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Playing at the HERE arts center November 7th through the 24th, Oud Player on the Tel is historical fiction about deep friendship between German Holocaust survivor and a Sufi villager — become a supporter of their story!
Abrahamic Family Reunion: Abraham, Sarah and Isaac come back together with Hagar and Ishmael, by Tom Block
Oud Player on the Tel grows out of more than two decades of Tom Block’s work at the forefront of the Palestinian-Israeli peace movement. He published Shalom/Salaam: A Story of a Mystical Fraternity (exploring the Islamic mystical influence on Jewish spirituality) in the USA and Turkey in 2010. He published a Jewish-Sufi quest novel which grew out of this research, The Fool Returns. He was one of two invited Jewish thinkers at the only interfaith conference ever held by al-Azhar University, Cairo). He gave talks at mosques, synagogues, universities and conferences around North America and Europe. And his Shalom/Salaam work was covered in newspapers and magazines dozens of times, including:
- Religion News Service (MO), “Playwright Tom Block aims to tell ‘two equally righteous narratives’ of Israel, Palestine,” Ambar Castillo, May 16, 2024
- Twelve Gates Interview (NY), “Thomas Block, author of Shalom/Salaam,” Frank Kaufmann, October 16, 2020
- Book’s Buzz (NY), “The Fool Returns by Tom Block,” NOVEMBER 22, 2014
- Kirkus Reviews (NY). “The Fool Returns,” book review, October 26, 2014
- NY Jewish Times (NY). “Coexistence with Oud,” Ted Merwin, June 13, 2014
- Read the Spirit (MI). “The Tom Block Interview.” David Crumm, March 18, 2013
- Washington Independent Review of Books (Washington DC), Interview, June 14, 2011
- Parabola Magazine (New York, NY): “Shalom/Salaam,” Rabbi Pamela Gottfried, April 29, 2011
- Friends of al-Aqsa (England): “Shalom/Salaam: A Mystical Fraternity,” Sarah Irving, April 20, 2011
- Read the Spirit (Detroit): “Tom Block, Story of a Mystical Brotherhood,” David Crumm, April 13, 2011
- Jewish Renaissance (London, England): “Shalom/Salaam,” Agi Erdos, April 2011
- Aktuel (Turkey): “The Kabbalah is based on Islamic Sufism,” January 10, 2011
- Gazette Newspapers (MD). “Common Ground between Islam and Judaism,” B. Kenny December 15, 2010
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Salom Newspaper (Turkey). “Shalom/
Salaam,” Gila Erbes, November 24, 2010 - Publishers Weekly (NY). Book review of “Shalom/Salaam,” October 27, 2010
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Yeni Safak (Turkey). “Muslim-
Jewish Dialogue,” L. Deligöz, October 27, 2010 - Alrai (Cairo, Egypt). “Muslims and Jews have a Spiritual Brotherhood,” Hana Abd al-Hady, July 9, 2009
- Sharq (Cairo, Egypt): “Scholar Explores Mystical Ties between Muslims and Jews,” June 30, 2009
- Gazette Newspapers (MD). “Taking a Stand,” Karen Schafer, May 6, 2009
- Gazette Newspapers (MD), “Give Salaam, Shalom a Chance,” Karen Schafer, February 28, 2007
- CoffeeHouse TV (32 states) “Convergences” interview, February 9, 2007
- Gazette Newspapers (MD), “Art Helps Religions Converge,” Meredith Hooker, January 31, 2007
- Washington Jewish Week (MD), “Art Overcoming Politics,” Aaron Leibel, January 25, 2007
The great Rumi taught, "Be soft earth so that you may sprout flowers of many colors." Tom Block has softened the earth of history and the opening to a new contemporary relationship.
--- Rabbi Abraham Ingber, Founding Director for Interfaith Community Engagement at Xavier University in Cincinnati