Court Justices and Judges with leadership roles in their countries' courts and in the International Association of Women Judges. Our guest judges include six from Taiwan, seven from Korean, one from Nepal and one from the Ukraine. The judges from Bosnia, Egypt, Ireland, and U.K/North Ireland registered to attend our convention are unable to accept the pre-convention invitation. As you may know, attorneys and others are welcome to join NAWJ as associate members and can apply online: www.NAWJ.org. Most IJs will be staying in Somerset County during their visit to NJ. The NAWJ, District 3 and the award winning Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition (SCCDC) are sponsoring a Welcome Dinner for the international judges on Sunday, November 4, 2007, 5:30 pm at the Raritan Valley Community College, Grand Conference Room in Branchburg, NJ. The President of the College, the President-elect of the International Association of Women Judges, its Executive Director, several past presidents of NAWJ and the co-chairs of our convention plan to attend. Everyone is encouraged to come in a heritage costume; it need not be from your own heritage. Please call Dr. Tulsi Maharjan, Director of Government Relations at RVCC and Chair of SCCDC if you are interested in attending this event. Tickets to the dinner at $20 each. Co-sponsors: - Graham Packaging Co. L.P., an international firm
- The Asian Pacific American Lawyers Assoc., NJ.
- Friends of Nepal - New Jersey
- Raritan Valley Chinese School
- Miles & Stockbridge Foundation Inc
- Rutgers School of Law, Newark
- Seton Hall University Law School
========================================================================== 5th Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner and Diversity Awards Ceremony Join SCCDC on November 15, 2007 as we recognize the exceptional achievements of this year’s Diversity Award winners and our annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Dinner. At this outstanding gathering, you will meet community leaders whose energy and vision has distinctly enhanced the intercultural understanding and improved quality of life. The award will recognize men, women and youth who have made significant and notable contributions for the betterment of their communities in the area of diversity. The winners will receive awards in various categories: Education, Community Service, Business, Youth, and faith community and volunteerism. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. with youth peace prayer and will include a reception, dinner and the awards presentations. Tables of ten are available for $200 or $20 per person. For additional information, call Tulsi Maharjan at 908-526-1200, ext. 8312, or register online at www.raritanval.edu now. 4th Annual Diversity Awards Winners, The award recognizes men, women and youth who have made significant and notable contributions for the betterment of their communities in the area of diversity. (2006) View award winners. 4th Annual Bound Brook Community Celebration Main Street Bound Brook (Near the Train Station)
Sunday, October 7, 2007
11:30 am to 5:00 pm
Free Admission
Come experience the cultural richness of our community
Celebrating our Community with entertainment, food, crafts and children’s activities
Music from:
Irish Music, South American music and dance, Ukrainian Music and Dance, Police and Klezmer, Bound Brook High school Music Department,
Food from:
Caribbean countries, Dutch funnel cake, American food, South American BBQ,
Arts and Crafts from around the world. Sponsored by:
Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition,
Somerset County Freeholder’s office, Raritan Valley Community College, Bound Brook Chamber of Commerce, Bound Brook-Middlesex Rotary Club *************************************************************************
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