Drumming for Religiously base Peace
Following the meeting of leading Rabbis and Sheiks that was hosted by
Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron and called for a religiously based peace
process among the people of the Holy Land - a special event, jointly
organized by the Israel Interfaith Association and the Drummers Circle,
was held delivering the same message.
The event took place in the end of Chanukah and the middle of Id El Fiter,
on Thursday, 28 December 2000, on the roofs of the Old City of Jerusalem,
facing the Dome of the Rock; the Jewish, Muslim and Christian Quarters
and
Mt. Of Olives.
The event stated with the words of Rabbi Fruman of Teqoa and Sheikh Abu
Salih of Deir Qaddis who conveyed the message of the morning meeting for
peace based on religion and led by religious leaders focusing on the
spiritual dimension. Then members of the Drummers Circle took half of the
15 drums in the circle and led open drumming and singing of peace songs,
while other participants and other people who passed by - Jews, Muslims
and Christians - joining them. The event was concluded with lighting of
Chanukah candles.
To
Top
Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron hosted a meeting, organized in
cooperation with the Israel Interfaith Association, of most important
Sheiks and Rabbis of Israel, in order to make the voice heard for the
urgent need and the possibility of a religiously based peace process.
The meeting took place during Chanukah and Id El Fitr, on Thursday 28
December 2000, with the participation of some twenty leading Sheiks and
Rabbis of towns around the whole of Israel.
The Rabbis and Sheiks, led by Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
(Sepharadi Chief Rabbi of Israel) and Sheik Adel Zeidan (National
Supervisor of Mosques and Chair of the Muslim Leaders Association), all
stressed the important role of religious leaders to promote mutual
understanding and respect. They all said that the common perception of
religious people as source of violent extremism is wrong and is a disgrace
and determined that there is no way to talk in the name of G-d and at the
same time encourage violence.
The Rabbis and the Sheiks called upon political leaders to leave the
religious sites for joint discussion and care of religious leaders, who
can reach spiritual understandings between them, as the people who are
responsible for the religious sites in front of G-d.
All Sheiks and Rabbis blessed this historical meeting and agreed to
establish a permanent forum for actual discussions.
To
Top
"NOW IS THE TIME FOR JEWS, CHRISTIANS
AND MUSLIMS TO TALK!"
Following the events of the last weeks, members and friends of the Israel
Interfaith Association gathered together, in cooperation with the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation, for a weekend seminar in Migdal Hotel in Haifa, on
Friday and Saturday 24-25 November 2000. In spite of the situation, some
130 people came to participate in the seminar - people of all religions,
veteran activists as well as first-timers - all concerned for the future
of co-existence and dialogue in the Holy Land. They each wanted to learn
about the points of view of the others, in an open conversation and
through sincere exchange of opinions, and to find ways to act together
for
bettering the situation. Jews, Muslims and Christians talked about the
suffering caused by the events and called first and foremost to put an
end
to the violence and to the recognition of the sanctity of human life as
supreme value, beyond any other interest. They also called for the
deepening of the mutual encounter, listening, understanding and respect.
The keynote speakers at the seminar were:
* Rabbi Yizthak Bardea, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan
* Bishop Paulus Marcuzzo, Bishop of Nazareth
* Sheik Muhammad Dhamshe, Imam of Sachnin and vice chairman
of the Islamic Movement in Israel
They all stressed the perception, common to the three religions, that all
humans are created in the image of G-d and the shared desire for human
brotherhood and peace. The Bishop pointed out the positive impact of the
millenium events - especially the Papal visit to the Holy Land - which
contributed a lot to the development of contacts, understanding and
fellowship between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The Rabbi and the Sheik,
both clearly emphasized the possibilities of reading the scriptures in
ways that will enhance the desire to live together and reject
hatred. Things in similar
spirit were presented also by Sheik Uda Muhamad
Sharif, Imam of Ahmadiya Mosque in Haifa; and Dr. Albert Lincoln, General
Secretary of the International Bahai' institutions.
Special interest
attracted the guest lecture of Prof. Ali Qleibo of Al Quds University on
"The Muslim Concept of the sacred in the Context of Judeo-Christian
Tradition".
Speakers and participants called upon religious leaders to take an intense
and consistent action for the promotion of dialogue and co-existence, in
the widest possible circles of the general public.
They called upon those negotiating for peace to establish a special
framework of religious leaders to promote the religious aspect of the
promotion of peace and co-existence.
The participants called upon members of all religions and nations to chose
the way of dialogue and mutual understanding as the one and only way and
to totally reject the violent way which brings bloodshed. They called upon
the Israel Interfaith Association and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation to
actively promote these efforts, and expressed the will to participate and
act in their favor.
