- This event has passed.
Abraham Path Walk 2023
11th Annual event, sponsored by the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC)
People of Faith Walking Together for greater understanding and compassion
The three-mile Walk celebrates the three Abrahamic faiths and is based on the story of Abraham, a prophet common to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Sunday, October 8th, 2023 @ 2:00 PM
October 8, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm EDT
- Event begins at Congregation Kol Ami with refreshments (parking available at 1008 W. Water Street, Elmira)
- Walk with someone of another faith community to Grace Episcopal (375 W. Church St. Elmira) then return to Kol Ami
- Then drive to the IAFL Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes (499 Hickory Grove Rd. Horseheads) for a reception
- If you’re not interested in walking, come to the reception at IAFL at 3:30 p.m.
For more information go to https://www.sticinterfaith.org/about or contact: Imam Zaman Marwat, 607-562-3869, sufizaman@yahoo.com Debra Todd, 607-734-0908, dctodd321@gmail.com
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
STIC 2023 Abrahamic Walk News Release
A 2.5 mile walk for interfaith understanding will take place on Sunday, October 8th, stepping off at 2:00 PM in West Elmira, with a concluding reception in Horseheads.
Called “The Path of Abraham,” the walk celebrates three faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—that all race their origins to the Biblical patriarch and Prophet Abraham. The walk is an education project of the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC), which began this annual event in 2012.
The goal, according to Interfaith Coalition chair Dr. Zaman Marwat, is not only to walk on behalf of interfaith understanding, but also for individual participants to increase their own understanding by walking with someone of another religion and sharing answers to prepared questions.
The walk will begin at 2:00 PM at Congregation Kol Ami, 1008 West Water Street, in West Elmira, where participants may leave their cars. After a short visit inside the synagogue, participants will then walk to Grace Episcopal Church, 375 West Church St. for a rest stop and then walk back to Kol Ami. The total walk mileage is about 2.5 miles. Participants will then drive to the Islamic Association of the Finger Lakes, 499 Hickory Grove Rd. Horseheads for a tour of the mosque and refreshments.
The original idea for a Path of Abraham Walk was for interfaith groups to walk the entire route from the site of Ur, in southern Iraq, to Haran, in southern Turkey, and then to Jerusalem, in Israel, as the Bible states that Abraham and Sarah traveled. For those of us who can’t travel to the Middle East and hike in the desert for days on end, an alternative is to walk a local route that includes a synagogue, a church, and a mosque.
The walk is open to everyone, at no charge. Individuals unable to walk the route are welcome to drive from point to point, car pool with others to complete the questions, and/or participate in the reception.