By Paul TakahashiThe Daily Northwestern

Peace of Mind cooked up a culinary event Wednesday night to spice up relations between students of different religions.

“Food brings people together,” said Adva Saldinger, a founder of Peace of Mind. “It’s a good and natural way to encourage dialogue.”

About 20 students gathered in Parkes Hall to cook and eat Middle Eastern fare. The organizers of the event said they hoped the process of preparing the food and the conversations while eating it would help bridge the gap between the two groups on campus.

“We felt Jews and Muslims didn’t interact well before (the group was founded),” said Saldinger, a Medill senior. “We wanted a place which was fun and interactive – a place where people can make friends.”

Weinberg sophomore Jason Gutstein said he joined Peace of Mind because of its mission to engage students of different backgrounds.

“We came together because we thought there weren’t reasonable voices on campus when it came to discussing some of the major issues that divide the Muslim and Jewish communities,” Gutstein said. “This is a good way to engage each other and to discuss issues in a non-confrontational environment.”

The cooking event was the first of its kind for Peace of Mind, which was founded four years ago. Peace of Mind holds several events each year to encourage dialogue between Muslims and Jews.

Students helped prepare and cook dishes such as m’sakhan, a Palestinian chicken dish, and kugel, a Jewish noodle casserole.

Organizers of the event said they planned the menu beforehand to ensure religious dietary laws were honored. For example, they purchased kosher meat since it also satisfies the Muslim halal requirements, Saldinger said.

“We tried to bring different parts of our cultures to the table but to also have some same dishes in common,” said Salma Al-Shami, a Weinberg and Music senior.

The salad, hummus and lemonade were common to both religions, Al-Shami said.

As the students cooked the food, savory smells wafted around the spacious room.

“We’re cooking and we’re having a good time,” said participant Sarah Dar, a Weinberg sophomore. “We’re also getting to know people at the same time.”

At least one participant was trying to fulfill a more basic need.

“I ran out of meals on my meal plan,” said Mohammad Ahmad, a Weinberg sophomore. “(The free food) sounded perfect.”

After an hour of preparation and cooking, the students began to eat. Subjects of conversation ranged from gossip to a discussion about “Paradise Now,” a documentary about two Palestinian suicide bombers.

“At the basic level, it’s simple,” Saldinger said. “We’ll talk about anything: classes, Northwestern … but we also have some structured conversation, too.”

In the past, the group brought speakers and performers to campus, such as beat-box artist and vocalist Yuri Lane, to encourage conversation.

Peace of Mind plans to bring one Jewish and one Muslim comedian to campus as their main spring event, said Ramah Kudamai, another of the group’s founders.

“We’re always looking for different ways to discuss the issues,” said Kudamai, a Medill senior. “By bringing the two comedians, we want to show that it’s not just the other side that has flaws – we do, too.”

Dar said she likes the diversity at Peace of Mind events.

“It’s cool because it seems like a big task to bring Muslim and Jews together but it’s really easy,” Dar said. “We get along very naturally.”

Reach Paul Takahashi at [email protected].