The representatives of the Israel Interfaith Association and the Konrad
Adenauer Foundation promised to discuss in a practical manner all the
issues and ideas raised and to work together for their promotion.
Commentary published in the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California
December 1, 2000
Haifa interfaith event-goers give unexpected ray of hope
by Rabbi Doug Kahn
I do not usually spend much time speaking about interfaith work
because it does not seem to be a topic of great interest to the Jewish
community except when there is a major interreligious crisis. But this
past Shabbat I participated in an interfaith conference that was truly
out of the ordinary.
I was flying to Israel several days in advance of the Jewish Community
Federation's mission. Just prior to leaving San Francisco I came across
an announcement for a conference to be held in Haifa on the Shabbat
before the mission arrived. The conference was titled "Now is the Time
for Jews, Christians and Muslims to Talk," co-sponsored by the Israel
Interfaith Association and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation. IAI is
affiliated with the United Religions Initiative, a global interfaith
organization started by Bishop William Swing here in San Francisco.
The organizers were uncertain about whether, given the current crisis,
the conference was really going to come together. So, when I arrived at
Ben-Gurion Airport, I called and was assured it would indeed happen. When
I arrived at the hotel, three or four people were hanging around the
lobby and I was convinced that the conference was going to be a bust.
I could not have been more wrong.
Suddenly, 100 people emerged, packing the opening session. Jews,
Christians and Muslims from Israel had come together to try to truly
understand each other and identify common values.
Within a couple of hours, the first extraordinary moment occurred: It
was time for Kabbalat Shabbat.
All participants attended. The leader explained the flow and meaning,
and then led the traditional service. As soon as he was finished, the
table was moved and the Muslim worshippers began their evening prayers,
again with a complete explanation. At a time when it appears that
communication has broken down in the Middle East at an astonishing rate,
this moment of interfaith communication was one to treasure. But there
was much more.
The group included the usual conglomeration of academics and
activists, professionals and students -- grassroots types who vow to
change the world by building greater interfaith harmony. One would hardly
expect major religious officials at such a gathering. However, conference
participants included Rabbi Yitschak Bardea, chief rabbi of Ramat Gan;
Sheik Uda Muhammad, imam of Ahmadiya Mosque in Haifa; Bishop Paulus
Marcuzo, Latin bishop of Nazareth; Sheik Muhamad Dhamshe, imam of Sachnin
and vice chairman of the Islamic Movement in Israel; and Professor Ali
Qleibo, an expert on Muslim concepts of the sacred at El Quds University.
In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined this group getting
together under any circumstances, particularly during the current
violence.
To be sure, the speakers steered away from politics, recognizing that
politics would interfere with the goal of greater understanding between
the different religious groups. They were hardly of one mind, yet each
argued that a correct understanding o f their respective religious
tradition encouraged dialogue and mutual respect. The chief rabbi cited
examples of positive dialogue (during the Creation story when God states
that "We will create man"), negative dialogue (Eve and the snake) and no
dialogue whatsoever.
Pressed to deal with real examples of intolerance, one questioner
asked the chief rabbi about comments made by former Chief Rabbi Ovadia
Yosef regarding Arabs and asked the imam about inflammatory statements
made in the mosques in Gaza and elsewhere. Both Jewish and Muslim
leaders refused to back down from their positions supporting tolerance
and dialogue, even while explaining away particular examples.
The fact that the chief rabbi of Ramat Gan gave his entire Shabbat to
the conference amazed me. I could not help wondering whether interfaith
dialogue was easier for him to engage in over intrafaith dialogue. At one
point, Jewish law got him off the hook. Pressed to sign a joint public
declaration with the bishop of Nazareth emphasizing his call for
broadening the dialogue far beyond the confines of the conference, the
chief rabbi explained gently that he was not permitted to write on
Shabbat.
A few observations. It seems that at an Israeli conference with an
official translator, there are at least 50 unofficial translators often
arguing about whether the official translator got it just right.
Secondly, while all the Israeli Jews spoke English as far as I know, none
of the Israeli Arab Muslims spoke English. They all spoke in Hebrew.
Thirdly, this conference may not have bridged all the gaps between
Judaism, Islam and Christianity, but the organizers deserve tremendous
credit for moving the effort along -- particularly under nearly
impossible circumstances.
Finally, a conference such as this one gave me the reassurance and
faith that amid all of the disappointment and despair over the renewed
violence, there is also a glimmer of hope -- when people of good will and
different faiths come together out of mutual respect.
So the side journey to Haifa was filled with surprises. The biggest of
all came for me one evening when an eloquent woman described her
community under nightly attack and the fear under which her children now
live. She has not slept for two months, s he explained, because of the
noise and the gunfire. And while she tries to remain strong for her
children, when she embraces them, she knows they feel her trembling
because she, too, is afraid. She yearns for peace, she said, for an end
to the bloodshed.
