Morningside College will present “Jewish and Muslim Life in America: A Conversation” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, in the UPS Auditorium in Lincoln Center on the Morningside campus.

Morningside College will present “Jewish and Muslim Life in America: A Conversation” at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 23, in the UPS Auditorium in Lincoln Center, 3627 Peters Ave., on the Morningside campus.

The event is free and open to the public. From 6:30 to 7 p.m., ethnic desserts from both the Jewish and Muslim traditions will be available.

Panelists will be Marilyn Cohen, a former educator and director of the Jewish Federation of Sioux City; Frank Baron, a member of the United Orthodox Synagogue of Sioux City and a frequent speaker on Judaism throughout Northwest Iowa; Eena Colwell, a former substitute teacher in the Sioux City Community Schools and a resource for fostering understanding of Islam within the Sioux City community; and Radwan Kouatli, a local imam who has delivered many lectures and sermons.

The moderator will be Bruce Forbes, professor and chair of the religious studies department at Morningside College.

The goal of the event is to provide students and community members with the opportunity to learn more about the religious and cultural traditions of Judaism and Islam and the challenges facing Jewish and Muslim residents of Sioux City. The panelists will give brief presentations about their experiences in the United States before taking questions from the audience.

The event is sponsored by the departments of English and modern languages, religious studies, biology and chemistry, history, and nursing at Morningside College.