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 religious panel was composed of a rabbi, a Catholic priest, and a sheikh: Rabbi Nir Barkin, a seventh generation Jerusalemite, serves as the spiritual leader of a congregation in Modi’in. Father Peter Mandros was born in the Old City of Jerusalem, received two doctorates in Biblical theology and science, and writes a regular column in Al-Quds newspaper. Dr. Najah Bakirat has a doctorate in Archaeology, History and Islamic Science and serves at the head of the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Manuscript Department.
All three 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 Jerusalem Stories performance was conducted in English, Arabic and Hebrew and illustrated the lives of six Jerusalem residents:
• Huda Ibrahim is an older Palestinian Muslim woman who sells olive oil and fruit on Salahadin Street. Her story related the struggles of traveling in and out of Jerusalem in recent times as well as her memories of better times in the past.
• Naomi Gutenmacher is an Israeli Jew who is the founder of a prayer group that started as a response to the violence of the Second Intifada. The performance described the value of prayer and community in times of difficulty.
• Shmuel Shefaim is an Israeli Jewish bus driver who is injured in a bombing but still returns to his work.
• Lana Abu Hijleh is a Palestinian Muslim woman whose mother, Shaden Abu Hijleh, was killed in Nablus.
• Miri Avitan is an Israeli Jewish woman whose son, Asaf Avitan, was killed in Jerusalem.
• Samir al Jundi is a Palestinian Muslim shopkeeper whose business selling souvenirs was damaged by decreased tourism during the time of escalated violence.
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 who wish to lead dialogue sessions at the Seeds of Peace Camp, or with Seeds back home in the Middle East. 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.