An Open Letter from an Ordinary Jew to Fundamentalists – Whether You be Muslim, Christian, or Jewish

1. I am a part of the Jewish Civilization.
2. We are a people of The Book.
3. Our holiest books are lumped together in what we call the “Tanach” because it includes the Torah (Five Books of Moses), The Neviyim (Prophets) , and the Ketuvim (Writings) .  Christians have incorporated it (along with other pieces)  in what they call the “Old Testament” and adding it to what they call the “New Testament.” Many of the stories and ideas in the Tanach and New Testament have been incorporated into and form the basis of the Qu’ran as well. 
4. Our rabbis have toiled long and hard in another of our holy books, the “Talmud”, to interpret and qualify “difficult” aspects of the Tanach.
5. I accept that you believe that the Tanach, New Testament, or Qu’ran should be taken literally, and that all the commandments found therein should be followed explicitly.  Nevertheless, although I adore and respect all of these books, I have a great deal of difficulty taking these books literally.  
6. I believe the Tanach, the New Testament, and the Qu’ran to be holy in that they represent our most fervent attempts to approximate The Divine.  I also believe that they represent a “rule and guide” for our behavior.
7. I am not sure there ever was a Moses or a Jesus or Mohammad, but I do believe that there were incredible individuals who gave rise to their legends.  I think they were, indeed, “divinely inspired,” but don’t believe it very likely that they (or anyone else) ever had direct communication with God or any of His Angels. (I also suspect that people who hear God’s voice – among others – likely require serious anti-dopaminergic therapy.)
8. We are not infidels.  We believe in One God.  Muslims call Him “Allah.” We, as well as observant Jews, refer to Him as “YHVH” or “Adonai Elohim.”  Christians believe He also includes Jesus (the “Human Face of God”) as well as Something Else they call “The Holy Ghost” (which is similar to our concept of the Shchinah.)  I believe God to be “Zero-Sum”, i.e., not taking sides in the personal affairs of men where someone has to win and the other to lose.  Rather, I believe God to be more likely involved in “Win-Win” strategies.
9. I believe God to represent (among other things) “The Highest Common Bond Among Humanity” and that His Strength is determined by “How Well We Treat One-Another,” i.e., “Works.”  I believe it likely, therefore, that God could care less what we think about Him, personally.  (I therefore also believe that Works far exceeds  Faith, Observance, Submission, or Praise.)
10. I believe that we are commanded (by God) to treat one another with love, respect, dignity, kindness, and justice.  I believe that that is the essence of what is also preached in the Qu’ran and the New Testament and best expressed in Micah (6:8), He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
11. I also believe that God represents our connection with our passed ancestors – including, but not limited to, our fathers and mothers, our other loved ones, our friends, and our teachers – their past history and commitments.
12. I do not wish to be treated as second-class citizens but as an equal in predominantly Muslim or Christian lands, and I believe that Muslims should be treated as equals in predominantly Christian and Jewish lands, and that Christians should be treated as equals in predominantly Jewish and Muslim lands.
13.  I categorically reject the imposition of my beliefs on yours, or of your beliefs upon mine. I believe in the absolute necessity for separation between Church and State (and that that concept needs to be applied directly and quickly in Israel as well as Iran.) 
14. I believe that as God is strengthened when we treat each other well, we can look back on our worst periods such as the Shoach  (Holocaust) as times when God’s strength was at its weakest.  I also believe that we should look forward to the time when His strength is no longer in question.
15. We are a part of the Jewish Civilization.  I believe that, in some way, we are commanded to remain so.

Let us imagine a world without love, a world in which the human spirit incapable of caring is locked in the prison of the self.

Praise to You, O Lord, for the capacity to feel happiness in another’s happiness and pain in another’s pain.

As the universe whispers of a oneness behind all that is, so the love in the human heart calls upon people everywhere to unite in pursuit of those ideals that make us human.

As we sing of One God, we rejoice in the wonder of the universe and we pray for the day when all humanity will be one.