Abraham’s Bridge, produced and directed by Ellie Pierce
OMAHA, NE – May 28, 2025 –Tri-Faith Initiative will host a red-carpet premiere of the award-winning short film, Abraham’s Bridge, produced by Ellie Pierce, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. The film chronicles the remarkable Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska – an ambitious project to build a mosque, synagogue, church, and interfaith center side-by-side, connected by a circular wooden bridge. The film provides a concise yet powerful exploration of interfaith dialogue and community building in America’s heartland.
Abraham’s Bridge follows members of three religious communities (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim) as they seek to preserve their individual customs and beliefs while intentionally building relationships across differences based in shared values and community care. It follows the evolution of the Tri-Faith Initiative from its conceptual beginnings in 2005 to its physical manifestation as the only interfaith project of its kind in design, scale, and scope.
Abraham’s Bridge interviews key leaders past and present from the three Abrahamic faiths who have driven Tri-Faith Initiative forward:
Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, formerly the senior rabbi at Temple Israel in Omaha. The film showcases his early vision, shaped by the recognition that “those wars created a lot of graveyards in the Middle East,” stating “the issue of the relationship with the Muslim community was extremely important for me.”
Rabbi Ben Sharff contributes his insights on the importance of interfaith dialogue in fostering community and shared responsibility. As one of the new clergy replacing the founding generation of leaders, he see this as a “a golden opportunity to reimagine” the Tri-Faith Initiative.
Karim Khayati, representing the American Muslim Institute, helped shape the vision that the initiative “needed to be present on the physical ground.”
Rev. Dr. Jenny Shultz-Thomas, Senior Minister at Countryside Community Church, brings her background in interfaith projects and social justice to her work on the Tri-Faith Board of Directors. As the pastor of Countryside, she describes what she and her fellow Christians have been doing: “showing up as committed faithful listener, best partner in the journey as not observer, but the abiding friend who walks beside you.” She seeks a “deeper understanding of what these relationships mean.”
In addition to these leaders, interviews with other members from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities provide diverse perspectives on transformation through interfaith engagement.
Film Premiere Details
The documentary film premiere of Abraham’s Bridge occurs on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Countryside Community Church.
5:30 to 6:00 p.m.: Check-in at Countryside main entrance, red-carpet photos, light food and drinks in the east garden
6:15 to 7:30 p.m.: Film premiere in main chapel hall with panel discussion to follow 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.: VIP reception with Ellie Pierce
Ticket Information
General Admission: $40/person
Includes admission to red carpet, pre-premiere happy hour, film premiere, and panel discussion
VIP Ticket: $75/person
Includes admission to red carpet, pre-premiere happy hour, film premiere, and panel discussion PLUS VIP reception with Producer and Director Ellie Pierce
The producer/director of Abraham’s Bridge is Elinor (Ellie) J. Pierce, research director for the Pluralism Project at Harvard University. The Pluralism Project has been a leading force in documenting and interpreting America’s new religious diversity since 1991. Ellie co-produced and co-directed the documentary film Fremont, U.S.A., together with Rachel Antell, and served as content advisor for Acting on Faith: Women’s New Religious Activism in America. Ellie is the author of the case collection Pluralism in Practice (Orbis 2023) and the co-editor of two volumes, With the Best of Intentions and Pilgrimage, Place, and Pluralism.
Ellie Pierce will be available for in-person interviews on June 10 and virtual interviews prior to that date.
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