I was confident as she spoke, as many people in the room were, that
she was from Gilo -- a Jerusalem neighborhood that has endured endless
shelling by Palestinian gunmen. But yet again I was surprised: She was
a
Palestinian Orthodox Christian from the adjacent neighborhood of Beit
Jala.
Even while I wondered why Beit Jala's residents did not demand that
Palestinian gunmen firing at Gilo leave their community, I knew at that
moment that the conference was special. It really had opened both hearts
and eyes, reminding all who attended of our common humanity.
The author is executive director of the Jewish Community Relations
Council in San Francisco.
To
Top
"THE SITUATION AND US"
Some 70 people - Jews, Christians and Muslims - came to this special
evening convened by the Israel Interfaith Association (IIA), on Tuesday
7
November, in order to give the opportunity to its members, friends and
colleagues to express their personal reactions to the events of the last
weeks and to process them.
The meeting was facilitated by two professional facilitators, one Jewish
and one Muslim, who are both psychologists - Ms. Eva Morris and Dr. Shafik
Masalha.
The evening was opened with some moments of silence for the remembrance
of
all those who suffered and are still suffering from violence. The silence
was broken with introductions by the two facilitators. Shafik started with
describing the dominant feeling of confusion, for first time in his life
as an Arab, a Palestinian and an Israeli citizen. He described how this
confusion was not only theoretical but was manifested in the real life
of
his children who study in a bi-lingual - Hebrew and Arabic - school and
gave an example of talks he had with one of his patients who is a child
in
Ramalla about his fears. Eva talked also about confusion and about the
fact that just several days before the riots started she participated in
an exciting IIA interfaith seminar in the then so peaceful Bethlehem and
was sure the mutual relations are improving constantly. She could
understand the frustration and the protest but not their manifestation
in
such harsh violence. After these introduction the floor
was opened to the
participants who spoke about their reactions, in thoughts and in feelings,
to the situation. These were very different from one another - anger at
one side or the other, frustration, fear, optimism, conviction and mainly
confusion - but the space was big enough to include all. Like in a
religious service people spoke quietly, leaving a pause of silence between
speakers. The general feeling was of deep processing that gave much
encouragement for the future.
To
Top
"HUMAN DIGNITY AND FREEDOM"
On Tuesday, 31 October 2000, a study day was held by the Israel Interfaith
Association in Kiryat Tivon (near Haifa) with some 120 participants.
Three speakers were on the panel:
· Rabbi Mordechai Zamir, Rabbi
of S'de-Yacov
· Fr. Daw Elias, Religious Advocate
in Catholic Courts, Nazareth
· Sheik Adi Adawi, Responsible
for external relations in the White
Mosque, Nazareth
All three speakers, each from his religious perspective, stressed the
religious duty to respect fellow human beings as a pre-condition for true
worship of G-d. Much human dignity was present not only in the content
of
their talks but also in the way they were delivered.
In the discussion following the talks, they were all asked about the
relation between the beautiful ideas they presented and the actual reality
on the one hand and other sources on the other hand. They all agreed that
they were selective in choosing their quotes and did so due to the need
to
emphasize this attitude in order to help change the reality. They also
stressed that it is imperative to confront the other views in the
religious sources in order to understand their context and their role in
extreme cases that the main sources recommend to avoid.
To
Top
Prayer Vigil
From last Wednesday through Friday (October 4-6) afternoon, a fast and
prayer vigil for
peace was organized by Gabriel Meyer, Deborah Brous and Eliyahu McLean.
We
held the vigil in a small courtyard in the Jewish quarter of the Old City,
directly overlooking the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock. We were united
by a desire to respond the recent conflicts in the Holy Land positive
action.
Devorah offered an intention to end the suffering and polarization, as
we begin a shmita year, (the seventh year of rest from harvesting the
land) we pray for a shmita or cessation of violence, seven days after the
violence started, and seven years after the Oslo process started. Eliyahu
offered prayers in Hebrew and Arabic, asking G-d to open the hearts and
bring unity between
all the Children of Abraham in the Land of the Prophets. Gabriel offered
verses from the Quran and the Tanach that support the call for peace, such
as verses from the Torah that show how Isaac and Ishmael came to
reconciliation at the burial of their father Abraham.
What follows is our statement of purpose--posted at the vigil...
"We are fasting in response to the senseless bloodshed of the children
of
Abraham in the Land of the Prophets. We are gathering for the
brotherhood and respect among Muslims, Christians, and Jews and all
peoples. The vigil is taking place in the Holy City of Jerusalem,
overlooking the Kotel and Al-Aqsa mosque. We are praying for an ending
of
the violence which was sparked at this shared holy site just one week ago.
