Category Archives: Illinois
Saturday was Tisha B’av!
The views and opinions expressed on the website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of...
| Tagged Judaism, Tisha B'avA Cultural Ritual: Drinking Tea in China
The views and opinions expressed on the website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of...
| Tagged China, tea, travelCulture and Coexistence in a Global Society
The views and opinions expressed on the website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of...
| Tagged Coexistence, culture, Germany, GlobalThe Impact of the Chicago Children’s Choir
The views and opinions expressed on the website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of...
| Tagged chicago, Chicago Children's ChoirEvent Recap: Ramadan Experience 2015
By Brianna Deigan, Communications Intern July 15, 2015 “There is an unseen sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness. We are lutes. When the soundbox...
| Tagged Food Security, Hunger, Interfaith, Ramadan ExperienceStudying Abroad in Yemen
The views and opinions expressed on the website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of...
Event Recap: Fr. James Mikhail on the Plight of Coptic Christians
By Alyssa Slager, Communications Intern On June 16th, the Niagara Foundation was happily joined by Father James Mikhail for a Friends in Faith...
Ramadan Experience : Lecture and Iftar 2015
Hedy Ratner of Women’s Business Development Center: Event Recap
By Brooke Moscow, Public and Global Affairs Intern On May 20, Niagara Foundation was delighted to host Hedy M. Ratner, co-founder of the...
| Tagged chicago, equality, leadership, LGBTQ rights, social justice, women's rightsJenné Myers on “Working Together To Transform Chicago For Good:” Event Recap
By Andrew Wolanski, Public and Global Affairs Intern On Wednesday, May 27, the Niagara Foundation was pleased to have Jenné Myers, Chief Executive...
| Tagged Chicago Cares, Jenne Myers, service, volunteer, volunteerismFr. John Heschle on Refugee Ministry: Event Recap
By Ariana Shockley, Interfaith Engagement Intern On Thursday, May 14th, the Niagara Foundation was delighted to host Father John Heschle from St. Paul’s...
| Tagged Anglicanism, authenticity, Christianity, Episcopalian, refugee, refugee ministry, Rogers Park, spirituality, St. Paul's Church-by-the-lakeProfessor George Saliba at Fethullah Gulen Lecture Series: Event Recap
By Brooke Moscow, Public and Global Affairs Intern On Wednesday, April 22, The Niagara Foundation was thrilled to have Professor George Saliba join...
| Tagged astronomy, fethullah gulen, George Saliba, islam, Islamic science, Muslim science, scienceInterview with Fr. John Heschle of St. Paul’s Church by the Lake
On Thursday, May 14 at 11:30 AM, Niagara is excited to welcome Fr. John Heschle into our office for a roundtable discussion regarding...
| Tagged Anglican, chicago, immigrant, ministry, refugee, Rogers ParkTurkish American Society of Chicago presents Taste of Turkey!
On May 10, the Turkish American Society of Chicago will host “Taste of Turkey” at the Turquoise Cultural Center. This exciting event will...
| Tagged Blue Mosque, chicago, cuisine, culture, ebru, Taste of Turkey, tea, turkey, Turkish American SocietyInterview with Kismet Saglam of Soul Space Interfaith
On Sunday, May 3, 2015, Soul Space Interfaith will host their spring 2015 women’s retreat, Inviting the Presence of God: Finding Our Spirituality...
| Tagged Interfaith, religion, retreat, Soul Space Interfaith, spirituality, spring, storytelling, womenFaith in Englewood: Event Recap
By Ariana Shockley, Center for Interfaith Engagement Intern On Thursday April 9, 2015, Niagara Foundation had the pleasure of sitting down and spending some...
| Tagged Buddhism, Englewood, faith, Interfaith, ShambhalaInterview with Thomas Adducci of Faith in Englewood
By Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern On Thursday April 9, 2015 the Niagara Foundation is looking forward to welcoming Tomas Adducci to speak about...
| Tagged Buddhism, Englewood, faith, Interfaith, ShambhalaInterview with Laila Muhammad of Zakat Foundation
By Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern On Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Niagara is excited to host Laila Muhammad of...
| Tagged charity, faith, Interfaith, ZakatWomen in Male-Dominated Religious Roles: Event Recap
By Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern On Thursday March 12th, we had the honor of hosting a Friends In Faith event with Cantor Julie...
| Tagged cantor, Judaism, male-dominated religious roles, religionSharing the Faith: Easter 2015 Programs
Sharing the Faith is an educational program offering opportunities for the larger Chicago community to learn about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam during their respective...
