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Dear Melinda, Thank you for this heart warming message that conveys a lot of hope a peace. This reminded me of the title of the latest published book of Dr. Davis, which is the first verse of a poem by great Persian poet, Hafez: “ Plant friendship’s</div>
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<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div style="direction: ltr;">Dear Melinda, </div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;">Thank you for this heart warming message that conveys a lot of hope a peace. </div><div style="direction: ltr;">This reminded me of the title of the latest published book of Dr. Davis, which is the first verse of a poem by great Persian poet, Hafez:</div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><b>“ Plant friendship’s tree</b> that will bring forth the fruit of the heart's desire. Uproot the seedling of enmity that will bring untold suffering.”</div><div style="direction: ltr;"><img alt="image0.jpeg" src="cid:mf_FD303AA9-98C8-4FB2-880A-0FADF179A8BF/L0/001"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;">Thank you again,</div><div style="direction: ltr;">Ebrahim</div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div style="direction: ltr;"><br></div><div dir="ltr"><br>On Apr 6, 2026, at 9:17 AM, McClimans, Melinda via Middleeaststudiesforum <middleeaststudiesforum@lists.osu.edu> wrote:<br><br></div><div dir="ltr">
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<span style="text-transform: none;">MES Forum friends, I remember when I first noticed Passover and Easter could coincide. My Jewish friend informed me that, in fact, they often overlapped. He was one of the many Israelis who frequented Thailand, where I was
living at the time. One of the many multi-cultural experiences I have been blessed with in my life. </span></div>
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<span style="text-transform: none;">So I was reminded of that long ago moment when I overheard a conversation three young women were having last Wednesday, the first day of Passover this year. When one of them texted her Dad to ask whether she should order
a bagel or not because Passover was starting her friend made a comment that revealed she was confused about which holiday she was referring to. She immediately got a lesson about what Passover is and the fact that the Jewish holiday often happens along with
Easter. </span></div>
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<div style="direction: ltr; font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Celebration of the Persian New Year, Nowruz, also, takes place over the course of a couple weeks, and sometimes overlaps with Passover. A fact I learned this year from
my </span>Iranian friends. Coincidentally, Eid al-Fitr also occurred near the Spring Equinox this year, a rarer synchronization. Four holidays, four traditions, one season this year. </div>
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<div style="direction: ltr; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 16px;">How ever you celebrate this time of year, I hope you have been enjoying time with friends and family! Breath in the wonderful perfumes and the sights of Spring blooms as you go about
your business this week. :-)</div>
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With gratitude<span style="text-transform: none;">,</span></div>
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<span style="text-transform: none;">Melinda</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "Buckeye Sans 2"; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(186, 12, 47); background-color: white;"><b>Melinda McClimans, PhD</b></span><span style="font-family: "Buckeye Sans 2"; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(63, 68, 67);"><br>
Assistant Director<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Buckeye Sans 2"; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(33, 33, 33);">Affiliated Researcher, Sustainability Institute</span><span style="font-family: "Buckeye Sans 2"; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(63, 68, 67);"><br>
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