We are praying for the harmonious coexistence between all the peoples in
Israel and Palestine. We realize that peace must be built through justice
and security for both sides. We began our fast Wednesday night, and we
shall continue fasting, praying, and studying together. We are heartbroken
by the loss of lives of both the children of Isaac and Ishmael, and yearn
for a permanent and peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Holy Land."
During the first evening of the vigil, we were joined by Youssef, a
Palestinian Christian from the Old City. During a "talking circle" he
shared his perspective on the cause of the violence, and offered a prayer
from the heart that true peace will come. He then brought blankets from
his
home for the people at the vigil to stay warm. Through the night, we heard
Slichot prayers at the Kotel, and the sounds of the Shofar. Later we heard
the
calls of the Muezzin at 4AM, followed by sounds from the early morning
Shaharit service.
On Thursday morning, we were joined by a 14-year-old Palestinian Muslim,
Muhammad, who translated our statement to Arabic. During a prayer circle,
Muhammad offered a prayer in Arabic that touched everyone there.
Two Israeli soldiers who were assigned to the area, Motti and Guy,
supported our action. When we sat in 1/2 hour segments in silent meditation
for peace, they (who the previous week had witnessed the violent events
on
the Temple Mount), asked bystanders to be quiet for us. The soldiers also
joined us and expressed hope that peace will come. One of them said "I
more
than anyone hope your prayers for peace to succeed. I haven't been home
in
twenty-one days, and I miss my family. We do our work for peace, you do
yours."
As Thursday progressed more people joined the circle, with a core group
of
25. We sat in prayer, song and silence and at various points were joined
by
people from many parts of the world, including two large groups of 60 -70
European tourists. From among the second group
prayers were offered in German by a Christian priest, and a prayer was
sung by their choir. Together we chanted for peace as a group of some 100
people of conscience. In the evening, both Palestinian and Haredi Jewish
youth came to sit or stand next to us and listen. We broke the fast
together Thursday night, and continued to sing, and pray, singing "Shalom
Aleichem" invoking an army of angels of peace to help us. We were
transmuting our sense of powerlessness into a well-focused intention for
an
end to all bloodshed and for a ceasefire- to bring harmony to the city
of
Peace.
Early Friday morning the energy and tension was building.
The Arab leadership had declared a "Day of Rage", and police were
anticipating protests at 1:20 PM, when Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa
mosque
were scheduled to end. At 1:20 exactly, we could hear tumult as Muslim
worshippers exited the mosque. The police chased away everyone except us.
One woman complained “What about them?” and the policeman answered “They’re
sitting, they can stay”. We held hands firmly, bearing witness to the chaos
at the Temple Mount in a tight circle. After 10 minutes, our silent
meditation changed into a chant of “Shalom” and “Salaam”; followed
by a
mellow rendition of the song “Od Yavo Shalom Alaynu”, during which time
the
sounds of raining rocks and shouting died down.
At this time we were being filmed by Israeli TV and this made it
onto the afternoon news. Things quieted down shortly afterwards. An Israeli
policewoman said "it seems like their prayers really helped prevent the
situation from getting worse."
This Yom Kippur, we pray to soften the hearts blocked by fear and anger
and
transform them into hearts filled with understanding, compassion and
forgiveness for the other.
Eliyahu McLean
Deborah Brous
Moshe Haim Gress
To
Top
PRESS RELEASE
Members of the Israel Interfaith Association - Jews, Christians, Muslims
and members of other religious communities - express their deep sorrow
and
pain for the fact that the most sacred place for the Abrahamic religions,
a symbol for the source of their one belief and to what unites them -
Jerusalem the city of peace - turned to be one of the causes for a long
eruption of violence and blood shed, in total contradiction to the spirit
of the Abrahamic religions and to their commandments in regard with the
relations between all those created in the image of G-d.
We call upon the leaders of all Abrahamic religions and to the heads of
their communities to take a leading position in stopping the
deterioration. We call upon everyone to return and bond to the fundamental
values common to all of us, values of the sanctity of life and love to
all
creatures.
Being aware of these fundamental values and respectful to all their true
adherents, we call upon all the leaders to find the way to open and
sincere dialogue, with mutual respect and ways of peace, on all the
problems on the agenda, with true effort to promote their solutions.
We call upon all our brothers and sisters children of Abraham to join us
in our prayer that our leaders and heads will soon find the way to
dialogue, which is the true way for joint citizenship in our country and
in the whole world.
