Abrahamic Reunion

Wisdom of Storytelling
2025-07-10 20:00 - 21:30 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
Exploring Wisdom in Sacred Storytelling
Thursday, July 10th, 2025 at 8:00pm EDT.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Sirkar Ira Harritt of the Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact chris@abrahamicreunion.org
Zoom Join Link

GLOBAL PEACE TRIBE ONLINE EVENT (POSTPONED)
2025-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 UTC
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED

GLOBAL PEACE TRIBE ONLINE EVENT
Join Abd Alsalam Mansara, Ted Brownstein, and others online with the Global Peace Tribe. New Date TBA.
Global Peace Tribe Website Click Here

Peace through Understanding: Interfaith Text Study Online
2025-08-26 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Halifax) | Zoom, FL, United States
Visit Our Website

Multi-faith Dialogue re: Eid al-Adha, The Sacrifice of Isaac/Ishmael

Zoom Join Link Click Here

Join this enlightening interfaith program
Wednesday, August 26, 7:00pm, Online via Zoom
Explore the mystical meanings of The Story of Joseph and his Brothers
Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Baha’i perspectives on this fascinating topic.
In partnership with Rising Tide International and Lake Worth Interfaith Network.

Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra
Sufi Sheikh, Interreligious Dialogue Expert & Lecturer at Rising Tide International

Ted Brownstein
Torah scholar, Lake Worth Interfaith Network

Interreligious Dialogue with Female Leaders
June 11th: Online via Zoom
Time, Details, Zoom Link coming soon

Peace, Salam, Shalom and Lots of Hope

Support for Peace in the Middle East
The Abrahamic Reunion is supported by people who believe in people-to-people peacebuilding programs for long-term changemaking in in the Holy Land.
Help us keep hope for peace in Israel-Palestine alive, and protect the vision of harmonious, pluralistic coexistence with a donation today.
Donation Levels
$50 sponsors one Iftar attendee
$100 sponsors transportation for 5 peacebuilders to an event
$300 covers one Women’s Peacebuilding Circle meeting
$1,500 covers an Interfaith Concert at our events
$2,500 – Sponsor a Prayer Vigil (Named sponsor, or anonymous)
$3,000 sponsors a Young Peacebuilders all-day Peace Journey for 20+ attendees
$10,000 sponsors the Annual Peace Summit (Named or Anonymous)

Thanks to all our supporters! If you would like to support our work, please click here.

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Paypal

Planned & Legacy Gifts

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4-Day Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Holy Land
2025-09-11 11:00 - 2025-09-14 12:00 UTC
4-Day Prayer Vigil for Peace
Sept 11-14, 2025
11am EDT
Prayer for Peace & Compassion
Featuring different Palestinian and/or Israeli peace leaders each Vigil – all faiths and people welcome.
Hosted by International Director Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Rising Tide International’s Interfaith Lecturer Abed Manasra, and US Chair David Less

Prayer vigil for peace in Israel/Palestine, Featuring different Palestinian and/or Israeli peace leaders each Vigil – all faiths and people welcome.
We join our hearts, minds, and spirits across the world in connection for the manifestation of The Day After The War, for peace and safety for all people in the Holy Land, an end to the killing and bloodshed, and healing.
Hosted by International Director Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Rising Tide International’s Abed Manasra, and Co-Founder David Less
Recordings
The Vigils will continue to be uploaded to our YouTube Channel as well.
SUPPORT PEACE CLICK HERE
WAYS TO SUPPORT PEACE RIGHT NOW
DONATE to support the peacemakers: https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/abrahamic-reunion/website-donations-copy
INTERNATIONAL DONATION LINK: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E352158&id=1
Thank you for supporting!!
PAYPAL to theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com
CONNECT on Instagram and Facebook and share posts to help spread the word.
INVITE Friends to the Prayer Vigil to be together: https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/event/
SUBSCRIBE to the AR Newsletter: https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/
PRAY Keep peace, the Israelies, Palestinians, Gazans, and especially the peacemakers in your daily prayers, for peace, protection, and safety. And join us for the Prayer Vigil – Zoom Join Link Click Below

Friends of the Vigil

Havurah Shir Hadash, Ashland, OR

Become Friend of the Vigil:

Have your Congregation or Organization’s Logo listed on the Prayer Vigil Announcements & Website.
Forward this email and future vigil announcements to your congregation / organization / group, post to social media, and/or post on your website.
Confirm and send your logo to chris@abrahamicreunion.org

Sponsor a Vigil:

Have your Congregation or Organization’s Logo listed on the Prayer Vigil Announcements & Website with special featuring and mention for the vigil that you sponsor.
Forward this email and future vigil announcements to your congregation / organization / group, post to social media, and/or post on your website.
Donation of $2,000 USD.
Confirm and send your logo to chris@abrahamicreunion.org. Call 941-993-9994 for details.

