Thursday, Nov. 12, 6 pm
The Rumi Forum, a Washington, DC-based organization that fosters interfaith and intercultural dialogue is honoring Rabbi Michael Panitz at its 9th annual Friendship and Solidarity Dinner in Hampton Roads. The Rumi Forum is non-political and its goal is to “contribute to peaceful coexistence of the adherents of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities and races.” The dinner’s keynote speaker, Bishop B. Courtney McBath, is a longtime friend of Rabbi Panitz, and the two clergymen have shared the same stage on several occasions.
Rabbi Panitz has spent the better part of two decades fostering interfaith dialogue and relationships in Hampton Roads. In 1999, he co-founded the NEXUS Interfaith Dialogue Series at Virginia Wesleyan. He also takes part in a monthly radio broadcast at Virginia Wesleyan called “Voices of Faith.”
Rabbi Panitz has received community awards for interfaith efforts from the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and the Masonic Lodge in Virginia Beach. He’s also the recipient of the community service award from the L.D. Britt, MD Scholarship Fund.