To
Top
Reconciliation - in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Some 90 participants gathered together in the Shepherd Hotel in Bethlehem,
on 22-23 September 2000, for a weekend seminar on the topic of
reconciliation, jointly organized by the Israel Interfaith Association
and
Al Liqa Center under the auspices of the Paople-to-People Program. They
were Jews, Christians and Muslims from across Israel and the southern part
of the West Bank. The seminar was composed of two panel discussions with
Rabbi Mordechai Gafni, Archbishop Lutfi Laham, Bishop Munib Younan and
Adv. Ali Rafi. The first panel dealt generally with the concept of
reconciliation in the respective religious traditions, while the second
panel went deeper to explore the question "What are the obstacles for
reconciliation in MY religion and how can they be overcome?" - with each
of the lecturers talking about the obstacles in his own tradition and not
about the other traditions. The seminar also included deep, open and
sincere discussions in small groups following the panels. The seminar was
concluded in a concluding session in which the progress in the level of
dialogue achieved during less than two days was stressed. In his
concluding remarks, Archbishop Laham - who is the president of both
organizations - emphasized the importance of more and more small steps
which accumulate to large progress.
To
Top
Meeting with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Today, Wednesday 6 September 2000, a delegation of the secretariat of the
Israel Interfaith Association met with the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,
His Beatitude Monsignor Michel Sabbah. We presented to the Patriarch the
Israel Interfaith Association and its philosophy and activities. The
Patriarch stressed the religious necessity for interfaith dialogue, as
the
endeavor to meet G-d includes meeting with all his children. The Patriarch
also emphasized that the need is for an open dialogue that does not blur
the identity of its participants and does not hide the differences between
them - "Without my identity I do not exist and if I do not exist I am
useless for the dialogue". In addition, the aim of the interfaith
dialogue is to understanding the other as he understands himself and not
as I think he should be, and in that way promote love in the world, which
is the main task of the church. Finally the Patriarch pointed out the need
for the dialogue to bring into consideration the physical reality in which
it takes place.
As a conclusion of the meeting, the Patriarch agreed to join the growing
Honorary Presidency of the Israel Interfaith Association.
To
Top
Indonesian-Israeli interfaith conference
on the Abrahamic religions
The Israel Interfaith Association co-sponsored a confernce initiated by
The Institute for Inter-Faith Dialogue in Indonesia (Interfidei). The
conference was held between 6-10 August 2000 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia,
with some forty participants, under the title "The Contemporary Challenges
to the Abrahamic Religions". Three members represented the Israel
Interfaith Association and two of them lectured in the main panels on
Identity (Shlomo Alon: "The Problem of Identity in Judaism") and Plurality
(Yehuda Stolov: "Plurality - A Jewish View"). They also met with the
keynote speaker of the conference, Mr. Djohan Effendi, Secretary of State.
They exchanged ideas for the development of relations between Indonesia
and Israel on an interfaith dialogue level.
A main phenomenon of the conference was the meeting of the two
organizations. Both are grassroots-level interfaith organizations, who
work in the context of conflict. On the other hand the nature of the
conflicts and the agendas of the organizations are very different. Both
organizations felt that the encounter was extremely deep and educational.
It was agreed between them, and endorsed by all participants, that this
process of learning from each other should continue and it is desirable
to
hole the next conference in Jerusalem, Israel within a year or two.
Another special aspect of the conference was the personal meeting(s)
between Jewish Israelis and Indonesians and especially the meeting with
the unique Islam of Indonesia (the biggest Muslim country), which is
remarkably open and respectful to other traditions. In the conference it
was manifested in a high level of interest in Judaism and in Israel as
well as in many invitations to present Jewish and Israeli views in
different universities. One invitation could even be realized during the
conference and Shlomo Alon talked on "The Place of Arab Culture and
Language in the Israeli Society" in front of the faculty members of the
departments of Arabic and Islam in the Governmental Islamic University
in
Yogyakarta - a first event of its kind in the history of the university.
To
Top
The Role of Religion in the Promotion of Peace and Society
More than 150 people attended this study session on 18 June, organized
jointly by the Israel Interfaith Association and Leadership 2000 in
HaTikva (The Hope) neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, and for most of them
it was the first introduction to interfaith dialogue. In the panel
participated Rabbi Ronen Lubitch, Rabbi of Nir Ezyon; Fr. Dr. George
Khoury, President of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Greek Catholic
Church; and Sheikh Mahmid Mustafa, Imam of the Zalafe Mosque. All three
speakers stressed the importance of peace and how essential it is for
peace to be holistic and to exist at all level of existence. They also
emphasized the centrality of religious work for the achievement of these
goals.
To
Top
Christian Churches in Israel
On 29 May 2000 the Israel Interfaith Association held a study evening
following the publishing of the book "In The Footsteps of The Messiah -
Christian Communities, The Holy Land and The State of Israel" by IIA
member Aharon Liron.
Mr. Wadie Abunassar who serves as an Advisor to the Latin Patriarch but
was expressing his own views as an expert for the Christian communities,
described in a comprehensive and clear way the situation of Christian
communities as minorities in the Jewish and Muslim societies. As a short
summary he said that in Muslim societies Christians are embraced by the
leadership but sometimes suffer problems on the popular lever, while in
Israel they have no problem with the public but are not well taken care
of
by the government.
