Religion is one of the oldest aspects of humanity. There are many religions and they offer support to those who seek it, but it’s also undeniable that those same religions have caused conflicts, many of which were recorded in history. Therefore, every time we see any form of tranquility fall on this topic, it’s naturally heartwarming.

And this time, we have something truly extraordinary! A photograph is going viral of two men, representing different faiths, seemingly praying together and—lo and behold—nothing untoward happened. The picture spread like wildfire, enticing the internet to offer their congratulations to the two men; one Facebook post featuring the photo even garnered 3K likes and more than 700 comments.

Two men of different faiths take time to jointly observe their religious customs

Image credits: CNN

Avraham Mintz and Zoher Abu Jama are two men who work for Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency response service. Mintz is a Jew and Abu Jama is a Muslim, and during their break between calls, they managed to stop for a moment and pray. Each observed their own customs: Mintz faced Jerusalem, wearing a black-and-white prayer shawl, and Abu Jama knelt on a prayer rug facing Mecca. They pray for 15 minutes, and then it’s back to work.

It wasn’t the first time this happened, so neither of the men were fazed. According to CNN, they work together several times per week, and each one observes their own traditions without interfering with one another. The picture was taken by their co-worker, and during the pandemic crisis, it sparked hope.

Avraham Mintz doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary in their routine as they both need to pray, especially in these times

Image credits: CNN

Mintz is a 42-year-old father of nine and lives in Be’er Sheva. He’s a full-time employee of MDA and he trains volunteers. He was very direct about the mutual understanding the co-workers share and said, “The fact that it is so simple makes it so powerful. I believe that Zoher and I and most of the world understand that we have to raise our heads and pray. That’s all that’s left.”

Abu Jama is 39 years of age; he lives in Bedouin city of Rahat and is a father of seven. He was one of the volunteers that Mintz trained. According to him, “In terms of belief and personality, we believe in the same things and we have something in common.”

During the pandemic, MDA teams work 10 times harder than before, so the men take time for prayer when they can

Image credits: Martin Jones

MDA is working hard to battle the pandemic in the country. Back in spring, when the whole thing was gaining speed, MDA teams would handle 100,000 calls on peak days, 10 times the normal rate. Mintz said, “Everyone is afraid of the virus. So are we, but we have the belief that everything is under the control of God, blessed be He. We both believe this.”

MDA teams are working with safety precautions in place, but they also do all in their power to help deal with the pandemic. MDA workers do the normal work of paramedics and EMTs, but they also transfer coronavirus patients to hospitals and quarantine locations, as well as carrying out coronavirus tests and collecting blood donations. Abu Jama said, “I believe that God will help us and we will get through this. We should all pray to God to get us through this, and we will get through this world crisis.”

The photo of the dual prayer earned heartwarming reactions from people online

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