New article: Shalom/Salaam reviewed

From Friends of Al-Aqsa, 20th April 2011:

The core thesis of Shalom/Salaam is that during the medieval period, the tolerance of Muslim authorities in Iraq, Egypt and Al-Andalus towards their Jewish populations and the resulting close relationships between Jewish and Muslim thinkers led to exchanges of spiritual ideas and practices which resulted in a revivification of Jewish spirituality. In particular, says Block, Jewish religious leaders reacted to a period of spiritual stagnation by turning to Sufism for ideas about how to pray, how to relate to and interact with the Divine, and for spiritual practices such as retreats and cleanliness. And, says Block, the influence of Sufism on Judaism was not just a temporary interaction, lost in the mists of time, but a source of ideas and practices which continues to resonate in modern Jewish spirituality…

Read the full article here.