Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
The drive from Chattanooga to the Nashville area is a long haul. I wasn’t looking forward to the more almost 5 hour round trip in the car as I prepared to speak at an Interfaith Conference sponsored by the TN Holocaust Commission. Fortunately, a friend offered to drive and I ended up loving the trip for its incredible beauty. I’ve always felt a spiritual presence in trees and there we were surrounded by plenty of them. It’s always emotionally difficult speaking about my dad, a World War II Liberator, but I could feel his spirit encouraging me. I was reminded that I’d been invited to speak about dad’s legacy for good reason. So by the time we arrived at the conference location in Hermitage, the Emanuel Lutheran Church, I was ready to do my presentation, “Lessons of a Liberator Assigned to Interrogate Nazi POWs”.
Ibrahim Anlı is the Executive Director of Rumi Forum in Washington, DC, where he leads initiatives advancing interfaith dialogue, religious literacy, and civic belonging. A scholar-practitioner with more than two decades of experience, he has built flagship programs, launched research platforms, and convened multi-stakeholder partnerships across North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Greg Jenkins is a dedicated leader, facilitator, trainer, coach, mentor, and small-business owner, committed to helping people and teams achieve higher performance. Greg completed a successful 28+ year US Army career that included overseas duties in Germany, South Korea, and combat duty in Iraq plus several stateside assignments culminating in Washington, D.C.