If you would like to help sustain the human rights solidarity work of IRTF—now in our 45th year—please see this donation link or mail your donation to IRTF, 3606 Bridge Ave., Cleveland OH 44113.
Dear Friends,
This is Wendy. I am one of the newer members of the IRTF Board of Trustees. I had hoped to begin this letter with something lighthearted and encouraging. I promise I will get there. But first, I want to share what has been on my heart.
I have been trying to catch my breath these past months. The political landscape shifts so quickly. In our own communities, families brace for ICE, we lament the devastation in Gaza and the West Bank, the relentless militarization that is reaching across borders and lands on our doorsteps. The forces of injustice bank on our exhaustion. The system is engineered that way: to isolate us, to make us believe our differences are insurmountable. But I keep returning to one question, not as a slogan but as a lifeline: Will we stand together?
This year, IRTF celebrates 45 years of answering that question with a resounding "yes." So here is the encouraging part I promised: for 45 years, IRTF has been a living testament to the power of interfaith solidarity. When people of different faiths, backgrounds, and traditions stand together, we do the work that outlasts any administration: addressing root causes, accompanying communities in struggle, and building something unshakeable.
I am a new member of the IRTF Board, but my connection to this organization is rooted in a larger story. Let me tell you a bit about my journey to IRTF—because it is a story of how interfaith solidarity is not just a strategy, but for me, feels like a sacred calling.
I am Jewish. I was raised in a household that emphasized justice and standing with the underdog—values I later came to recognize as part of tikkun olam, a commitment to repair what’s broken in our world. I was not always clear on what that means, but though social work was a good place to start
As a young social work student, I found myself drawn to Liberation Theology, a movement born from Catholic communities in Latin America who read the Gospel as a call to stand with the poor. I wondered how I could honor my Jewish identity while being so moved by the teachings of Jesus. I found my answer in the act of solidarity itself.
Still a social work student, I stumbled upon an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about a “rebel” Catholic priest named Bob Begin. I believe the article was called “Loaves and Fishes” and described how he was putting his faith into action at West Side Ecumenical Ministry (WSEM), working on behalf of the poor, disenfranchised, and across religious traditions His work opened my eyes to what interfaith collaboration could look like: faith not as a boundary, but as a bridge to collective action. Later, as a graduate student, I completed my social work practicum at WSEM. That experience taught me that shared values—dignity, justice, and compassion—are far more powerful than religious doctrines that sometimes separate us.
Life then took me far from Cleveland. I moved to Turkey with my Turkish husband and our two sons, spending nearly 24 years working with refugees and asylum seekers. In that Muslim-majority country, my understanding of faith deepened. I came to see that the call to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly is not the sole property of any one tradition—it echoes across Islam, Christianity, and Judaism alike. What I witnessed was solidarity not as the erasing of our differences, but as the sacred work we are invited to do together, precisely because of who we are.
When I returned to Cleveland in 2022 to begin a social work faculty position at Cleveland State University, I sought out WSEM, hoping to reconnect with a place that had shaped so much of my justice work. It had closed, but something new had grown from that same soil: IRTF. Here, I found a place where I could bring all of who I am—my Jewish roots, my years of living in a Muslim culture, my enduring inspiration from Christian liberation theologians—into one community. Our differences are not set aside; they are the source of our strength.
I share this because it reflects something essential about IRTF. For 45 years, we have been a place in Cleveland where interfaith values are not just talked about but lived. The struggle against militarism, displacement, and injustice cannot be won by any one community alone. It requires all of us, standing together across lines of faith and tradition.
My fellow board members say it better than I can:
What Draws Us In
- Noelle: "As a Palestinian, my faith teaches me that our liberation is bound together. IRTF is where I see that truth embodied—people of different faiths building bridges of solidarity."
- Elizabeth: "I was drawn to IRTF because it takes the 'interfaith' part of justice seriously. It is about recognizing that we need each other's traditions, perspectives, and strengths to do this work."
- Diana: "IRTF addresses root causes by weaving together the threads of our struggles. It is a place where my faith calls me to act in concert with others."
What Sustains Us
- Noelle: "It is the people—Jews, Christians, Muslims, and people of all faiths and no faith—carrying this work together. Interfaith solidarity is not just about breaking systems down, but about building something new, together."
- Elizabeth: "Working with Brian and C is a dream. They live the mission of radical interfaith collaboration. And I love training the next generation of activists to understand that justice requires coalition."
- Diana: "What sustains me is the way our work uplifts ancestors, elders, and youth from all communities—defending our earth and the right to life for all people."
What sustains us, in other words, is people. And that includes you. For 45 years, supporters like you have made this work possible—tending the ground so that we can build bonds of interfaith solidarity that no political storm can break.
This is what we have been building for 45 years: something interfaith, intergenerational, relational, rooted in the conviction that our shared humanity is stronger than the forces that divide us. It is not flashy work. It is slow, and sometimes it is hard. But it is ours.
Your support makes this possible. In this 45th anniversary year, we are asking you to invest in the next 45 years. In a time when many organizations react to the crisis of the day, IRTF does the deeper work: bringing people of different faiths together, training the next generation, and addressing the root causes of injustice. We are standing together—just as we have for 45 years.
Please consider a gift to IRTF this spring. Together, we are cultivating a legacy of interfaith solidarity—drawing from the wisdom of many traditions, honoring those who came before us, and building for generations yet to come.
In solidarity and with deep gratitude,
Wendy Bilgen
Board Member, IRTF
P.S. Forty-five years is a milestone. Help us make it a launching point. Donate at tinyurl.com/45campaign
Every amount matters. In honor of our 45th anniversary, we are seeking 45 donors to make a monthly contribution of $4.50 (or a one-time donation of $45).
IRTF Board of Trustees: Wendy Bilgen, April Bleakney, Elizabeth Cusma, Alexa Jones, Noelle Naser, Diana Sette, Emily Terry, Megan Wilson-Reitz, Jenelle Vincent
