Women form cross-cultural community in Takoma Park

While waiting in the parking lot of her children's school a few months ago, Takoma Park resident Jenny Ash-Maher's friend, Sara Mussie, asked if she wanted to participate in a new Neighbor Circle. Ash-Maher, a massage therapist, didn't hesitate with her answer.

"I said, 'Yes!' immediately," she recalls.

Ethiopian native Mussie, 46, who works for Impact Silver Spring, a local nonprofit that had been organizing Neighbor Circles for several years, was looking to bring together local Jewish, African and Latina women for the first time.

Ash-Maher, 43, and the 11 women who formed the Neighbor Circle -- all living near and around the intersection of Maple and Philadelphia avenues in Takoma Park -- met for six consecutive Monday evenings, ending last week. The African and Latina women originally hailed from Ethiopia, Eritrea, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago.