NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change
Presents Inaugural
72 Virgins Mocktail Party
At Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center
Monday, May 25, 2015

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 15, 2015 – NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Fellowship for Change presents the inaugural event 72 Virgins Mocktail Party on Monday, May 25, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00pm. The event follows a successful four-week 72 Virgins workshop series teaching attendees how to make virgin cocktails. 72 Virgins celebrates the worldwide tradition of ‘socializing over a drink’ with a twist. The program goal is to create and foster a safe space for micro-community leaders of varied faiths and backgrounds. The workshops are setup to supply the tools these leaders need to create their own events encouraging cross-cultural conversations while celebrating religious differences. The event will take place at the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) located at 1110 Bates Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90029 (http://sijcc.net). Tickets costs $20 in advance ($25 day-of). Pre-sale tickets are available through the secure website of 72 Virgins’ fiscal Sponsor, Bootleg Theater, here. For more information about 72 Virgins, please visit http://72bebidas.com. For more information on NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Fellowship for Change, please visit http://muslimjewishnewground.org.

Tamarind Shrub Sour with Egg White Foam
Photo courtesy 72 Virgins.

Attendees can expect
• Sampling delicious and unique hand-crafted mocktails created by the 72 Virgins team.
• Healthful snacks to compliment and refresh the palate between drinks.
• Experience a mixology demonstration highlighting the fascinating molecular gastronomy behind handcrafted mocktails.
• Socializing in a refreshing and open environment discussing the flavors and senses the 72 Virgins recipes evoke.
Parking is available in the SIJCC lot behind the building (enter from Effie). Enter the main entrance off of Bates. This event will be held in a sheltered, outdoor area. Please dress appropriately.

About 72 Virgins –
72 Virgins is a project of NewGround Fellows Howard Seth Cohen, a Jewish man, and Saba Mirza, a Muslim woman.

“We teach the skills and knowledge to create non alcoholic craft cocktails,” states 72 Virgin Creator Howard Seth Cohen. “We impart simple yet effective techniques honed by chefs and bartenders. The choice to abstain from alcohol does not restrict one’s enjoyment of delicious, hand crafted drinks in a social atmosphere.

“As a Muslim who doesn’t drink, it’s always been really frustrating for me to go to different places and look at all these cool drink menus with all these crazy funky names, and the only thing I can order is a virgin mojito or a Shirley Temple,” Supervising Producer Saba Mirza states.

Why 72? –
“For too long, ’72 virgins’ has been a phrase that has yielded a lot of power. We’re reclaiming that power by unpacking stereotypes and learning different techniques on how to make mocktail drinks that we can all enjoy.” Says Aziza Hasan, Executive Director, NewGround A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change.

The event producers declare, “We are reclaiming the term 72 Virgins. Our fresh ingredients, bar tools, and mocktails are our 72 Virgins. We are proponents of gender equality, interfaith inclusionary practices, experiential activities, AND delicious beverages.”

72 Virgins Partners and NewGround Fellows Howard Seth Cohen and Saba Mirza.
Video courtesy 72 Virgins.

Howard Seth Cohen, Creator –
Howard “Howie” Seth Cohen was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He moved to Chicago, Illinois to work as an actor and completed a BA at Columbia College, Chicago. Cohen moved to Los Angeles in the late nineties and continues to pursue performance opportunities, creates objet d’art from paper and cardboard, and loves to sketch with watercolor crayons. You can eavesdrop on Howie 144 characters at a time on Twitter @HSCactor.

Saba Mirza, Supervising Producer –
Saba Mirza was born in India, naturalized as a Pakistani, and raised in the United Arab Emirates. She continued moving East until unpacking in Southern California where she earned a BA in Economics at UC Riverside. Mirza currently works as the Special Projects Coordinator of a Los Angeles food distributor and an independent management consultant. You can follow Mirza’s adventures in food through her social media hashtag #sabaeats.

NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change, Grantor –
NewGround envisions an America where Muslims and Jews are empowered to create lasting partnerships, engage in authentic communication and mutual cooperation. This vibrant model of engagement – not bound by history, theology or politics – affirms that conflict is inevitable and yet not intractable. NewGround is a community-building organization that creates, connects and empowers Jewish and Muslim change-makers in America. Through a professional fellowship, high school leadership council, and public programming, NewGround transforms Muslim-Jewish relations and advances a shared agenda for change. Find out more about NewGround at http://mjnewground.org.

Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center, Location –
The mission of the Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center (SIJCC) is to be a home for culture, ideas and belonging on the east side of Los Angeles. The SIJCC provides a family education center and community gathering space based in Jewish values and tradition. The SIJCC celebrates an expression of Judaism that welcomes people of all backgrounds. Find out more about Silverlake Independent JCC on its website https://www.sijcc.net.

Mirza and Cohen agree, “We encourage the age-old practice of conversation over a beverage to build bridges between people. Individuals find common ground through shared experiences. The power of these relationships ripples outward to affect change in our greater communities.”

Links –
• 72Virgins Offical Site – http://72bebidas.com
• 72Virgins Facebook Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/811187202301011
• 72Virgins on Twitter – https://twitter.com/72bebidas
• 72Virgins on Instagram – https://instagram.com/72bebidas
• 72Virgins on Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/72bebidas
• 72Virgins Tumblr – https://www.tumblr.com/blog/72bebidas

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For more information, photos, to schedule an interview, or request complimentary tickets, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

72 Virgins Espresso Flip. Photo courtesy 72 Virgins.