Dear Friends of Peace,
The conflict in the Holy Land is breaking so many hearts right now, and no eye can be dry when aware of the level of pain, suffering, and destruction occurring in this sacred place.
It is incumbent on those who are in any way connected with the Abrahamic Reunion to use our most powerful force, which is praying together for peace and compassion.
We have continually affirmed that religions, coming together in the name of peace, are a most potent force in awakening us to our connection with each other.
It is time for us to unite and use the power of prayer to reawaken the sleeping consciousness of those who are calling for more pain and more destruction and ask them, through the power of peaceful prayer, to cease hostilities and affirm the relationship of all human beings in the family of humanity.
Towards that end we are initiating a prayer vigil every day to connect people of conscience with each other and magnetize the prayer for peace in unison with the will of God to create a truly holy and peaceful land.
We are all witnessing the powerful destruction and pain unleashed by human beings responding to emotional upheaval with violence.
The peace we are praying for is the power that can shift the balance in the Holy Land towards a gentle, humane, and just settlement amongst all aggrieved parties.
Please come and pray with us.

Thank you,

David Less
Chairman of the Board
Abrahamic Reunion USA danceInterfaith Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Holy Land

Songs of Peace -- International Peace Day Concert, Online
2025-09-21 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Halifax) | Zoom, FL, United States
SAVE THE DATE!
Calendar Invitation Click Here
Online Peace Concert for the Abrahamic Reunion’s 20th Anniversary + International Day of Peace
Sunday, September 21st,
1pm EDT (6pm UK, 7pm CET, 8pm Holy Land)
Zoom Join Link — Click Here
Musicians, Spiritual Leaders, and Peacemakers from around the world are coming together for a very special Online Peace Concert with live performances, prayers, inspirational moments, and more!
Featuring music from Fred Rashid Johnson, Amir Peter O’Loughlin, Abd Alsalam Manasra, Sura Charlier + Steven Thrush, Pir Shabda Kahn, & More!
Prayers & words of inspiration from: Jack Kornfield, Tamam Kahn, Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered, Ted Brownstein, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, David Less, and many more AR, peace, and global leaders TBA.
Contact: chris@abrahamicreunion.org
MUSICAL OFFERINGS
Fred Johnson
Fred Johnson The Artist BIO – TNT Groove International artist, Frederick “Fred” Johnson was born in Morristown New Jersey and has been making music for as long as he can remember. He has spent the last 50 years sharing the great tradition of vocal jazz interpretation and improvisation with audiences throughout the world. He has performed and recorded with as well as opened for some of the greatest of America’s Jazz and R&B Icons, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Cedar Walton, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Zawinul, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Richard Elliot, Patti LaBelle, just to name a few. He is rooted in the ancient vocal practices of melodic narrative and has been nurtured by masters of the West African oral traditions. He has likewise spent a lifetime studying and performing this great American treasure, Jazz! He cherishes the joy of makin’ music and states it with a smile on his face during every performance, thrilling audiences of all kinds around the world! Fred believes that Music heals and touches the world, one heart at a time. “What greater gift than to be a part of creating these experiences for humanity., Fred Johnson”
Pir Shabda Kahn

Pir Shabda Kahn is the Pir (spiritual director) of Sufi Ruhaniat International and a Spiritual Guide for the Dances of Universal Peace, succeeding Murshid Samuel Lewis and his lineage. He is also a teacher and performer of Hindustani classical vocal music in the Kirana Gharana tradition, as well as a disciple of the 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche. Shabda Kahn leads Sufi retreats, emphasizing practices like breath mysticism, zikr, and music to foster a universal spiritual path based on love, tolerance, compassion, and courage.

