Four families, four faiths

(Carole Mikita)


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SALT LAKE CITY — There are hundreds of thousands who profess their various faiths in cathedrals, synagogues, mosques and temples and feel comfortable and happy living in Utah. In the attached video, we visit with members of Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu families and learn what they believe, how they worship and how they feel about living in Utah which has a predominant faith.

First, meet Peter and Amy Corroon and their three children who faithfully attend the Catholic Church. They live just six blocks from the Madeleine Choir School, where she is the office manager. He is now the chairman of the Utah Democratic Party.

Then meet Rabbi Beny and Rebbetzin Sharonne Zippel. He was born and raised in Italy, she in Canada. When they heard they would be coming to Utah to help lead the Jewish community here, Rabbi Zippel said, “I remember when we first heard the word Utah. My initial reaction was where is Utah? What continent is it in?”

The Zippels have six children, home-schooled through the 8th grade, then studied at Jewish schools out of state. The Zippels' oldest son, Avremi and his wife, Sheina, recently moved to Utah from New York City when he completed his rabbinical training. We watched them prepare for their first Sabbath dinner here. This is part of their shared vision for life in Salt Lake City.

The Ibrahim family is Muslim. They have lived in West Jordan for decades and say they have always felt welcome. Mohamed and Sumbal were born and raised in Pakistan. He came to study at the University of Utah and sells soccer supplies throughout the country. To Muslims, he says, “families are most important.”

Neale and Indra Neelameggham are pioneers of their faith in Utah. He came in 1968 to study for his Ph.D. in extraction metallurgy at the University of Utah. For decades, he worked for a magnesium company and is now a private consultant. Indra was a journalist in India. Now she works for H & R Block. Theirs is a very traditional background, grandparents and parents passed their knowledge of their Hindu beliefs onto them.

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