BOOKS about relationship building, and
PEOPLE who do it
Sunday, 08 May 2011
"A dream you
dream alone is only a dream.
A dream you dream
together is reality."
--John Lennon
(1940-1980)
"We read to
know we are not alone."
-- C.S. Lewis
(1898-1963)
Today is Mother's Day 2011.
In 1870 in the U.S., Julia Ward Howe sent forth
her Mother's Day Proclamation, that clarified:
The sword of
murder is not the balance of justice.
Blood does not
wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
The matriarch beckoned women:
Let them meet
first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly
take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great
human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after
his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.
Learning from Mother's Day about living together, here for you are (1) useful
books and (2) those who animate them.
-
L&L
BOOKS ABOUT
RELATIONSHIPS
The Lemon Tree:
An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East
by Sandy Tolan
Bloomsbury USA, 2007, 384 pages
http://sandytolan.com/the-lemon-tree
This remarkable book helps the heart of the adult
or youth reader to stretch enough to encompass the the
whole story of the excellent, diverse peoples.
Sandy Tolan, author of The
Lemon Tree, has a heart large enough to contain compassion both for the longing
for Zion, for sanctuary, for homeland, of the Jewish survivors who emigrated to
the nascent Israel after WWII, and at the same time the longing for return, for
justice, for homeland, of the Palestinians who were expelled from the homes
they had occupied for generations to make room for what was to become Israel?
Muslims and Jews in America:
Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities
Reza Aslan and Aaron J. Hahn Tapper (Editors)
Palgrave Macmillan, May 2011, 214 pages
http://us.macmillan.com/muslimsandjewsinamerica
Jews and Muslims -- less than 3% of the U.S.
population -- are often are the focus of a disproportionate media attention,
particularly regarding the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.
American Jews and American Muslims sometimes struggle
with additional inter-communal campus and neighborhood sometimes-exaggerated
differences of culture, religion, and politics.
This book explores contemporary Jewish-Muslim
relations in the United States, and the distinct and often creative ways in
which these two communities interact with one another in the American context.
Each essay discusses a different episode from
twentieth and current twenty-first century American life that links these two
groups together.
Readers appreciate case examples of local
inter-communal interaction, such as dialogue groups, to help us better
understand one another and influence constructive national awareness and
trends.
The Meeting of Civilizations: Muslim, Christian, and Jewish
Moshe Ma'Oz (Editor)
Sussex Academic Press, January 2009, 264 pages
http://www.sussex-academic.com/sa/titles/theology_religion/Maoz.htm
Horrific acts of violence during the last decades
have been labelled by politicians, religious leaders
and scholars as a 'Clash of Civilizations'.
However, contributors to this book set out to explain
that individual acts cannot be considered an Islamic onslaught on
Judeo-Christian Civilisation, or vice versa.
While the hostile ideas, words and deeds perpetrated
by individual supporters among the three monotheistic civilisations
cannot be ignored, history has demonstrated a more positive, constructive,
albeit complex, relationship among Muslim, Christians and Jews during medieval
and modern times.
For centuries-long periods of time they shared divine
and human values, co-operated in cultural, economic and political fields, and
influenced one another's thinking.
This book examines religious and historical themes of
these three civilising religions, the impact of
education on their interrelationship, the problem of Jerusalem, as well as
contemporary interfaith relations.
Noted scholars and theologians - Jewish, Christian and
Muslim - from the United States, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan,
Palestine and Turkey contribute.
The End of War:
How waging peace can save
humanity, our planet and our future
Paul K.
Chappell
Easton Studio Press, 2010, 176 pages
http://www.amazon.com/End-War-waging-humanity-planet/dp/1935212117
eBook 2011
http://kobobooks.com/ebook/End-Of-War-How-Waging/book-IogJuCXKIUyi3lbqlqGXHA/page1.html
Capt. Paul K. Chappell graduated from West Point
in 2002.
He served in the army for seven years, was deployed to
Baghdad in 2006, and left active duty in November 2009 as a Captain.
