I Had a Date on Capitol Hill

I had a date on Capitol Hill. And no, it’s not what it sounds like.

This month, I had the honor of joining the Muslim World League Congressional Interfaith Iftar on Capitol Hill. And one small moment — the date — has stayed with me.

As the daily fast of Ramadan came to a close, what had been a room of strangers from across the Middle East, Asia, and America began to feel like a community. Plates of dates were passed around as everyone prepared to break the fast. And something shifted.

My Muslim brothers and sisters recited the prayer in Arabic marking the end of the fast. Beside them, I — a Jewish woman — opened my date, split it in half, and said the Hebrew blessing thanking G-d for creating the fruit of the tree.

And I didn’t whisper it, like I often do in public.
I said it with pride.

Because in that moment, I wasn’t alone — I was among friends. And the night was about understanding. Appreciating our commonalities and our uniqueness.

It felt almost surreal to take it in: sitting together, sharing the same food, offering our own blessings in our own languages — all freely, in the capital of the United States. I felt beyond blessed.

In Psalms it says:
“צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח” — “The righteous will flourish like a date palm.” (Tehillim 92:13)

Maybe flourishing — and diplomacy — doesn’t always look like grand declarations.
Maybe it’s actually moments like this.

If that’s the case, pass the dates.

Eid Mubarak and Chodesh Tov. ☪️✡️✝️