Source: The Dallas Morning News
Breaking ekmek – bread – on a Saturday evening with the Institute of Interfaith Dialog is a Turkish delight, a melding of food, learning and fellowship.
Turkish-American families prepare the Saturday Socials' buffet dinners in their own kitchens. A typical recent program featured a rabbi explaining Jewish holidays. The fellowship is boundless.
"Shared concerns about peace in the world help to create a connection among people," says Alp Yaradanakul, the organization's Dallas representative.
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog began in 2002, inspired by the writings of M. Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish scholar and outspoken advocate of tolerance and friendship. Headquartered in Houston, it's grown to more than a dozen branches in Texas and several Southern and Midwestern states. The Dallas branch shares the Richardson facilities of Raindrop Turkevi, a Turkish cultural center operated by the Raindrop Foundation.