Building on the powerful argument for peace laid out
in his first book, Will War Ever End, Paul K. Chappell now explains in detail
how together we can end the wars between countries, our ongoing war with
nature, and the suffering in our hearts.
Politics Is about Relationship:
A Blueprint for the Citizens' Century
Harold H.
Saunders
New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005
http://books.google.com/books?id=5_bFw8-6PR8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+citizen's+century+saunders
Dr. Harold Saunders, former U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, clarifies that governments alone
cannot diminish fear and build public confidence to end wars.
Saunders, who in 1991 named "the public peace
process," here defines the citizen imperative to engage face-to-face in
this moment in history -- The Citizens' Century.
PEOPLE BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS
TWO MOTHERS
finding forgiveness, friendship
Aicha el-Wafi and Phyllis Rodriguez met around a shared tragedy
-- and their friendship has become a powerful symbol for forgiveness and
dialogue.
Their powerful friendship was born of unthinkable
loss.
Rodriguez' son was killed in the World Trade Center attacks
on September 11, 2001.
El-Wafi's son Zacarias Moussaoui was convicted
of a role in those attacks and is serving a life sentence.
HEAR the women speak strongly about the new
Power -- Circles, and Story as entry point to healing "me" and
"you" together.
9/11
healing: The mothers who found forgiveness, friendship
TED Talk -- 10 min video --
December 2010
http://www.ted.com/talks/9_11_healing_the_mothers_who_found_forgiveness_friendship.html
MUSLIM & JEWISH TEENS
in Canada
LIVING TOGETHER -- http://www.mcgill.ca/mchrat/vivreensemble/
-- every
week since October 2010 continues bringing together Jewish and Muslim Arab
teenagers in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Through photography and successful face-to-face
communication, the youth leadership program helps the youth learn about each
other and become closer together.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 in Saint Laurent, the youth will
present their two creations, a:
1. short film
2. illustrated
children's book
LEARN MORE about LIVING TOGETHER through VivreEnsemble2011@gmail.com or
(514) 961-5979
SEE NEWS VIDEO:
St.
Laurent teens learn about Living Together
CTV-News - Montreal, Canada
-- 25 January 2011
2-1/2 minute video
JEWISH & MUSLIM CUB SCOUTS
in the eastern United States
THE INTERFAITH PINEWOOD DERBY brought together Jewish and Muslim Cub Scouts in the
Washington, DC, area to compete with their home-made, brightly-colored wooden
race cars.
The 19 boys (ages 7-10) also built friendships in the
historic, updated version of this traditional scouting exercise.
It was hosted by Cub Scout Pack 1818 of Congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, which
teamed up with its counterpart packs from the All Dulles Area Muslim Society
(ADAMS) Cub Scouts.
Olam Tikvah
provided the space, refreshments and volunteers.
ADAMS brought its 42-foot metal racing track and
timing software as well as volunteers.
"Interfaith work is so important," said
Muslim Cub Scout leader, Rizwan Jaka.
"We must get to know each other."
Julian Tishkoff, chair
of the Jewish Committee on Scouting, experienced that "the goodwill was
really outstanding."
"If this is a precedent for things to come, I
have reason to be optimistic."
The
Diversity Derby:
Day
at the races for Jewish, Muslim scouts
Washington Jewish Week -- 30
March 2011
http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=14690
JEWISH & MUSLIM
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
in the western United States
ABRAHAM'S VISION Unity Program in the San Francisco Bay Area brings together teen women
and men students to meet and learn together for a year.
The high school Muslims and Jews learn about their own
and the "other's" faith traditions, and also diverse, parallel
narratives within the Palestinian-Israeli relationship.
A documentary film -- http://traubman.igc.org/vidav.htm
-- of their Spring 2010 graduation ceremony gave voice to them expressing
their dramatic personal growth.
The teens said more in their own words:
Abraham's
Vision Unity Program 2009-2010
3-min video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytROyFeVZdo
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These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm