By Karen Vance
The Cincinnati Enquirer

For the last several days, more than 2 million Muslims have been undertaking a spiritual journey, the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca.

The journey, which concludes Tuesday with the celebration of Eid ul-Adha, or the feast of the sacrifice, is one of the five pillars of Islam. The others are belief in Allah, daily prayers, fasting during the month of Ramadan and giving to charity. But for those who have completed it, like Yahya Abdullah, the assistant imam of the Malik Islamic Center, 1434 Elm St., it's a visit to the house of Allah.

As another hajj passes, Abdullah remembers with awe his own journey in 1995.

"It was a memorable moment when I stepped off the plane into the desert," he said. "I said to myself, this where the Almighty God chose to put his house. I was just overcome. It's a spiritual experience. You've really accomplished something great in your life."

Perhaps one of the most inspiring parts of the ritual is the unity within the Islamic community it demonstrates, Abdullah said. Muslims from more than 70 countries make the journey every year, and all observe the same rituals despite their race or ethnic background.

"Every aspect of culture, every known species of humanity from all over the world is there. And they're all there for the same reason - to worship God," Abdullah said. "When we arrived at the Kaaba, I thought there's no way we'll fit into the shrine. But this mass of humanity just opened up and let us in. I never experienced that before or will again."

Synagogue celebrates

Ohav Shalom, 8100 Cornell Road, Sycamore Township, will celebrate 120 years in the Cincinnati area tonight with a dinner and presentation. The congregation will honor members who have been involved with the conservative synagogue for 40 or more years, many of them first-generation Americans or immigrants.

"They're so vibrant and so committed to our congregation," said Ann Neuer, one of the volunteer organizers of the event. "There's no question the synagogue wouldn't have survived without their dedication."

The congregation, founded downtown, has since moved to Avondale, then Roselawn and now is in Sycamore Township. The celebration dinner will include a 10-minute video of scenes from the synagogue's past and a 30-minute performance by Israeli singer Bat Ella.

Organ concert Sunday

Dan Miller, a pianist and organist who has performed with symphonies around the world, will perform an organ concert at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Seventh Presbyterian Church, 1721 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills. The concert is one of several to celebrate the church's new Rodgers Trillium organ.

Revival this week

Rev. Dr. Charles Adams will speak at the Winter Revival of the Mount Zion Baptist Church, 10180 Woodlawn Blvd., Woodlawn, nightly Tuesday through Thursday at 7 p.m.

Adams, known as the "Harvard Hooper" of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit, was honored by Ebony magazine as one of the 15 greatest preachers.

Information: 772-6230.