A Tale of Two Sons
Exchanging Stories
2018
In 2011, Reham Elnory, a Muslim from Egypt, and Hayyim Rothman, a Hasidic Jew from the United States, created a webpage to host an exchange of conflicting narratives surrounding the life of Abraham and the sacrifice of his son (Ishmael or Isaac), a pivotal moment in each their respective religious traditions. In the following months, this exchange transformed from short essays, to a virtual dialogue which then led to a lasting friendship.
Seven years later, in A Tale of Two Sons, Reham and Hayyim return to reflect upon the experience and how starting from a place of competing differences can lead to mutual respect. “I realized philosophically that it is possible to be authentically part of one’s own tradition and also meaningfully engaged with the traditions of others.” [Hayyim Rothman, A Tale of Two Sons]
Guestbook Project has collected these exchanges into a single document, available for download HERE
A Tale of Two Sons was produced by Reham Elnory and Hayyim Rothman in collaboration with Liam Weir, Content Producer at Guestbook Project.
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