Mr. Daniel Rossing, Former Responsible for the Christian Communities in
the Ministry for Religious Affairs, agreed with Mr. Abunassar's
description and claimed that the situation can be described in even
stronger words. On the other hand he argued that there is a paradox in
the
Christian's wish to maintain their independence and their wish to be
embraced by the State of Israel.
The author of the book, Mr. Aharon Liron, shared some anecdotes related
to
the process of his writing of the book. He stressed the openness and
helpfulness of all Christian denominations at all levels and illustrated
it with the event when a sick Monk was asking to see him in Beit Jalla
during the time of the Palestinian uprising and how the Latin Patriarch
made sure he was safely escorted to this meeting.
To
Top
Compassionate Listening training
A unique workshop was co-sponsored by the Israel Interfaith Association
between 18-20 May 2000. Jews, Christians and Muslims; Nuns and Yeshiva
students; Muslim and Christian Palestinians - all gathered together for
two and a half days in the guest-house of Hope Flower School in the
village of El Khader near Bethlehem. During the weekend they were trained
by the team of the Compassionate Listening Project to better their
listening, which is a most essential part of every dialogue. Participants
learned about the components of full and active listening as well as
verbal and non-verbal gestures that can improve it. The workshop included
many role-plays with feedback and was lead by the Jewish and Christian
North American team.
Further than the training the workshop was also an interfaith
Israeli-Palestinian encounter that included many talks and discussions
as
well as a joint walk in the village and an invitation to all participants
to witness the Shabbat prayers. It was also a moving meeting with the Hope
Flower School and the Issa family who runs it after they recently lost
the
head of the family and the founder of the school - the Late Hussein Issa.
The Directors of the Israel Interfaith Association and of the Hope Flower
School agreed to continue and tighten the cooperation of the two
institutions.
To
Top
Rabbi Fruman and Sheikh Abu Salih talk: About Freedom
More than 100 people participated in an extraordinary evening, held at
Yakar center on 14 May 2000. They first met in the "Holy Land" seminar
that was held by IIA on July 1999 in Ashkelon - and since then they hardly
separated. Rabbi Fruman, Rabbi of Teqoa settlement near Bethlehem and one
of the founders of Gush Emunim, and the Sufi Sheikh Abu Salih of Deir
Qaddis near Ramalla, found immediately common language as people whose
main interest is the spiritual realm. Their first talk, into which they
dived in Ashkelon, started spontaneously and continued deep into the night
with many of the seminar's participants as an audience. At that night was
born the idea for this special study evening.
The evening started with Rabbi Fruman presenting as a spiritual gift to
Sheikh Abu Salih the book of Rabbi David Hanagid who was 6th generation
to
Mimonides and 5th generation leader of the Jewish mystical movement in
Egypt, deeply inspired by and connected to the Muslim Sufi movement.
During the evening the two of them studies together the book and talked
about the challenges of spiritual freedom of the human from his/her own
habits and ways of thought and about the dangers of obtaining such freedom
in a non-responsible way. They stressed that the source of all hatred and
fear, as well as other bad feelings, is the exaggerated attachment to
one's ego.
When a song was quoted in the book, Sheikh Abu Salih invited his two sons
Yakub and Ayub and they all sang one of the Zikr's songs. It was quite
amazing and moving to witness the intellectual, mystical and emotional
exchange between the Rabbi and the Sheikh. Many of the participants talked
about the hope this encounter nourished in them.
To
Top
Palm Sunday - 16 April 2000
On the Sunday beginning the 'Holy Week' the Catholic Church
celebrates 'Palm Sunday', to mark the day when Jesus entered Jerusalem
surrounded with crouds who blessed him "Hoshana".
This year we also there. We started some two hours before the
beginning of the procession in the Monastery of the Benedictine Sisters
where we visited the chappel and heard about the background and the
history of the Palm Sunday celebrations. Then we went to a lookout from
the height of Mt. of Olives where we got a pictorial illustration of the
event when Jesus came to Jerusalem - from the Galillee and through Jerico
- and on the Mt. of Olives Jerusalem and the Temple were revealed to his
eyes and he told his critics about what was happening there.
Then we continued to Dominus Flevit Church where we visited the church,
heard about its history and heard also the rest of what happened with
Jesus in his last week of life.
After a while the colorful and joyful procession came. It was led
by a scouts' parade, followed by hundreds of groups from around the world
- walking and singing songs and hymns. After some time we joined the
procession down the Mt of Olives and up the way into the Lion's Gate and
into the Old City till the big yard of St. Ann Church, where the
celebrating people continued to sing and dance untill the
beginning of the short ceremony which concluded the celebration.
