Welcoming Paths to Understanding: Building Bridges Through Interfaith Partnership

The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) is pleased to welcome Paths to Understanding as a new member, bringing over six decades of experience in fostering interfaith collaboration and community connection. Originating from the groundbreaking efforts of Rabbi Raphael Levine, Father William Treacy, and Pastor Oscar Rollander in the 1960s, the organization has grown into a trusted leader in bridging divides through dialogue, service, and shared experiences. With programs like Let’s Go Together, youth engagement, and the Challenge 2.0 television series, Paths to Understanding empowers communities—especially in smaller towns and exurban areas—to build trust across differences. Their membership strengthens NCDD’s mission to deepen democracy through equity, inclusion, and collaboration. Read more in the blog post below.

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​The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is pleased to welcome Paths to Understanding as a new member of our network. Based in Lynnwood, Washington, this interfaith nonprofit brings more than six decades of experience in fostering meaningful connections across religious, cultural, and social divides—work that resonates deeply with NCDD's commitment to strengthening democratic practice through inclusive dialogue and community engagement.

​A Legacy of Courage and Connection

Paths to Understanding traces its origins to 1960, when Rabbi Raphael Levine recognized troubling parallels between the antisemitism he faced and the anti-Catholic sentiment surrounding John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign. Rather than accept division as inevitable, Rabbi Levine partnered with Catholic priest Father William Treacy and Lutheran pastor Oscar Rollander to launch Challenge, a groundbreaking interfaith television program. This bold initiative laid the foundation for Camp Brotherhood, an interfaith retreat center that brought over 250,000 people together before its sale in 2016.
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In 2019, the organization merged with Neighbors in Faith, founded by Executive Director Terry Kyllo in 2015 to counter rising anti-Muslim bigotry. Now operating as Paths to Understanding, the organization continues to evolve while remaining anchored in the founding vision: all peoples of the Earth partnering for the common good.

Practical Strategies for Building Trust

Paths to Understanding operates on a simple but powerful premise—trust grows when communities know each other, serve each other, and honor each other in public. Their Let's Go Together program puts this philosophy into action by bringing people from diverse cultures, faith traditions, and socioeconomic backgrounds into meaningful partnership. The approach is refreshingly straightforward: share meals and stories across cultures, collaborate on service projects, and show up together at public events.
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Working primarily in smaller towns and exurban areas where division often runs deepest, Paths to Understanding provides local leaders with vision, preparation, and practical support to connect their communities. Their youth programming, media initiatives, including the Challenge 2.0 television show, and community-building efforts create multiple entry points for engagement. The organization's staff brings expertise spanning social anthropology, nonprofit management, educational development, and interfaith partnership—all directed toward the shared goal of bridging bias and building unity.

Strengthening the NCDD Network

Paths to Understanding's membership enriches NCDD's community of practitioners working to deepen democracy and civic life. Their emphasis on face-to-face relationship building, their track record of sustained interfaith collaboration, and their focus on reaching communities experiencing the most acute divisions align naturally with NCDD's values of equity, inclusion, and collaborative problem-solving.

As anxiety about culture and economy leads many to withdraw from civic life, Paths to Understanding demonstrates that another path is possible. Their work reminds us that dialogue and deliberation are not abstract concepts but lived practices—enacted in shared meals, joint service projects, and the courage to show up across difference.
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Learn more about how Paths to Understanding is building the beloved community at https://pathstounderstanding.org.