Over 100 Seeds bridge religious, political divides near Jerusalem
“Now, more than ever, I believe that it is important to dialogue with the other side,” said one of the Israeli and Palestinian teenagers who participated in an overnight seminar on February 5-6.
The binational event took place outside Jerusalem, at Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, the only intentional Arab-Jewish community in Israel.
The Seeds watched a theatrical performance detailing personal narratives of Jerusalem residents from both sides of the city, asked difficult questions of a panel of clerics, and met for intense dialogue sessions.
The clerics—a rabbi, a Catholic priest, and a sheikh—spoke about the importance of Jerusalem in their respective religions, and about tolerance of other faiths. Seeds listened intently and asked thought-provoking questions, covering topics such as Jesus’ command to love one’s enemy, the role of jihad in Islam, and the Ten Commandments.
The seminar’s three dialogue sessions were led by graduates of the 15-month Seeds of Peace facilitation course, which provides professional training to Seeds alumni in their 20s. The discussions gave both Israelis and Palestinians a chance to share their recent personal experiences and views on the conflict.
The participants were excited to be with each other again and to learn, explore and talk together—something so rare given the current situation.
An Arab-Israeli news channel aired a segment on the seminar during its evening broadcast.
Chase/Facebook Panel Awards Seeds of Peace $100,000 to Implement ‘Big Idea’
Inspired by Seeds of Peace’s proposal, the Advisory Board of the Chase Community Giving Challenge, which includes NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson and actress Eva Longoria, has awarded Seeds of Peace a $100,000 prize.
During the $25,000 first round of the Challenge, Seeds of Peace competed against thousands of other non-profits, and advanced to the final round thanks to the support of Facebook voters.
Join us: Peace Market ’10
You are invited to Seeds of Peace’s annual Peace Market to be held March 10 in New York City. The evening will feature musical performances by Grammy-nominated John Forté and South Asian rock legend Salman Ahmad. Learn more »
2010 Indo-Pak Homestays
Indian Seeds host their Pakistani friends in Mumbai for a week of workshops exploring their countries’ competing historical narratives. Read more »
BBC Radio Interview
The views of an Israeli and a Palestinian Seed are heard around the globe on the BBC World Service. Listen »
“Camp has taught me how to be a good listener, and how to express my views on the conflict and the problems it creates in my life. Coming home is just the beginning—the journey has just started. Sometimes I feel like I now have the hardest job in the world: to get our message out everywhere and to everybody.” Mai (Seed from Hebron) Read more »
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