Programs We Support

Thanks to the generosity of The Ahmad and Elizabeth El-Hindi Foundation, several organizations have been able to implement and sustain programs that promote cross-cultural collaboration. Read about these efforts below. 

“Affirm Dignity.”  

This statement is core to the mission of InterFaith Works, which focuses on building inter-racial and inter-religious understanding through service, dialogue, and educational programming. Since its founding in 1976, InterFaith Works has added several human service programs that address the needs of those most vulnerable due to poverty, refugee resettlement, incarceration, or being elderly. At the core of this work is the focus on creating and sustaining dialogue circles that tackle pressing issues and promote religious and racial diversity in our community. An integral part of InterFaith Works, the El-Hindi Center for Dialogue now serves as a regional hub for inter-group dialogue that leads to collective community action. 

Located at 3100 S Salina Street in Syracuse, NY, the Rahma Clinic provides high-quality healthcare to under-served members in Central New York regardless of ability to pay, gender, and ethnic, religious, racial, or cultural background. Providing both primary and specialty care, the Rahma Clinic provides an essential service for those who, due to economic hardship or other factors, face barriers to traditional means of healthcare. 

Founded in 2009, the North Side Learning Center (NSLC) provides valuable literacy and other educational services to newcomers to this country who have settled in the Central New York area. The core of the mission of the NSLC is empowering individuals as they overcome language and cultural barriers to become self-sufficient and self-actualized members of their new community. Literacy support for adults and educational support for children are provided through numerous volunteers from both the local colleges and the general community. The core values of the North Side Learning Center include Neighborly Love and Respect (N), Solidarity (S), Loyalty (L), and Compassion (C). 

Named after Ibrahim Shihata, a former World Bank General Counsel and a revered member of the international legal community, the Washington Foreign Law Society has established an annual writing prize to recognize outstanding student scholarship in Islamic jurisprudence and legal developments in the Muslim World. 

The Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS) is grassroots, interfaith network of organizations that advocates for social justice and works to create a fair and just community that improves everyone’s quality of life. Affiliated with the Gamaliel Foundation, ACTS works to empower individuals, through training and education, to take an active role in the political, economic, environmental, and social spheres and to participate in decisions that affect us all. 

Named after Mr. El-Hindi’s father, this book series is published by Syracuse University Press. There are several titles in this series, including Does the Land Remember Me: A Memoir of Palestine by Aziz Shihab, The Arabic Noel: An Historical and Critical Introduction by Roger Allen, and Crossing Borders: An American Woman in the Middle East by Judith Caesar. 

Mr. Ahmad El-Hindi’s parents, Maryam and Mohammad, provided the inspiration for the Mohammad El-Hindi Book Series on Arab Culture and Islamic Civilization.