A candlelight vigil was held for a Muslim-Jewish dialogue project fellow who died in the Panama sea.
The body of Joey Lutz, 25, was recovered July 20 by a fisherman off the northeast coast of Panama three days after he went missing in the Boca del Toro region. Lutz was knocked over by a wave and washed out to sea.
A teacher at Santa Monica High School in California, since January Lutz had served as a fellow in NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change. The project is a joint endeavor of the Progressive Jewish Alliance and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
NewGround fellows held a vigil Monday with more than 75 of Lutz’s family members, friends and students.
“Joey was an extraordinary individual, a deeply thoughtful, caring and curious soul,” said Malka Fenyvesi, a co-director of the NewGround program.