It was indeed a very unique experience for most of us who
witnessed for the first time this beutiful annual event.
To
Top
"The Path of Abraham" Seminar
An event called "the Path of Abraham, or "Derech Avraham" in Hebrew
and "Tariqat il-Ibrahimiya" in Arabic, was held at Neve Shalom from
Thursday, March 9th to Saturday March 10th. This weekend of Jewish and
Muslim Sufi prayer, learning and Zikr was jointly sponsored by the Israel
Interfaith Association and Midreshet Iyun of the Masorti Movement in Tel
Aviv.
On Thursday evening a public Zikr, or ecstatic Sufi dance and chanting
session was held. The evenings was guided by two Muslim Sufi sheikhs, Sheikh
Abed el Salam Manatzra, a Sufi Sheikh of the Qadiri order from Nazareth
and
Sheikh Abu Salih of the Rifa'i order from Deir Qaddis. The evening was
opened with invocations of Abraham as a shared spiritual ancestor and guide
to bring healing and unity between Muslims and Jews in the Holy Land.
Blessings were given by Rav Roberto Arbib of Midreshet Iyun
and Eliyahu McLean of the Israel Interfaith Association. Sheikh Abu Salih
and his sons Ayub and Yaakub danced in Rifa'i Sufi style and played
traditional Sufi drums and cymbals. Then Sheikh Manatzra was joined by
his
students and sons in chanting Rumi together and praises to the prophet
Mohammed. Then a large group Zikr ensued with much enthusiasm of
participating Rabbi Menachem Fruman of Tekoa, Prof. Avi Elkayam of Bar
Ilan U., Dr. Dov Maimon of Beit Morasha and others.
It was quite a sight to see Orthodox settlers and secular Tel Avivniks,
rabbis and sheikhs celebrating in remembrance of G-d together.
Sufism and the Jewish Sufi movement were looked at from an academic
perspective on Friday. Prof. Dr Yitzhak Weizman of Haifa U. gave a talk
on
Sufism from a historical perspective, looking at Orthodox (Naqshabandi)
and
heterodox (Bektashi) Sufism. Dov Maimon gave a fascinating lecture about
the
historical Jewish Sufi movement of Cairo, being led by the son of the
Rambam, Avraham Ben Maimon and his grandson, Ovadiah. This movement lasted
for seven generations and was an attempt to revitalize Jewish prayer and
worship, by looking to the example of their neighbors, the Sufis, who they
saw as having preserved the way of the prophets and that the Jews forgot
when sent into exile.
Kabbalat Shabbat was inclusive and yet respectful of the traditional
sensibilites of all present with Conservative and Orthodox Jews praying
together, with the Muslims prostrating next to them. At an evening session
of chanting, Zen Ziona lead a chant with the refrain "Alah Adonai" that
comes from the Rosh Hashana machsor. Then we heard tradtional Sufi songs
and
chants, both of Rumi and from Palestinian Sufi tradition. This was lead
by
Khaled Abu Ras and Yaacub, son of Abu Salih.
After a Shabbat Shacharit of Hebrew chanting and traditonal davvening as
options for prayer, we learned in smaller study groups. Sheikh Manatzra
talked about the Sufi path and Abdul Qadir il-Geylani, Khaled Abu Ras about
Sufi meditation, and Prof. Elkayam was joined by a Naqshabandi Sufi sheikh
from the Old City, Abdul Aziz el-Bukhari in a discussion about the Jewish
and Sufi concepts of love. Then, a panel of Jews and Muslims shared
their
life experiences and spiritual paths.
The end of the seminar was a beautiful culmination of the whole event.
Eliyahu McLean lead a Havdalah with Shlomo Carlebach niggunim. Jews and
Muslims danced together and and sang the Havdalah niggunim and then this
lead into a shared Zikr. Then Sheikh Manatzra lead a focused Zikr of the
Qadiri style in which everyone joined in.
Many of the community at Neve Shalom, Arabs and Jews, watched and joined
during this Zikr and during the weekend. We pray that this event should
open a pathway of understanding betweeen Jews and Arabs in the Holy Land
that uses the focus on our shared spiritual heritage to bring peace.
To
Top
Interfaith Meeting on the occasion of
the Jubilee Pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II
Hundreds of people came to participate in the interfaith meeting on the
occasion of the Jubilee pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II to the Holy Land.
They were Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Druze, Bahai and other religious
leaders as well as activists in interfaith dialogue and cooperation; many
of them members of the Israel Interfaith Association - including its
presidency and most of its secretariat. The meeting was headed by Pope
John Paul II together with Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chief Rabbi of
Israel and Sheikh Taisir Tamimi, vice-head of the Islamic Supreme Court.
