"The Failure of War" is
featured in the extraordinary Winter 2002 issue of
YES! Magazine. Get it at http://www.yesmagazine.org.
The cover says, "We are the ones we've been
waiting for."
"Just Listen" is
written by Leah Green of The Compassionate Listening Project, with magnificent
photos. She says, "People want to take risks for peace, and will
take risks, if given an opportunity to really be heard."
Poet David Whyte asks,
"I want to know if you are willing to live, day by day, with the
consequence of love."
Jamal Rahman
offers "Heart Of A Muslim" and says,
"We owe it to brave, innocent people who have been sacrificed all over the
world to find a better way."
Since
Here are five of many examples. -- L&L
==========================
1.
Four separate Palestinian-Jewish dialogues
continue. Recently the important film, PROMISES, with shown at the San
Diego Public Library and followed by audience dialogue. More about PROMISES is
at htt://www.promisesproject.org.
Contact Doris Bittar
(DBittar@ucsd.edu) or Jim Rauch (Rauch@weber.ucsd.edu).
2.
The beautiful 40-panel Middle
East Peace Quilt of Elizabeth Shefrin
(simaeliz@smartt.com) was brought to
Two new dialogues are succeeding there. A
Jewish-Arab dialogue also includes Muslims of other nations. They begun with hearing one another's personal
stories. They'll then discusses issues, before
considering community outreach, education, and media awareness.
There is a second, Muslim-Jewish dialogue of religious
and community leaders. They intend to build more bridges of understanding
by offering information about the two religions to dispell
ignorace, stereotypes, fear, and prejudice.
Contact Barbara Landau (coopsolns@aol.com) or Carl
Miller (c.miller@sympatico.ca).
2.
"BRIDGE TO UNDERSTANDING: MUSLIMS AND JEWS FOSTER
A GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY" was a 2-page Feature article in the Jewish News of
Greater Phoenix
Begun by an Arab physician and his Jewish patient,
they have a deep understanding of how dialogue begins and continues.
ABOUT BEGINNING: "The group was in no hurry
to inform others about its meetings. Rather than seek publicity, members
focused their energies on acquiring knowledge and understanding."
ABOUT FEAR: "'I'm not an anxious person,
but my anxiety level during that meeting was sky-high. I was waiting for
something to happen,' says Herring. But by the end of the session, he recalls,
none of his fears had materialized."
"'I am always reluctant to join groups like
this," she (Gada Jasser)
remarks. The reason, she says, is that participants' political agendas -
especially concerning
"Aiche Jasser, wife of Mohamed Jasser,
says she was afraid to tell her friends about the group. As she slowly began to
inform them, 'they believed what we are telling them" about the
friendships they were building, "but they think maybe these are just the
nice people.'"
ABOUT DEDICATION: "Group members also have
agreed to participate for the long term."
ABOUT OUTCOME AND COMMUNITY: "I do not see
'Jewish' group, 'Muslim' group," said Weitzenkorn.
"We may have started out thinking we were going to build a bridge to each
other's communities. (Now) I think we have become a community.'"
Conacts people are Aiche Jasser (AishaPharm@aol.com)
and Bob Rosenberg (Bob@BobRosenberg.phoenix.az.us).
3.
UCLA MUSLIM, JEWISH STUDENTS BUILD BRIDGES: UNITY --
TWO-YEAR-OLD EFFORT AIMS TO EASE TENSIONS AND FOSTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN
GROUPS read the Daily Bruin headline
On
Said Muslim student Fadi Amer, "I made a commitment to try to do
something...You start at the micro-level with things you know you can
affect."
Hillel Rabbi Chaim Siedler-Feller said,
"This taps into a student interest and student need to cross boundaries
and reach toward each other."
"'Members of the United Arab Society, Jewish
Student Unon and Hillel who
were active in the dialogues enrolled in a sociology class offered last winter,
titled 'Perspectives on Confrontation and Reconciliation in the Arab-Israel
Conflict,' said Amer."
"Students from the three organizations began
(the) 'Coalition for Co-Existence in the
Contact Rabbi Chaim-Siedler
Feller (Hillel@ucla.edu) or Fadi Amer
(bleech@ucla.edu).
4. San Mateo, California
The Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue
participants in California have been on radio and TV panels and call-in shows,
helped develop stories for newspaper and online news services, and presented
numerous educational panels for groups and classrooms -- "Palestinians and
Jews in Dialogue." On request, we have now mailed free dialogue
background and guideline materials to 980 interested individuals representing
597 institutions, 402 cities, 38 states, and 32 nations.
More is on the Web at http://www.igc.org/traubman/call.htm.
This 2001 is the United Nations "Year of Dialogue
Among Civilizations."
Let us bring to everyday life the book by 18 global
citizen-leaders released
Change begins with us citizens.
Contact Nahida
and Adham Salem (TheSalems@aol.com) or Libby and Len Traubman (LTraubman@igc.org).
* * * "We are the ones we've been waiting for." * * *