2008 inherits wealth of 2007 communication,
citizen
peace process breakthroughs
Sunday, 30 December
2007
2008 begins
the 11th year of these e-mailed success stories of Jewish-Palestinian and
interfaith relationship building in the Middle East,
Over 500 of these victories of adversaries
reaching across borders to each other are preserved at:
2008 must now include a grander CALL FOR QUALITY PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE COMMUNICATION
all around Earth.
THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF
CITIZEN COMMUNICATION
Humankind has been, and will continue to
be, protected and saved from catastrophe by citizen-based communication.
Governments, big and slow, will not detect
problems or solutions, nor respond early enough.
Citizens can and must communicate across all
borders -- for survival itself.
You and we will detect and pass on information and
stories that matter, to quickly reach a wide circle of humankind.
We citizens will continue to be the first to hear
about and pass on early warnings of catastrophes, and leading-edge stories
about remedies to medical, social and economic dilemmas.
As with killer diseases like smallpox and polio, early
detection and early treatment are imperative.
A global exemplar in
GPHIN is a secure, Internet-based "early
warning" system that gathers preliminary reports of public health
significance in seven languages on a real-time, 24/7 basis.
Governments follow.
SEE the inspiring 26-minute video of physician Larry Brilliant, MD, who describes how mass
communication by many citizens eradicated smallpox.
Our future depends on similar networks of
e-mailings, blogs and Web sites of you, us, everyone
-- observing, communicating, cooperating.
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TO ENTER 2008
We offer the strength of six
final 2007 stories of needed cures to eradicate the disease of human
separation.
== 1 ==
Sharon, Massachusetts,
USA
In September, 2007, high school students of
INTERFAITH YOUTH ACTION -- http://ifaction.org
-- gathered 400 Muslims, Jews, and Hindus to create "Sharing
Sacred Seasons. "
This historic moment celebrated Ramadan, Jewish
High Holy Day and Navaratri.
Over 100 Muslims broke fast in a Jewish sukkah, prayed maghib, then joined the larger community for a kosher-hallal south Asian Ifthar.
Three teens spoke about what the holidays meant to
them.
The program and menu were planned by the high
school students of the Interfaith Youth Leadership Program.
SEE the 1-minute video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn1NFdLoM5k .
It was
"incredible," says Interfaith Action's Janet Penn (Janet@ifaction.org ).
== 2 ==
Arava Desert, Israel
In November, 2007, THE SULHITA PROJECT
helped 85 youth from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza live together for a
week.
SEE their short video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arem0Q00cHQ
.
The boys and girls (15-16) from all religions and
political backgrounds experienced listening circles, study workshops
about each other's culture and political dilemmas, interfaith prayer,
cooking, dancing, and making music together.
The desert, its seclusion and beauty, offers a unique
environment that helps people connect.
Since 2005, Sulhita
gatherings in the
The Sulhita descends
from THE SULHA PEACE PROJECT -- http://www.sulha.com/ -- working primarily on the
grassroots level.
The Sulha and Sulhita are preparing people for peace "from
below" by complementing peacemaking efforts that are undertaken at the
governmental and diplomatic level.
This healing and reconciliation of the children of
Abraham, Jews and Palestinians, is inspired by the indigenous process of
mediation (Sulha) to move beyond a specific political
agendas, stereotypes, clich鳬 humiliation
and despair which separate the people, and to build a partnership of trust
while restoring dignity from heart to heart.
The next Sulhita gathering
will take place in Spring, 2008, says initiator Elad
Vazana ( Elad@havayati.co.il
).
== 3 ==
Palestinian-Israeli
border
Since December 2003, the ALL NATIONS
CAFE -- http://allnationscafe.org/
-- continues to innovate projects that allow people from warring nations to
meet each other even at the worst of times.
Opening a coffee shop in East Jerusalem opposite
al-Aqsa mosque at the height of the al-Aqsa Intifada; touring Jordan and
being the first group including Israeli-Jews to perform at one of the biggest
Arab Music & Arts Festivals in Jerash; Organizing
a one-week Palestinian-Israeli Families Camp during the recent war in Lebanon
and in Gaza; these are only few examples.
A safe place is created at Ein
Haniya village on the border of
Palestinians come from towns, villages and refugee
camps in the West Bank; Israelis come from Jerusalem area, the Galilee and even
from settlements; and internationals come from Europe and the Americas.
Diverse women, men, and youth transform
indifference and despair to optimism and hope, writes coordinator Dhyan Or (
AllNationsCafe@yahoo.com ).
== 4 ==
Between Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem
On December 5, 20007, Arab and Jewish
children of the NEVE SHALOM ~ WAHAT AL-SALAM (Oasis of Peace) Primary
School, together with parents and neighbors, celebrated the Hanukkah, Eid al-Adha and Christmas
holidays as a community.
WATCH photos at:
== 5 ==
Silicon Valley,
northern
December 16, 2007, the San Jose Mercury
News article read:
For
region's Muslims and Jews, rapport builds slowly but surely
WITH
TENSIONS ABROAD AT FOREFRONT,
GROUPS
FOCUS ON SHARED TIES AT HOME
http://mercurynews.com/religion/ci_7736320?nclick_check=1
Modeled are a Salaam/Shalom public
presentation series, and successful meetings of students and staffs from Muslim
and Jewish schools.
Evidence grows of continuing movement toward
citizen engagement in
It's important to establish a relationship before
tackling divisive subjects, for Muslim Maha ElGenaidi ( Maha@ing.org ) of
the Islamic Network Group.
== 6 ==
Jerusalem area
PeacePlayers
International -- http://peaceplayersintl.org/
-- brings young Palestinian and Jewish Israeli boys and girls together to learn
about basketball and each other.
The Jewish coach is Yoav
Shapiro, formerly a vengeful Israeli soldier.
He now encourages the youth and adults to re-examine
assumptions about one another.
His Palestinian coaching partner and gifted basketball
player, Ghassan Alayan,
finds sports a good way to begin learning respect and cooperation.
READ the generous story:
Hoops
and harmony: How PeacePlayers is changing the
By
Published by ESPN.com -- 29
September 2007
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=PeacePlayers
Reporter
Ford is an assistant professor of conflict resolution
at Brigham Young University-Hawaii.
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Let us enter 2008 on the wisdom of an American
rabbi and an Iranian intellectual.
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone warns
about physical and emotional boundaries we maintain.
"Walls keep us safe, but lonely; highly
functioning, yet disconnected The danger of
our barriers is a kind of sclerosis of the soul, a deadening of our humanity.
Iranian scholar Ramin Jahanbegloo, speaks recently from the Center for the Study of
Developing Societies,
"This is what I think is so important to people of
the Middle East....They want to keep their own identity.
"They want to be proud of their past.
"But it's very important to open up to other
cultures.
"Democracy is a result of this.
"Democracy is a government of dialogue."
)
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