The evening was opened with a Jewish children's choir followed by an
address of Rabbi Lao who stressed the need and wish for peace and the need
for it to be achieved not only at the leadership level, even religious,
but also at the people-to-people level. Rabbi Lao also praised the
important contribution of the Pope for the advancement of interfaith
dialogue.
The second part was opened with a Muslim children's choir and followed
by
the address of Sheikh Tamimi who spoke too about the role of Jerusalem
as
the city of peace but chose to emphasize the political obstacles for its
fulfillment, thus arising unease among many of the participants.
Then the three leaders were presented with Children's Peace Calligraphies
created together by Jewish, Muslim and Christian children with verses and
motifs from the three religions.
The final part started with a Christian children's choir and followed by
the address of Pope John Paul II who said his visit was not complete
without this meeting of representatives of the religions to whom Jerusalem
is holy. He stressed the religious need for the perfection of the
horizontal dimension, the relation to one's neighbor, in order to
be able
to get perfection in the vertical dimension, the relation with G-d.
Finally the Pope emphasized the role of respectful listening and
understanding for our task to build Jerusalem as a city of peace.
The evening was concluded with a symbolic planting of an olive tree by
the
leaders.
To
Top
VISIT TO THE SOLOMON'S STABLES
On Thursdays 2 and 9 March 2000 (a second group was added due to
the big interest), we got the rare opportunity to visit the hidden parts
of the Temple Mount, that are usually not open for visitors, where the
main entrance to the temple was and renovations took place lately by the
Islamic Waqf. This part is called by the Waqf "The Marwani Mosque" and
nicknamed "Solomon's Stables".
The two groups took off their shoes and entered teh place
where they were hosted by Dr. Yusuf Natshe, the Chief Archeologist of the
Waqf, who agreed to open those doors for us and guide us there, as a
result of his good relations with the Israel Interfaith Association. Dr.
Natshe started with a historical description of the place starting at the
time when it was used to enter the second Temple and ending in the present
time when it became the Marwani Mosque. In his kind way Dr. Natshe replyed
to participants' questions.
After leaving this part Dr. Natshe continued to guide us to Al
Aqsa Mosque which was the final part of the official visit, out of respect
to Orthodox Jewish participants who do not enter other parts of the Temple
Mount. However, Dr. Natshe continued to guide those interested to the Dome
of the Rock and out of the mount where the visit was concluded.
To
Top
VISIT TO NABLUS
On Sunday 20 February 2000 we went for a very special day in Nablus,
organized in cooperation with The Palestinian Peace Movement and Nablus
Youth Federation, two Palestinian organizations with whom we started to
work together lately for the promotion of peace on its people-to-people
level.
The day started in meeting with the Mayor of Nablus Mr. Rassan Shaqa, a
meeting that was covered by various Palestinian T.V. and radio stations.
Mr. Shaqa stressed the importance of the grassroots level work and
expressed the commitment of the municipality and of himself for this
work.
The director of The Israel Interfaith Association, Yehuda Stolov,
emphasized the inter-religious and non-political nature of the
association's approach and its advantages in the outreach to all parts
of
the Israeli and Palestinian societies.
The second part of the day was a visit to the archeological sites of
Nablus, guided by Dr. Ibrahim El Fanni, a veteran archeologist and the
responsible for archeology and tourism in Nabkus municipality. We
visited
the site of Biblical Sh'khem and the different sites of the Roman
Neapolis
in the area of the Casba - the market - of Nablus: the biggest theater
in
the Middle East, the Cardo, the bath and the Basilica that functions now
as a mosque.
In the third part of the day we held a joint meeting with members of the
Nablus Youth Federation, with the participation of Dr. El Fanni and Abu
Islam, director of the Waqf on Nablus. At the conclusion of the day it
was
urged, by all participants and organizers, to continue and further this
so
important joint work.
To
Top
FACING UP TO FUNDAMENTALISM
On Thursday 17 February 2000 we were privileged to host a panel of two
distinguished Muslim leaders from abroad: Prof. Hiba Hechiche of Tunisia
and Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi of Italy; and a Jewish scholar from Israel:
Dr. Raphi Jospe. The evening was moderated by Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein,
director of Elijah School.
In front of an audience of some 100 people they described their views
and
experiences with fundamentalism and fundamentalists, although they all
agreed on the problem of defining fundamentalism. In spite of the
difficulties they sometimes faced with fundamentalists and the need they
stressed to confront these difficulties, they also added some optimistic
remarks: Prof. Palazzi and Dr. Jospe pointed out the fact that most
fundamentalists just live their lives and have nothing to do with any
form
of violence and Prof. Hechiche emphasized the role of interfaith
dialogue
in overcoming the threats fundamentalists may introduce and promoting
tolerance and openness among them. After a long and vivid discussion
with
the audience the evening was concluded.
To
Top
|