TORONTO – Muslim and Jewish women in Wychwood, Toronto, joined hands Wednesday to give back to the community and help those in need to celebrate the holiday season.

“I was approached and asked if Wychwood would like to be a recipient of support this year and jumped at it,” explained Bluma Teram, a community engagement coordinator at Wychwood Open Door, City News reported Wednesday.

“We’re not here just for Muslims and Jews. All faiths share so much in common.”

Teram is a member of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom (SOSS), a group of more than 100 Muslim and Jewish women formed earlier this year.

On Wednesday morning, about a dozen women donated winter clothes and toiletries during a holiday lunch at the neighborhood drop-in center, Wychwood Open Door.

“We share the idea of sadaqa [charity] or tzedakah,” said SOSS co-leader Cynthia Levine-Rasky.

“It’s similar in Arabic and Hebrew. It means something like charity. It means giving and compassion.”

The Sisterhood has several chapters across the U.S., but the GTA chapter is a first for Canada.

Members of both groups confirmed that their initiatives were gaining significance, in the face of rising Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the west.

This week, anti-Semitic hate mail was sent to at least 12 synagogues across the country.

“It’s very sad and very scary for us,” says Tabinda Jotoi, a Muslim woman and member of the group.

“We are here to help our Jewish sisters to share the message of love and acceptance. From this platform we’re spreading the message we’re together — We’re united.”