[Dialogue] A little good news

Thu Jul 20 14:50:18 EST 2006

Thought this list serve would appreciate this tidbit.  As we've  
known, it's the way the future gets "made."
–george holcombe

From: Eliyahu McLean
To: McLean Eliyahu
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 4:45 AM
Subject: From Seville to Tel Sheva: some good news from the Middle East

Hello Friends,
  It has been a trying time in the Holy Land, with immense suffering  
for the people of Gaza, Israel and Lebanon. We ask you keep sending  
prayers for peace and healing for the family of Abraham.
In the midst of all the awful news coming from our part of the world,  
I also want to report to you some of the positive news.
  1) The Second World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
  2) The Abrahamic Reunion meets in Tel Sheva, June 20
  3) Religious peacemakers and grassroots peace groups respond to the  
war

SECOND WORLD CONGRESS OF IMAMS AND RABBIS FOR PEACE
in Seville, Spain March 19-22

Over 100 Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, and 100 experts in  
Jewish-Muslim dialogue work came together for 3 days of dialogue,  
prayer, and practical project building. Joining us were eight Muslim  
sheikhs and Imams from the Gaza Strip.
The mayor of Seville welcomed all of us, recalling that during the  
Golden Age, Seville was a place where Muslims, Jews, and Christians  
lived in and peaceful co-existence together.
  At the plenary the Palestinian Imams from Gaza emphasized the  
difficulty of everyday life for the citizens of Gaza.  There was some  
tension, as some of the rabbis felt that the discussion had turned  
from religious to political. One rabbi later said, it's important for  
us to listen to our brothers from Gaza even if we don't agree with  
everthing.
   Andre Azoulay, the Jewish advisor to the King of Morocco, asked me  
to organize an evening of sacred singing with the Muslims present at  
the Congress. The Imam of the Dome of the Rock, Abdel Karim al-Zorba  
led the beautiful chanting, reciting Quranic verses and Islamic poetry.
    The Chief Rabbi of Rishon L'Zion, Yosef Azran, sat next to the  
Imam and started to sing the most beautiful Piyutim (sacred songs) in  
Arabic, then in Hebrew.  Before we knew it, the Rabbis and Imams were  
sitting in the circle together chanting sacred songs back and forth  
in Hebrew and Arabic for 3 hours!  Observers commented, "Now THIS is  
the heart of the Congress!”.
  By the second day, we had broken up into smaller working groups.   
We helped facilitate a dialogue about the situation in Gaza between  
one of the Imams from Gaza and Rabbi Zion Cohen, the Chief Rabbi of  
the Negev Communities who lives in Sderot, a town near Gaza that has  
been shelled by Qassam rockets.
   Even though a close family friend of the rabbi was killed in a  
Qassam rocket attack, he didn’t mention it. His first response was:  
how can I help organize humanitarian support for the Palestinians of  
Gaza from the Jewish towns around Gaza.
By the last day of the Congress, over 20 working groups had been  
formed, working on issues like racism, Islamophobia and Anti- 
Semitism, sharing Jerusalem, rereading the holy texts, misconceptions  
about Islam.
Most of us present at the Congress left with a renewed sense of hope  
that if the most religious of the Jews and Muslims could learn to  
cooperate, then perhaps we were taking a step closer to achieving the  
seemingly impossible dream for peace in the Holy Land and the wider  
world.

  See pictures from this historic event, visit this website and click  
‘participants’.

http://interfaith.israel.net/imansandrabbisforpeace/

ABRAHAMIC REUNION IN TEL SHEVA, JUNE 20

Abrahamic Reunion group member Khalil Albaz, the Imam of Tel Sheva,  
welcomed us to Bedouin town of Tel Sheva, in the Negev, southern  
Israel. The head of the Tel Sheva council and the people of Tel Sheva  
welcomed us.
Rabbi Zion Cohen, whom I had met in Seville, came from his town of  
Sderot on the border of Gaza.  “We as religious leaders need to call  
out against the violence… our response to the situation should be  
more meetings like this, to plant the seeds of peace!”
  Joining us in dialogue and prayer was an ultra-Orthodox Hasid,  
religious Muslim Bedouin women, the chief of the police in Tel Sheva  
and others.  Abrahamic Reunion group members Sheikh Bukhari and  
Ibrahim Abuelhawa called for the Children of Abraham to unite.  
Ibtisam Mahamid and Elana Rozenman spoke about the important role of  
women in peacemaking.
At a closing prayer circle, Imam Khalil Albaz led a blessing to  
support and empower some of the young Bedouin women present, who have  
a project to produce and market traditional herbal remedies and  
medicines.  Devorah Brous of Bustan spoke of her partnership with  
these women.
Reverend Charles Gibbs, the Executive Director of URI, offered a  
prayer and then blessed the work of the Abrahamic Reunion. That we  
could bring people of such diverse backgrounds together in such a  
difficult time gave all of us hope for a better future.
In all the midst of all the bad news about the violence in Gaza, the  
main TV news channel in Israel broadcasted 3 minutes on prime time of  
our gathering.
Please visit this link to see some amazing pictures from our recent  
gathering in Tel Sheva.
http://interfaith.israel.net/telsheva_june2006/

RELIGIOUS PEACEMAKERS AND GRASSROOTS PEACE GROUPS RESPOND

  On Wednesday July 19, over fifty Jews and Arabs gathered at the  
Latrun monastery to plan the next ‘On the Way to Sulha’ gathering,  
scheduled for August 22-24. See www.sulha.com
  The theme of this years gathering is: Therefore Choose Life! Ihab  
Balha, Muslim co-director of the Sulha Peace Project said: now is the  
time to live our values, not just when its easy… to have compassion  
for ourselves and the others who are suffering in this war, esp.  
people from Gaza, Haifa, Tsfat, Nahariya, Beirut.
  It was announced that next Thursday, July 27 the Sulha Peace  
Project, Bereaved Families Forum, Middle Way and others are planning  
a major prayer vigil in a central public space in Jerusalem, inviting  
religious leaders and common people of all faiths to pray together.  
They will bear witness to the pain of Israelis who have fled the  
north and read letters from friends in Gaza and Beirut about the pain  
of their situation.
  Behind the scenes, Rabbi Menachem Froman has been a bridge for  
dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, seeking to bring  
about a cease-fire based on principles found in Islam and Judaism.

  Shalom, Salaam,
Eliyahu McLean

  Jerusalem Peacemakers, director
  Abrahamic Reunion, coordinator

Your support for our work in the Middle East is more important than  
ever.

To support our work with a U.S. tax-deductible contribution, write a  
check to:
Rising Tide International, make a note on it: ‘for Jerusalem  
Peacemakers”.

  Then send it to:
  Andy Blanch, 520 Ralph St. Sarasota, FL 34242

To offer support with a credit card, using secure Pay Pal, or for  
details on how to send support from Europe, or elsewhere, please visit:

http://www.jerusalempeacemakers.org/eliyahu/donate.html
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