FOLLOW UP to Abrahamic Reunion Leadership meeting in June in Jerusalem

Dear Friends,

I appreciate all the support we have received for our report on our recent Abrahamic Reunion Leadership meeting. I want to share that at this meeting we signed the below Declaration which we had already formulated and some of us had signed last November in Shfar’am after an arson at a synagogue there and several other religiously motivated attacks at houses of worshop of different faiths throughout Israel. (Here is a link to fotos of our visit that day to houses of worship of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Jews in Shefaram – and fotos of some of us signing the Declaration) We are continuing to collect signatures from rabbis, priests, imams, sheiks, and spiritual leaders.

Last week I visited the Tabgha Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes outside Tiberias with other members of TRUST – Emun. Unfortunately it recently suffered an arson attack which seriously damaged some rooms and the roof. ( see attached photo) Hebrew graffiti was found on the outside wall. The attack was immediately condemned by the Israeli President, Prime Minister, Chief Rabbi, civil society leaders, and media. At Tabgha I spoke with nuns who are still cleaning up the damage from the fire. I expressed my shock and sorrow to see such destruction. She said that there are “radicals” in all religions that are causing damage to holy places. We discussed the power of women to unite and create sisterhood and compassion in the midst of extremists who are distorting our religions for violent purposes. We embraced and prayed together for the truth of our religions to be strengthened and for all to live together peacefully in the Holy Land.

A copy of our Declaration was sent to them and we’re planning a solidarity visit of our Abrahamic Reunion to this church with Palestinians and Israelis in the near future.

Blessings and love,
Elana

Elana Rozenman
Executive Director
TRUST-Emun
15 Naomi Street
Jerusalem 93552 Israel
Office: 972 26749698
Mobile: 972 522861779
www.trust-emun.org

“To develop the drop of compassion in our heart is the only effective spiritual response to hatred and violence.” Thich Nhat Hanh

The Abrahamic Reunion Declaration

The Abrahamic Reunion, a group of spiritual leaders–Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze– have been working together for 10 years promoting inter-religious harmony in the Holy Land.

We are women and men of the faiths of this land – our land – who meet together, walk together, eat together, and pray side by side in mutual respect. We demonstrate by our personal example that we can live together in peace and cooperation.

At this difficult time, we want to reaffirm to the public our heartfelt conviction, that (within) our religions are the pathways of love and peace.

We condemn the violence, hatred, racism, and suffering being inflicted upon our communities in the name of religion. We believe and we teach that the holy places of all the religions in the Holy Land must be respected, and not defaced in any way, for any reason.

We are the Children of Adam and Eve, the Children of Abraham. To our regret, recently we have forgotten that we are from the same family. Arabs and Jews… let us remember that we are one family.

Religious Leaders signing document at the House of Hope, Shfar’am, November 30, 2014:
Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra, Head of Qadiri Sufi Order of the Holy Land, Nazareth
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Lights of Peace Association/Anwar Il Salaam, Director, Abrahamic Reunion, coordinator
Elana Rozenman, Trust – Emun, Director, Abrahamic Reunion, founding member
Sheikh Abu Amin, Bedouin Mukhtar, Al-Sawaed
Rabbi Yosef Yashar, Chief Rabbi of Acco
Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman, journalist and historian, Haifa
Rabbi Minzberg, educator, Mea Shearim, Jerusalem
Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, Project Coordinator, Shorashim/Judur/Roots
Rev. Daniel Aqleh, Evangelical Minister, Bethlehem
Rodef Shalom Eliyahu McLean, Abrahamic Reunion coordinator
Elias Jabbour, Greek Melkite Christian, Hope of Hope, Director, Abrahamic Reunion, founding member

Abrahamic Reunion members co-signing, though not present November 30 at House of Hope:
Imam Khalil Albaz, Imam of Tel Sheva
Haj Ibrahim Abuelhawa, Mount of Olives
Hadassah Froman, wife of the late Rabbi Menachem Froman
Ibtisam Mahameed, Faradis, The Tent of Sarah and Hagar, Director
Deacon Jiries Mansour, Greek Melkite Church, St. Anthony’s School in Rame, principal
Reverend Father Masoud Abu Hatoum, Yafia, Greek Melkite Church
Sheikh Hussein Abu Rukkun, Druze from Isafiya, Druze Council

With support from and signing also:
Rabbi David Bigman, Ma’ale Gilboa Yeshiva
Father Nael Abu Rahmoun, Anglican Church, Nazareth
Sheikh Sameer Asi, Imam of Al-Jazzar mosque, Acco
Sister Trudy Nabuurs, Sisters of Zion at Ecce Homo Convent, Via Dolorosa

اتحاد تراث ابراهيم، مجموعة القادة الدينيين من اليهود والمسلمين والمسيحيين والدروز، يعملون سوية في العشر سنوات الاخيرة من أجل خلق انسجام ديني مشترك في البلاد. نحن النساء والرجال التابعون لديانات هذه البلاد- بلادنا- نلتقي سوية ونمشي سوية ونأكل معا ونصلي كل واحد منا الى جانب الآخر باحترام متبادل، ونعيش كمثال للسلام والحياة المشتركة.

في الوقت الحاضر، بودنا أن نطعم عقلية الجمهور، بما نعرفه منذ سنين – بأن هذه الديانات يوجد فيها من يؤمن بالنعيم والحب والسلام.

واننا ندين جميع الأعمال العدائية والمتطرفة، والتي تقام بإسم الدين ضد مجموعاتنا الأخرى، نحن نؤمن ونعلم بأن جميع الأماكن المقدسة لجميع الديانات في الديار المقدسة، لا يدنسوا بأي شكل أو سبب.

نحن الرجال والنساء المؤمنين بإلهٍ واحد، نجتمع سوية ونخطو سوية ونحتفل ونصلي كل الى جانب أخيه وصاحبه باحترام متبادل.

نحن أبناء آدم وحواء وأبناء أبينا ابراهيم، للأسف فقد نسينا في الفترة الأخيرة بأننا عائلة واحدة، وقد جئنا اليوم لنكون سوية الشعبين وجميع الأديان، تعالوا نذكر بأننا عائلة واحدة.

كمثال: نعيش سوية ونحيا معا.

אנחנו נשים וגברים ששייכים לדתות של הארץ הזאת- הארץ שלנו- נפגשים ביחד, צועדים ביחד, אוכלים ביחד ומתפללים כל אחד זה לצד זה בכבוד הדדי, חיים כדוגמה של שלום וחיים משותפים.

בזמנים כאלו, אנו רוצים להביא לתודעת הציבור, מה שידוע לנו כבר שנים – כל הדתות הנ”ל מאמינות בדרכי נועם אהבה ושלום.

אנחנו מגנים את כל פעילויות האיבה הגזענות והאלימות, הנעשות בשם הדת, נגד קהילותינו השונות. אנחנו מאמינים ומלמדים שמקומות הקדושים לכל הדתות בארץ הקודש, לא יחוללו בשום אופן או סיבה.

אנחנו בני אדם וחווה, בני אברהם אבינו, לצערינו בתקופה האחרונה שכחנו שאנחנו מאותה משפחה, והיום הגענו להיות ביחד,ערבים ויהודים, בואו לזכור

שאנחנו משפחה אחת.