Beth Latz is founder and executive director of Project Interfaith, projectinterfaith.org
1. Why did you decide to launch Project Interfaith?
There are a couple experiences in my life that led me to found PI. One would be that my grandparents immigrated to this country after experiencing harsh persecution as a result of their Jewish identity. Another would be growing up as a religious and ethnic minority and encountering a lot of people making assumptions about what that means. I didn’t always feel welcome or free to be who I am. But growing up and hearing about my grandparents’ experiences in other countries, I realized how lucky we are to have certain rights in this country. So I wanted to make sure people understand these rights and freedoms.
2. What is Project Interfaith’s mission and approach to interfaith work?
Our mission is to grow understanding, respect, and relationships among people of all beliefs and cultures—not to force agreement. And we don’t try to make everything run through PI, but rather we create different educational resources and digital tools that people can then take and use in their own communities and contexts. Some people think we’re trying to replace face-to-face gatherings with online experiences, but we’re not. Rather, we use digital media as a tool to enhance what happens when people come together.
3. The idea of not forcing agreement is refreshing and unique, but not always popular. How do you respond to that?
True engagement with someone is messy. Differences aren’t always neatly resolved in an hour, but there’s a richness there. If you can talk about something as personal as religion and are able to really listen, you’ll find that people can talk about other sensitive topics, too. We have done a number of trainings and workshops for professionals, educators, and professional care providers that focus on working with diverse populations. I’ve learned that people want to be talking about their beliefs. It’s not a question of how do we get people interested in talking about it; it’s how do we help people begin to initiate these conversations.
4. In your latest online campaign, Ravel Unravel, participants are encouraged to upload videos discussing their belief systems, as a way of dispelling stereotypes and meeting people where they are. Why this approach?
Ravel Unravel is a tool that we developed that began in the spirit of trying to empower people to bring these types of conversations and experiences to their own campuses and cities. Ravel Unravel really humanizes religious and spiritual diversity, and it feels very accessible. So if you’re not ready to sit across the table from someone very different from you, watch some videos. Hopefully then people can see the incredible diversity of experiences that people bring to their communities.
—Interview by Lani Prunés and Jenna Barnett
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