Ambassadors Hind Hafuda and Eidel led a wide range of activities under the initiative “Yalla City Walks, Talks, and Sports.” Throughout 2024, they conducted extensive research to create a walking tour exploring Vienna’s shared Muslim and Jewish heritage. In addition, their contributions included hosting workshops at Vienna’s Festival of Religious Minorities, speaking at the Srebrenica Peace March, and collaborating with Milan Ambassadors for the European Day of Jewish Culture in Italy. They also organized a Muslim-Jewish bike trip to Bratislava, participated in the Bratislava Women’s Run, and facilitated interfaith workshops through ERASMUS+ and Weltmuseum Vienna, highlighting a special exhibition on the European Qur’an.
Currently, they are finalizing the walking tour and developing a companion booklet entitled “What Jews and Muslims Should Know About Each Other,” aiming to enhance mutual understanding and respect between communities in Vienna.
Voices from the Ambassadors
Hind Hafuda shares her perspective:
“We should focus on our commonalities. Throughout history, we have often interacted in harmony, and everything flows when we’re in sync. Only together can we move forward. We must see beyond our differences and appreciate the beauty in what we share. When we come together, we create a space that transcends religious boundaries — a space of love, shared experience, peace, freedom, resources, bridge-building, and togetherness.”
Eidel reflects on their work:
“Together, we possess the power to demonstrate that compassion and solidarity can become our prevailing principles—stronger than any conflict. Peace means having no fear. We must give meaning to these values that surpass the power of hatred. In this pursuit, I wish to walk this path and warmly invite you to join me hand in hand. And if my counterpart can at least smile, there’s already a bit of Shalom there.”
The Vienna Ambassadors Programme demonstrates the power of grassroots interfaith dialogue in building bridges between Muslim and Jewish communities through cultural exploration, education, and shared experiences.
