Simran Jeet Singh has spoken several times in recent years for the Interfaith Lecture Series. Joshua Seftel last year led a Meet the Filmmaker event at Chautauqua Cinema for his Oscar-nominated documentary short “Stranger at the Gate.”
Now the Sikh educator, writer and activist and the Jewish filmmaker are joining forces for a conversation at 2 p.m. today in the Hall of Philosophy as part of the Week Six Interfaith Lecture Series theme of “The Arts: Expressions from the Soul.”
Seftel is known for his work directing the Emmy-winning original “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and the feature film “War, Inc.,” starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei and Ben Kingsley.
He’s also known for — and perhaps his mother is even better-known for — his regular appearances on “CBS Sunday Morning,” where Seftel interviews his 87-year-old mom Pat. The two talk about everything from climate change to Miley Cyrus, and Seftel shared some of his favorite segments, compiled into a film called “Working Title: My Mom,” with Chautauquans Tuesday evening in the Hall of Christ.
“Stranger at the Gate” was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film in the 2023 Academy Awards, and earned wins in its category at the Tribeca Festival and Indy Shorts International Film Festival, among others. With Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai as executive producer, the documentary short tells the true story of Mac McKinney, a Marine veteran wrestling with PTSD and Isamophobia, who plans to bomb a local Muslim community center. He’s instead welcomed into the community of Afghan refugees, which changes everything.
“In a moment when division is at a fever pitch and hate crimes are happening, to find a story that … has a beautiful message and a beautiful outcome is just something that I personally needed … and wanted to share it with others,” Seftel told Amna Nawaz for PBS NewsHour in March 2023. “… I found it to be a very hopeful message.”
Seftel’s focused his work on stories about overcoming hatred for much of the past decade. As a child in Upstate New York, he experienced antisemitism first-hand — kids called him names, and someone threw a rock through the front window of his home.
“Those memories, they stuck with me,” he told Nawaz. After 9/11, he saw his Muslim friends facing a similar kind of hate.
“I thought, as a filmmaker, maybe I can do something in some small way to help,” Seftel said. “Since then, for the last eight years, really, I have been making films with my team about American Muslim stories in order to shatter the negative stereotypes that we see of Muslims.”
With filmmaking as his art to express his soul, Seftel will be joined in the Hall of Philosophy by returning ILS speaker Singh, who is assistant professor of history at Union Theological Seminary, and senior adviser for the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program, and the author of The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life.
In a joint column last summer for Religion News Service, Seftel and Singh wrote that telling more stories of welcoming the stranger can do much to quell racism. As a turban-wearing Sikh American, Singh, too, grew up experiencing racism.
“Our shared experience leads us to know what it’s like to be singled out based on what others think they know,” Seftel and Singh wrote. “Many factors contribute to these societal stereotypes, and the media we consume often plays an outsized role in shaping our biases.”
Stories about religion — whether reported or fictionalized — can open dialogue, or become “a clumsy vehicle for hate,” they said.
“Storytelling that relies on old, simplistic tropes is a danger to communities across the country, and ultimately, to our democracy’s health,” they wrote. “Centuries of antisemitic depictions and ignorant characterizations of Muslims have resulted in violence against both communities. On the other hand, storytelling that reveals our shared humanity and reflects the reality of our multireligious, multicultural society can be a doorway, welcoming others into fuller relationships and real mutual understanding.”
Seftel and Singh urged their readers to stop and think about the stories they’re reading and watching, and if they’re authentic and contribute to a greater sense of pluralism and understanding.
“The stories we tell will impact that future,” the two wrote. “We both ask that the next time you’re scrolling through Netflix or channel surfing, you stop to consider whether the stories about religion you’ve seen recently are doorways or weapons — and keep supporting work that welcomes the stranger.”