What is Purim?
Today is the Jewish celebration of Purim. This holiday celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who planned to kill all...
| Tagged Judaism, PurimCantor Julie Yugend-Green on Women in Religious Leadership
On Thursday, March 12 from 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Niagara Foundation is excited to host Cantor Julie Yugend-Green of Oak Park Temple...
| Tagged cantor, leadership, religious leadership, womenTurkey Trip Tales: Illinois State Representative Kathy Ryg
By: Representative Kathy Ryg My trip to Turkey with fellow legislators was most definitely a life changing experience. The opportunity to learn more...
| Tagged Aegean Sea, Ankara, Ephesus, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, travel, turkeyMillennials and the Catholic Church: Event Recap
By: Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern Nicholas G. Hahn III joined us for one of our Friends in Faith events at the Niagara office...
| Tagged Catholic Church, Catholicism, church, millennialNot My Life Screening Event Recap
By: Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern On Wednesday, February 18, Niagara Foundation screened the film Not My Life in partnership with UNICEF US Fund....
| Tagged children, documentary, exploitation, fair trade, human trafficking, modern slavery, Not My Life, sex trafficking, UNICEF, UNICEF US FundInterview with RealClearReligion’s Nicholas Hahn III
By: Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern Nicholas G. Hahn III will be joining us for a roundtable discussion about millennials and the church from...
| Tagged Catholicism, church, millennials, politics, religionAnti-bullying activist Patrick Dati to speak at Chicago & Education Forum
Niagara Foundation is excited to host Patrick Dati, an anti-bullying advocate and child abuse prevention spokesman, at our upcoming Chicago & Education Forum:...
| Tagged activism, advocacy, anti-bullying, bully, domestic violence, LGBT, LGBTQ, rape, sexual abuseFriends in Faith: Reverend John Cunningham Event Recap
By: Joshua Heine, Public & Global Affairs Intern On February 4, Niagara Foundation was pleased to welcome Reverend John Cunningham, a Jesuit priest and...
| Tagged faith, Jesuit, physics, scienceInterview with UNICEF’s Marshaun Montgomery on Human Trafficking
By: Kathleen Ferraro, Communications and Membership Coordinator This Wednesday, February 18, from 5:30-7:30 PM Niagara Foundation will partner with UNICEF US Fund to...
| Tagged documentary, human trafficking, Human Trafficking Awareness Month, modern slavery, Not My Life, UNICEFInterview with Stacy Ratner, Founder of Open Books
By: Kathy Bolano, Communications Intern Edited by: Kathleen Ferraro, Communications and Membership Coordinator On Wednesday, February 11, 2015 from 11:30 AM-1:00 PM Stacy...
| Tagged community, literacy, Open BooksTurkey Trip Tales: Mary Ellen O’Hare-Lavin, Ph. D.
By: Mary Ellen O’Hare-Lavin, Ph. D. In spring 2013, I joined a group of faculty, students and other interested persons on a trip...
| Tagged travel, turkey, Turkey TripInterview with Toni Irving of Get In Chicago
Tomorrow, we are excited to host Toni Irving for a roundtable discussion at our office from 11:30 AM – 1 PM. Irving is the...
Meet Our New Team Member!
Niagara Foundation welcomes Kathleen Ferraro as a new addition to our Chicago family. She will be joining us as Communications & Membership Coordinator,...
Niagara Foundation Condemns the Actions of Gunmen in France
Chicago, January 7, 2015 – Niagara Foundation abhors the actions and motives of three masked gunmen, who this morning attacked the office of a...
