Opinion: Our dreams for Israelis and Palestinians

Temple Sinai of Roslyn and the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury have shared an important relationship for more than a decade. Our communities have learned together, worshipped together, broken bread together and shared in each other's celebrations. We have forged loving bonds that bring joy and meaning to our lives.

We, the leaders of the two religious institutions, have watched with sadness the strife that continues to grip Israel and Gaza. More than 2,000 people died in the most recent military conflict -- mostly civilians, including women and children -- that subsided with an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire.

Jews and Muslims are sons and daughters of Abraham, brothers and sisters in covenant with the same God. And while we know that for centuries the Holy Land has been a fulcrum of sectarian violence and bloodshed, we also know that our faiths share a vision for peace.

Leaders from our communities held difficult conversations over the seven-week conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza this summer, conversations that have amplified how differently we view the Arab-Israel conflict. We do not agree about the reasons for the conflict, the history that condemned so many in the region to violence, or the motivations of the two sides. Yet, in our shared frustration we've come to understand our differing loyalties.

Despite our serious disagreements, we agree in our dreams for the Holy Land: Israel and Palestine, two nations living side-by-side in peace with Jerusalem as capital for each nation. Arabs and Jews living as neighbors, each realizing their national aspirations, living with dignity, security, freedom and mutual recognition.

The choice for the leaders of Israel and Palestine is clear: Use the cease-fire to negotiate a two-state peace agreement with a sense of urgency or condemn Palestinian and Israeli children to continued conflict. As leaders of two religious institutions, we urge our government to renew efforts to reach a two-state agreement as soon as possible.

Although the pathways to God are different at Temple Sinai and the Islamic Center, the destination of our prayers is the same, and we honor not only what we share but also our differences. It is in the respectful interchange of ideas, the understanding of deep but diverging convictions and each other's struggles and dreams that we learn and we grow.

During the conflict, we chose to ensure that our relationship transcends our differences, not by shying away from them or hiding from them, but by honestly discussing them.

Our community cries out for interreligious cooperation and for the pursuit of justice, core values for both our houses of worship.

Faroque Ahmad Khan is a trustee of the Islamic Center of Long Island and Michael White is rabbi at Temple Sinai in Roslyn.