Amir Peter O’Loughlin
Amir O’Loughlin has been one of North America’s pioneering ambassadors of inter-spiritual music for over 45 years. In the early 1980’s he led The Vancouver Sufi Choir and recorded (with Aziza Cooper) a groundbreaking collection of chants and songs from the world’s many religious traditions. In 1985, Amir founded and conducted The Universal Gospel Choir, a powerhouse interfaith vocal ensemble that just celebrated its 40th anniversary. He has produced two highly acclaimed albums of his own contemporary Sufi Music (‘Merhaba’ and his collection of musical settings of Rumi poetry ‘Opener of Wings’ with The Keemia Ensemble), and led hundreds of spiritual music events and “Universal Kirtans”, an interfaith approach to Kirtan chanting and group singing.
Sura Charlier + Steven Thrush
Sura has over 45 years of experience as a professional performer, arranger, composer, private teacher, music director, and recording artist skilled in the styles of classical, jazz, blues, Latin, gospel, R & B, flamenco, show music, pop, and sacred music (classical through contemporary.) Credits include membership in the Roadside Attraction Big Band, (including the Duke Ellington Sacred Concert, Gig Harbor and Bellevue Jazz Festivals), pit orchestras for touring broadway shows, the Village Theater, Civic Light Opera, Shoreline Community College, Broadway Bound Children’s Theater, and performances with the Seattle Philharmonic, the Federal Way Symphony, the Federal Way Swing Band, the Seattle Seahawks Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd , Arthur Duncan, and La Peña Flamenca de Seattle. Sura was a founding member of the Cascade Jazz Quintet, performing in multimedia concerts of poetry, nature photography, original live music, and dance. In addition to her work as a professional composer/performer soulgardenmusic.com, Sura serves as a spiritual teacher, guide, retreat guide sacredhealingsacredretreat.com, and healing conductor in the Universal Sufi lineage of Hazrat Inayat Khan, and is a minister of the Universal Worship Service. She is the founder/director of the Kalyan Center kalyancenter.org, a center for arts, letters, and spirituality.
Abed Alsalam Manasra
Sheikh Abd alsalam Manasra is Interreligious Dialogue Lecturer for Rising Tide International in Sarasota, FL, the Israeli Programs Manager for the Abrahamic Reunion, and an ordained Sheikh in the Tariqat Qadriyya As-Salaam (Qadiri Sufi Order Of Peace). He is also a musician and actively organizes interfaith dialogue and gatherings for youth and young adults in and around Nazareth and across the Holy Land, and interfaith programs in Sarasota FL and internationally.
Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin
Rabbi Ytzhak Husbands-Hankin is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Beth Israel in Eugene, Oregon. He is the founder of the Swords Into Plowshares project of UNESCO. This project envisions the turning from global militarism to global peacebuilding. Rabbi Yitz is an accomplished musician playing cello, guitar, composing and recording his songs.
PRESENTERS
Jack Kornfield

Jack trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology, and is a father, husband, and activist. His books include A Path with Heart; Buddha’s Little Instruction Book; Teachings of the Buddha; Seeking the Heart of Wisdom; Living Dharma; A Still Forest Pool; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness and Peace; The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; and Bringing Home the Dharma: Awakening Right Where You Are.

Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered

Rabbi Leora Ezrachi-Vered was born in Jerusalem a third-generation interfaith activist, and was brought up in a religious, liberal, and Zionist home. After being ordained by the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem, she became the rabbi of Nigun Halev, a liberal Jewish congregation in the Jezreel Valley. She is the Co-Director of Spirit of Galilee, an interfaith dialogue organization in Israel, and a long-time collaborator with the Abrahamic Reunion, since 2019. https://www.spiritofthegalilee.org.il/

Imam Khalil Albaz
Imam Khalil is a Bedouin Spokesman and Imam, caretaker of the Mosque in Tel Sheva, in the Negev. Khalil took part in the annual Bearing Witness retreat in Auschwitz. He is a co-founder of the Abrahamic Reunion with his late wife, Sana Albaz, and has been a passionate voice for peace in the Negev and Holy Land for decades.
Tamam Kahn
Tamam Kahn is a poet, lecturer, and author of two books about the women in the family of Prophet Muhammad: Untold, A History of the Wives of Prophet Muhammad and Fatima’s Touch: Poems and Stories of the Prophet’s Daughter. She is a senior teacher in the Sufi Ruhaniat International. She has been immersed in Sufism for 40 years.
Rev. Dr. Gary Mason

The Rev. Dr. Gary Mason is a Methodist minister who founded and directs the Belfast-based conflict transformation nonprofit Rethinking Conflict. Previously, he spent 28 years as a Methodist clergyperson in Belfast and played a role in the Irish peace process.

Ted Brownstein
AR USA Board of Directors member Ted Brownstein is a Jewish-Baha’i living in Lake Worth, Florida with his wife, Chris. He holds a Master’s Degree in Biblical Hebrew from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He teaches various seminars and courses on Christian, Muslim and Bahá’í topics at Magdalene Carney Bahá’í Institute and has developed and taught classes for the Wilmette Institute on Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible. He was the co-founder of Lake Worth Interfaith Network in 2005 and currently serves on its Board of Directors and as Treasurer. He has served as an Ambassador for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, 2015 – 2021. He is the author of four books.
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra is an ordained Sheikh in the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land, and son of Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra – head of the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land. He is the founder of Anwar-Il-Salaam, the Lights of Peace Center in Nazareth, and Director of Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth. He is International Executive Director of Abrahamic Union.
Ghassan is an expert and lectures in Islam, Islamic history, Sufism, and contemporary Muslim issues in the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. He is married to daughter of late Sheikh Baghdadi, renowned Muslim leader, and Holy Land facilitator in interfaith dialogue projects. Ghassan has received multiple awards and accolades for his peacemaking, including most recently the 2014 “Outstanding Leader in Interreligious Dialogue Award” from the Dialogue Institute at Temple University.
David Less
David Less is a global meditation teacher, author, and peacemaker known for his decades of work in interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. A lifelong practitioner of Sufism, he is a co-founder and current chairman of the Abrahamic Reunion, a non-profit dedicated to peacebuilding in the Holy Land.

Knowing Each Other -- Interfaith Text Study, "Joseph & His Brothers, Healing the Hate"
2025-09-26 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom, FL, United States
Sacred Storytelling:
Joseph and his Brothers – Healing the Hate
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Thursday, September 26th, 2025 at 7:00pm EDT.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Rabbi Debra Smith, Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact: chris@abrahamicreunion.org
CLICK TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING

Knowing Each Other -- Interfaith Text Study, "Joseph & His Brothers, Healing the Hate"
2025-11-25 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
Sacred Storytelling:
Joseph and his Brothers – Healing the Hate (Part 3)
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Tuesday, November 25th, 2025 at 7:00pm EDT.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Zuleikha Storydancer, The Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact: chris@abrahamicreunion.org
CLICK TO JOIN THE ZOOM MEETING

From Pain to Peace: Meet the New Young Peacebuilders
2025-12-02 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom, FL, United States
Join us to meet the new Young Peacebuilders!
“I learned this week that it’s possible to change the world through love.” — Or Akta, Young Peacebuilders Participant
Tuesday, December 2nd, 1pm EST / 8pm Holy Land
Zoom Join Link
This past October, 12 young Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders traveled to Germany for “From Pain to Peace,” a week-long intensive training in trauma-informed peacebuilding with Abrahamic Reunion leaders and guest specialists.
Ages ranged from 19-37, and included 5 Jews, 4 Muslims, 2 Druze, and 1 Christian participant from East & West Jerusalem, Nazareth, Haifa, Daliat al-Carmel, & more.
Among the documented results of the program were:

Participants reported significant growth in empathy, intercultural understanding, and personal healing;
100% expressed increased motivation to continue peace work in their communities;
90% indicated that trauma and interfaith workshops helped them reframe personal pain into constructive dialogue;
Several new cross-faith initiatives were proposed for 2026, including joint youth exchanges and interfaith service projects in Israel and Palestine

This Giving Tuesday, You are invited to meet them, hear about their experiences, see photos and video, and share in the hope that they carry for creating a better, more peaceful and understanding Holy Land.
It’s our hope that you will be inspired by connecting with them, and those who are able, will help us continue this training next year, each month, so that we can continue empowering a new wave of peace leaders.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Bjoern & Sarah Rech, Paul K. Chappell from Peace Literacy Institute, Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Zeller, Chris Miller, and more.
Zoom Join Link
Info: Chris@abrahamicreunion.org

Spiritual Origins of the Abrahamic Reunion with David Less & Iqbal Lewis
2025-12-22 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Shahabuddin David Less and Jonathan Iqbal Lewis reflect on the influence of their Sufi teacher, Murshid Samuel Lewis, also known as Sufi Ahmed Murad Chishti or Sufi SAM, the originator of the Dances of Universal Peace.
In the 1970’s, SAM had developed a peace plan for the Middle East and Israel, and inspired Iqbal and Shahabuddin to take up the torch of his project, “Halleluia the Three Rings,” and dedicate different times in their lives to working for peace.
Other special guests may feature, TBA.
Please note: Time of this program may change.

NYE Unity Prayer & Peace Concert
2025-12-31 11:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
SAVE THE DATE!
New Years Eve — Dec 31st, 11am EST
Free! / Donation –> RSVP via Eventbrite
Join the Abrahamic Reunion and friends to set the intention for peace, salaam, and shalom at the turning of the year.
Featuring:

Fred Johnson, renowned jazz singer, musician, performer, & workshop leader
Bayati Ensemble, from Kansas City, MO (Featuring Amir & Amory)
Barbara Schmitz, Poet from Nebraska
David Less, AR USA Co-Chair, Co-Founder
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, AR International Director, Peacemaker for 35+ Years
Rabbi David Zaslow, Havurah Shir Hadash, Ashland, Oregon
More Guests TBA!

Free Zoom Join Link via Eventbrite Registration

Yair Dalal
YAIR DALAL composer, violinist, oud player singer and a teacher; A prolific ethnic musician, plays an important role in shaping the global world music scene. Over the last decade he has put 12 albums, covering wide and varied cultural territory, and authentically representing Israeli , Jewish and Middle Eastern cultures and fusing them through music as whole.
Fred Johnson
Fred Johnson The Artist BIO – TNT Groove International artist, Frederick “Fred” Johnson was born in Morristown New Jersey and has been making music for as long as he can remember. He has spent the last 50 years sharing the great tradition of vocal jazz interpretation and improvisation with audiences throughout the world. He has performed and recorded with as well as opened for some of the greatest of America’s Jazz and R&B Icons, Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Cedar Walton, Ramsey Lewis, Joe Zawinul, Aretha Franklin, George Benson, Richard Elliot, Patti LaBelle, just to name a few. He is rooted in the ancient vocal practices of melodic narrative and has been nurtured by masters of the West African oral traditions. He has likewise spent a lifetime studying and performing this great American treasure, Jazz! He cherishes the joy of makin’ music and states it with a smile on his face during every performance, thrilling audiences of all kinds around the world! Fred believes that Music heals and touches the world, one heart at a time. “What greater gift than to be a part of creating these experiences for humanity., Fred Johnson”

Barbara Schmitz studied writing at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics where she was Allen Ginsberg’s apprentice. She taught writing and literature at Northeast College for thirty years, founded and coordinated the Visiting Writer’s Series there. Two of her five volumes of poetry have won the Nebraska Center for the Writer awards. Her latest Just Outside was published by Sandhills Press in 2019. Sundown at Faith Regional is forthcoming from Pinyon which published her memoir Path of Lightning: A Seeker’s Jagged Journey about spiritual practice, relationship and travel with her Sufi guide to India, Turkey, Bali, and Jerusalem. She lives on Highway 81 with husband Bob writing to the rhythms of the Highway River and practicing meditation.
Bayati Music Ensemble
Bayati performs classical Arabic and Middle Eastern Music, based in Kansas City, MO.

Rabbi David Zaslow
Serves as Rabbi of Havurah Shir Hadash in Ashland, Oregon, where he has hosted Sheikh Ghassan Manasra of the Abrahamic Reunion. Rabbi David Zaslow was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947. He was ordained in 1995 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi under the supervision and mentorship of Rabbi Aryeh Hirschfield. In the summer of 1996 he became spiritual leader of the Havurah, which was founded in June 1985. In 2003 he completed his term as a Spiritual Advisor to ALEPH, the umbrella organization of the Jewish Renewal movement. He is a longstanding interfaith advocate and leader.
Abed Alsalam Manasra
Sheikh Abd alsalam Manasra is Interreligious Dialogue Lecturer for Rising Tide International in Sarasota, FL, the Israeli Programs Manager for the Abrahamic Reunion, and an ordained Sheikh in the Tariqat Qadriyya As-Salaam (Qadiri Sufi Order Of Peace). He is also a musician and actively organizes interfaith dialogue and gatherings for youth and young adults in and around Nazareth and across the Holy Land, and interfaith programs in Sarasota FL and internationally.
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra is an ordained Sheikh in the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land, and son of Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra – head of the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land. He is the founder of Anwar-Il-Salaam, the Lights of Peace Center in Nazareth, and Director of Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth. He is International Executive Director of Abrahamic Union.
Ghassan is an expert and lectures in Islam, Islamic history, Sufism, and contemporary Muslim issues in the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. He is married to daughter of late Sheikh Baghdadi, renowned Muslim leader, and Holy Land facilitator in interfaith dialogue projects. Ghassan has received multiple awards and accolades for his peacemaking, including most recently the 2014 “Outstanding Leader in Interreligious Dialogue Award” from the Dialogue Institute at Temple University.
David Less
David Less is a global meditation teacher, author, and peacemaker known for his decades of work in interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. A lifelong practitioner of Sufism, he is a co-founder and current chairman of the Abrahamic Reunion, a non-profit dedicated to peacebuilding in the Holy Land.

Interreligious Dialogue Circle
2026-02-26 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Peace Through Understanding:
Knowing ‘The Other’ via Interreligious Dialogue
February Topic: “The Spiritual Power of Fasting”
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Next Session: Tuesday, November 25th, 7pm ET
Zoom Link Click Here
Format:
This series features presentations from each religious tradition for 5-10 minutes per presenter, small-group discussions, followed by a full-group reflection and discussion of the theme.
Please come ready to dialogue with an open mind, and learn about others’ practices and beliefs.
This is a welcoming space where we learn more deeply about our own traditions and selves by learning about each other’s perspectives and traditions on common stories, themes, and practices.
By knowing each other’s traditions, we dismantle separation, fear of the unknown, misconception, and create a more connected, understanding, and inclusive world. Peace starts with each of us!
RECORDINGS of past Text Study Sessions now available on the AR Website and Youtube.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Reb. Jenny Kuvin, Chris Miller of Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact: theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com

Interreligious Dialogue Circle
2026-03-26 19:00 - 20:30 UTC
Peace Through Understanding:
Knowing ‘The Other’ via Interreligious Dialogue
March Topic: “The Oneness of Humanity”
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Next Session: Thursday, March 26th, 7pm ET
Zoom Link Click Here
Format:
This series features presentations from each religious tradition for 5-10 minutes per presenter, small-group discussions, followed by a full-group reflection and discussion of the theme.
Please come ready to dialogue with an open mind, and learn about others’ practices and beliefs.
This is a welcoming space where we learn more deeply about our own traditions and selves by learning about each other’s perspectives and traditions on common stories, themes, and practices.
By knowing each other’s traditions, we dismantle separation, fear of the unknown, misconception, and create a more connected, understanding, and inclusive world. Peace starts with each of us!
RECORDINGS of past Text Study Sessions now available on the AR Website and Youtube.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Reb. Jenny Kuvin, Chris Miller of Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact: theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com

Giving Challenge Online with David Less, Ghassan Manasra, Abed Manasra, More!
2026-04-15 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
SARASOTA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GIVING CHALLENGE MATCHING FUND

Double your Donation!! Giving Challenge Donation Link

Join the Zoom Meeting

DOUBLE YOUR DONATION FOR PEACE
Sarasota Community Foundation is offering it’s annual matching funds Giving Challenge, April 15th, 12 ET – April 16th, 12pm ET.
Donations must be received in the 24hr window.
All donations, up to $100, will be matched by a donor, through the Sarasota Community Foundation — help us access these funds with your donations!
You can be anywhere in the world, just donate through this link to get the matching funds for Abrahamic Reunion.
We will use these funds in 2026 to bring together a Women’s Dialogue Circle online and in the Holy Land; continue the 3-year Young Peacebuilders Training Program; Facilitate Peacebuilding at all levels in the Holy Land; Organize Peacebuilding Programs in Sarasota and the US.
Thank you so much for your support.
ONLINE PROGRAM
Join us LIVE, online at 12pm ET on Wednesday, April 16th, to kick off the Giving Challenge!
David Less, Ghassan Manasra, Abed Elsalam Manasra, and Chris Miller, and the Abrahamic Reunion will kick off this event on Wednesday with a live program online featuring music, updates from the ground about in the Holy Land during the wars, inspirational messages about peace, and news from our Young Peacebuilders program.
Please join us!!

Double your Donation!! Giving Challenge Donation Link

Join the Zoom Meeting

Presenters

Sheikh Ghassan Manasra
International Director, Abrahamic Reunion, 35+ years as a peacebuilder, peacemaker, facilitator, and dialogue expert in the Holy Land.

David Less
Co-Founder, Abrahamic Reunion, Co-Chair, Abrahamic Reunion USA. Global meditation teacher.

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. Skilled oud player.

Rev. Chris Miller
Executive Director, Abrahamic Reunion, Cherag (Minister) of the Universal Worship.

Prayer Vigil for Peace in the Holy Land & Middle East
2026-04-20 11:00 - 2026-04-23 12:00 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
Starts Monday, April 20th, 11am EDT

Featuring different Palestinian and/or Israeli peace leaders each Vigil – all faiths and people welcome.

Hosted by International Director Sheikh Ghassan Manasra

Recordings
The Vigils will continue to be uploaded to our YouTube Channel as well.
SUPPORT PEACE CLICK HERE
Prayer vigil for peace in Israel/Palestine, Featuring different Palestinian and/or Israeli peace leaders each Vigil – all faiths and people welcome.
We join our hearts, minds, and spirits across the world in connection for the manifestation of The Day After The War, for peace and safety for all people in the Holy Land, an end to the killing and bloodshed, and healing.
Hosted by International Director Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, with Co-Founder David Less

WAYS TO SUPPORT PEACE RIGHT NOW
DONATE to support the peacemakers: https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/abrahamic-reunion/website-donations-copy
INTERNATIONAL DONATION LINK: https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E352158&id=1
Thank you for supporting!!
PAYPAL to theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com
CONNECT on Instagram and Facebook and share posts to help spread the word.
INVITE Friends to the Prayer Vigil to be together: https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/event/
SUBSCRIBE to the AR Newsletter: https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/subscribe-to-our-newsletter/
PRAY Keep peace, the Israelies, Palestinians, Gazans, and especially the peacemakers in your daily prayers, for peace, protection, and safety. And join us for the Prayer Vigil – Zoom Join Link Click Below
Email: info@abrahamicreunion.org for help joining

Friends of the Vigil

Havurah Shir Hadash, Ashland, OR

Become Friend of the Vigil:

Have your Congregation or Organization’s Logo listed on the Prayer Vigil Announcements & Website.
Forward this email and future vigil announcements to your congregation / organization / group, post to social media, and/or post on your website.
Confirm and send your logo to chris@abrahamicreunion.org

Sponsor a Vigil:

Have your Congregation or Organization’s Logo listed on the Prayer Vigil Announcements & Website with special featuring and mention for the vigil that you sponsor.
Forward this email and future vigil announcements to your congregation / organization / group, post to social media, and/or post on your website.
Donation of $2,000 USD.
Confirm and send your logo to chris@abrahamicreunion.org. Call 941-993-9994 for details.

Dear Friends of Peace,
The conflict in the Holy Land and Middle East is breaking so many hearts right now, and no eye can be dry when aware of the level of pain, suffering, and destruction occurring in this sacred place.
It is incumbent on those who are in any way connected with the Abrahamic Reunion to use our most powerful force, which is praying together for peace and compassion.
We have continually affirmed that religions, coming together in the name of peace, are a most potent force in awakening us to our connection with each other.
It is time for us to unite and use the power of prayer to reawaken the sleeping consciousness of those who are calling for more pain and more destruction and ask them, through the power of peaceful prayer, to cease hostilities and affirm the relationship of all human beings in the family of humanity.
Towards that end we are initiating a prayer vigil every day to connect people of conscience with each other and magnetize the prayer for peace in unison with the will of God to create a truly holy and peaceful land.
We are all witnessing the powerful destruction and pain unleashed by human beings responding to emotional upheaval with violence.
The peace we are praying for is the power that can shift the balance in the Holy Land towards a gentle, humane, and just settlement amongst all aggrieved parties.
Please come and pray with us.

Thank you,

David Less
Chairman of the Board
Abrahamic Reunion USA dance

Online Interreligious Dialogue Circle: "Humility & Empathetic Listening"
2026-04-30 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
Peace Through Understanding:
Knowing ‘The Other’ via Interreligious Dialogue
Monthly Topic: “Humility & Empathetic Listening”
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Thursday, April 30th, 7pm ET
Zoom Link Click Here
Format:
This series features presentations from each religious tradition for 5-10 minutes per presenter, small-group discussions, followed by a full-group reflection and discussion of the theme.
Please come ready to dialogue with an open mind, and learn about others’ practices and beliefs.
This is a welcoming space where we learn more deeply about our own traditions and selves by learning about each other’s perspectives and traditions on common stories, themes, and practices.
By knowing each other’s traditions, we dismantle separation, fear of the unknown, misconception, and create a more connected, understanding, and inclusive world. All Welcome– Peace starts with each of us!
RECORDINGS of past Text Study Sessions now available on the AR Website and Youtube.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Rebeckah Dickerson of Templa Adath Or, Chris Miller of Abrahamic Reunion, and Friends
Contact: theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com