Statement on Erdogan Government’s shameful action against Fethullah Gulen
New York, December 19, 2014 – With its latest action, Erdogan government has abandoned all sensibilities and crossed important ethical and moral boundaries....
Top 5 Reasons to Attend Niagara’s 10th Anniversary Gala on December 4th
Niagara Foundation is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on December 4th and here’s why you don’t want to miss it! 1. The Peace &...
Meet Our New Director of Communications & Member Relations
Niagara Foundation welcomes Mignon Senuta as our newest team member in Chicago! Interview by: Mevlut Hilmi Cinar, VP of Development and Strategy Hilmi:...
Interview with Dr. Wendy Pearlman
By: Kathleen, intern at Niagara and student at Northwestern University We are excited to host Dr. Wendy Pearlman, Assistant Professor and Crown Junior Chair...
Fethullah Gulen’s Condemning Message about ISIS
Our Honorary President, Mr. Fethullah Gulen’s condemnation of ISIS was published on several U.S. newspapers on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 ISIS Cruelty Deserves Our...
Sacred Sources: God and Human Suffering
Sacred Sources: God and Human Suffering Ryan Fordice, Program Director, Center for Interfaith Engagement Bright, mid-day sunlight flooded through the windows as the delicious aroma of Turkish food wafted...
Qasim Rashid – January 16th at 11:30am
In a couple weeks, Qasim Rashid will be speaking at Niagara about his book, The Wrong Kind of Muslim. It’s amazing how much...
New Year’s Resolutions
By: Eleanor Peck, Director of Communications and Member Relations Happy New Year from all of us at the Niagara Foundation! We hope your...
One Intern’s Reflection
Our writing and reporting intern, Karen Shen (pictured, center), has been hard at work here at Niagara these past few months. Last week...
Study Turkiye Workshop 2014
By: Alexis O’Connor, Intern at Niagara and Student at Northwestern On Nov. 15, participants in the 2013 Study Turkiye curriculum development program...
Niagara Forum on Syria
By: Karen Shen, intern at Niagara and student at Northwestern University It is our goal at the Niagara Foundation to bring...
Recap: Niagara Forum on Egypt with Dr. David Faris
By: Karen Shen, intern and student at Northwestern On Friday, November 1st, Dr. David Faris joined us at the Niagara Foundation to discuss...
Law School Deans Discuss the Crisis and Transformation in Legal Education
by Eleanor Peck, Director of Communications and Member Relations On October 24th, the Niagara Foundation was happy to invite two law school...
Reflections On My First Trip to Türkiye
Photos and Words By: Brendan Dowd, Director of the Center for Cultural Exchange and Interfaith Dialogue “What do you think of my decision...
Niagara Forum on Syria: 11/14
By: Karen Shen, intern at Niagara and student at Northwestern University The ongoing conflict in Syria has been in and out of front...
Hot Air Balloon Ride in Kapadokya
All Photos by Brendan Dowd Niagara’s Director of Cultural Exchange and Interfaith Collaboration is currently on a trip to Turkey, his first, with...
Interview with Dr. David Faris on Egypt
David Faris went to Cairo on a lark – as he says, “well, not a lark exactly, I was looking for a research...
Abraham’s Tent: Good Food and Even Better Conversation
Anders and Tekim – Photo by Brendan Dowd By: Brendan Dowd, Director of the Center on Intercultural Exchange and Interfaith Collaboration The evening...
Abraham’s Tent
“I felt that the cultural and religious demarcations that exist in the corporeal world were put to the wayside as we shared a...
Two Perspectives on Domestic Violence: Social and Judicial Activism
By: Karen Shen, Intern at the Niagara Foundation and Student at Northwestern University In the continuing effort to connect people and raise awareness...
Sacred Sources: The Joseph/Yusuf Narrative
Text by: Eleanor Peck This past Thursday, December 12th, was the inaugural Sacred Sources program, inspired by the academic practice of small group...
On the Passing of Nelson Mandela
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn...