PLAINFIELD – A local Muslim and Jewish sisterhood have come together to serve a meal at the Muslim community soup kitchen in Plainfield, New Jersey.

“These are my sisters now,” Mallary Saltzman of Westfield told Tap Into Westfield.

Saltzman is a member of the Union County chapter of the Sisterhood of the Salaam Shalom.

The Sisterhood of the Salaam Shalom grows “relationships between Muslim and Jewish women to build bridges and fight hate, negative stereotyping and prejudice.”

Members meet monthly to learn about the teachings of the Qur’an and the Torah.

Thanks to these regular meetings, the members of the group have discovered many similarities between the two faiths.

Saltzman said the Arabic Sadaqah and the Hebrew Tzedakah, or act of giving back to the community, is important to both religions.

The non-profit Muslim community soup kitchen was incorporated in 1997.

The mission is “to help feed humanities poor and hungry; collect and donate seasonal clothing; collect canned and non-perishable foods for distribution; and to work closely with other benevolent organizations doing the same.”