Date: Monday, July 20, 2026

Time: 12:00 p.m. (Luncheon) & 7:00 p.m. (Main Presentation)

Location: Grace Episcopal Church, 385 Essex St., Salem, MA 01970

Cost: Luncheon: $5 (RSVP required); Evening Presentation: Free (Donations welcome)

Description: Join Grace Episcopal Church in welcoming international peacemaker, Sufi master, and musician Abed Manasra from Nazareth, Israel. Manasra, the Israel programs manager for the Abrahamic Reunion, will share his experiences using interreligious dialogue and music to bridge divides and foster grassroots peace among youth in the Holy Land. Attendees will also experience a brief musical demonstration on the oud, a traditional Middle Eastern lute.

Contact/RSVP: [email protected] or call (617) 870-8942.

Dear friends,

It is our great honor to host our friend Sheikh Abed Manasra from Nazareth, Israel and Sarasota, Florida. He will be visiting Charlottesville with his family later this month, after having been on a speaking tour in some of our northeastern states’ Sufi and Jewish communities.

Sheikh Abed is a leader in the Abrahamic Reunion, a spiritually-oriented peace-building effort in “The Holy Land” which has been active for almost 25 years. He works especially with young Israelis and Palestinians toward healing trauma, and enabling the possibilities of peace and interfaith cooperation in this troubled land.

We are inviting you to our home in Charlottesville on Thursday, July 30 at 7:00 – 8:30 PM to meet Sheikh Abed, who will share the delights of his Oud music, offer some insights on his work with the Abrahamic Reunion, and lead a bit of Sufi Spiritual Practice (chanting).

Please let us know soon if you will be able to join us. This will allow us to reserve a space for you. There is no cost; donations to the Abrahamic Reunion are appreciated, but not necessary.

Peace and blessings,

Ron and Rabia

Contact for Details: [email protected]

Presenters

Sheikh Abd Elsalam Manasra

Interreligious Dialogue Expert, Rising Tide International

Holy Land Programs Director for Abrahamic Reunion

Sheikh in the Sufi Qadiri Tariqa as-Salaam of the Holy Land.

Abed comes from a family of peacemakers, his father and grandfather are both Palestinian-Israeli interfaith peacemakers and blazed pathways to dialogue in the Holy Land.

He is a skilled musician in the Oud, playing classical Arabic music, Palestinian songs, and Sufi hymns, often performing with his wife on vocals.

Abed oversees the Young Peacebuilders Training Program for the Abrahamic Reunion, and has tons of stories about the work on the ground.