Community News

IFTAR DINNER 2025

Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB) held its fourth-annual Ramadan Iftar dinner on March 15th, with the Nair family graciously sponsoring the event at the Winnetka Congregational Church.

BPB President and Co-Founder Lori Lucchetti expressed gratitude to all volunteers for their hard work and dedication. “As we break bread together, let us embrace the values of love, tolerance, and understanding that are at the heart of our religions and cultures.”

Event sponsor and Board Member Nicki Nair encouraged everyone to embrace the evening's spirit of connection. “When I look around, I really have a sense of hope and a sense that we will be at peace someday, all over the world,” she shared warmly. “Catch up with your old friends, and please make new ones."

As 7 p.m. approached—the moment at sunset when Muslim attendees would break their day-long Ramadan fast—the program took some time for reflection. Three faith leaders took turns speaking about the strength and hope found in sharing meals across different traditions.

Rev. Paulo G. França spoke of the sacred nature of gathering, saying that "coming together around tables is a sacred thing. It’s a place where we want to have our best friends, our families, the people we trust."

The idea of unity amidst adversity was echoed by Rabbi Bruce Elder: "Our job is to set the example here and let it flow from there. We can be here together, that we can continue to grow together, that, despite our differences, we know how important it is to be together."

Imam Kareem Irfan connected Ramadan's spiritual practices to community service: “At its core, Ramadan is all about self reflection, self discipline and self control.” He invited everyone to find a deeper commitment to each other through service. "When we join hands across faith or no-faith traditions, we move from tolerance to solidarity and from mere coexistence to cooperation."

The invocations ended with an "Adhan" (Call to Prayer), recited by Tahir Abdullah.

Hamid and two of his sons (above) prepare the delicious meal served at the Iftar Dinner. Kids enjoy soccer, volleyball and basketball in the gym.

At exactly sunset, everyone began their dinner together. Many reached first for dates, the traditional food used to break the fast. The fantastic dinner was prepared by Hamid with support from his family. As a former military cook who had fed hundreds of soldiers at a time, cooking dinner for 150 guests was a comfortable challenge. Ghufran and Gulaly provided a sweet finish with Syrian and Afghani desserts. Guests left with containers of delicious food and the warmth of new connections.

Kids and teens enjoyed soccer, basketball, and pizza in the gym, while BPB mentor Abby Friedman led a crafting room where young attendees completed coloring pages and friendship bracelets together. Many thanks to the many volunteers who helped make this evening a success! An additional thanks to Ashland Addison Florist and L.D. Trading for their donation of beautiful spring flowers.