Songs for Hope & Peace -- Sarasota + Zoom
2026-05-05 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Rising Tide International, 5102 Swift Rd, Sarasota, FL, 34231, United States
ZOOM JOIN LINK CLICK HERE

Songs of Hope & PeaceAn Interfaith Peace Concert & Evening For PeaceTuesday, May 5th, 2026 In PERSON + ZOOM7-8pm EDT

SAVE THE DATE! FREE!
IN PERSON: Rising Tide, 5102 Swift Rd, Sarasota FL 34231
CONTACT: chris@abrahamicreunion.org, (941) 994-9994
WEB: https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/…/songs-for-hope…/
ZOOM Meeting ID: 897 2870 7670

Featured Musicians & Leaders* Aaron Lipstet* Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, AR* Rev. Ken Blyth, St. Armand’s Lutheran* Rev. Elizabeth Longo, Unity of Sarasota* Deacon Bob Griffiths, St. Boniface* Sheikh Abed Manasra, Rising Tide* Chris Miller, Abrahamic Reunion

Join us for an evening of Jewish and Sufi-Muslim music, with Musicians Aaron Lipstet and Abed Manasra, that will feature Interfaith Peacemakers from Israel-Palsestine, and prayers & words for peace from Rev. Ken Blyth, Rev. Elizabeth Longo, Deacon Bob Griffiths, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, and Chris Miller.

Peace is Possibleשלוםאפשריالسلام ممكن

Coexistence During Conflict
2026-05-20 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
ZOOM JOIN LINK CLICK HERE
COEXISTENCE DURING CONFLICT
Arab-Jewish Cooperation and Dialogue within Israeli Society
in Light of Regional Conflicts
Wednesday, May 20th, 2026 on ZOOM
1pm – 2:30pm EDT

Featured Leaders:

Avraham Burg, Former Head of the Kenesset
Mohammed Hassan Kanaan, Arab Bloc Leader
Dr. Warda Sada, Women Wage Peace
Deacon Jiries Mansour, Christian Education of the Holy Land
Avi Shaked, Businessman, Politician
Ghadir Hani, Standing Together
Prof. Dr. Muhamad Hugerat
Noa Kali, Standing Together
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Abrahamic Reunion
David Less, Abrahamic Reunion
Sheikh Abed Manasra, Abrahamic Reunion

EVENT INFO:
High-level Political, Peace, and Cultural Leaders from the Holy Land join together to discuss the work to create coexistence in Israeli society. This International Zoom kicks off a year of meetings and programs to advance shared society.
Peace is Possible
שלוםאפשרי
السلام ممكن

In light of the ongoing regional conflicts and challenges, there is an urgent need to strengthen spaces for dialogue and mutual understanding among the different components of Israeli society, particularly between Arab and Jewish leaderships and community representatives. This meeting is based on the belief that sincere and responsible dialogue serves as a vital tool for strengthening social cohesion, reducing tensions, and building a more humane environment grounded in mutual respect, diversity, and partnership.

The meeting aims to bring together academic, educational, social, and community figures from diverse backgrounds to engage in meaningful discussions on pathways for cooperation and joint action within the current reality. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of local and community leadership in promoting peacebuilding, civic partnership, and social responsibility. Furthermore, the meeting seeks to establish a sustainable foundation for future initiatives that integrate human, social, and psychological dimensions, transforming dialogue into an ongoing and impactful process.

Featured Leaders

Avraham Burg
Former Head of the Kenesset
Avraham “Avrum” Burg (Hebrew: אברהם “אברוּם” בוּרג; born 19 January 1955) is an Israeli author, politician, and businessman.[1] He was a member of the Knesset, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Head of the Knesset, and interim President of Israel. He was the first Head of the Knesset to have been born in Israel after its declaration of independence in 1948. A member of the Labor Party when he was a member of the Knesset, Burg announced in January 2015 that he had joined Hadash.[2]

Muhammed Hassan Kanaan
Arab Bloc Leader
Kanaan worked as a high school teacher in Tamra (1979), and then
Deputy Mayor of Tamra from 1980 to 1988, and then Chairman of the Board of Directors in Tamra (1989–1981), and President of the Association. He has been with Al-Sadaqa in Tamra since 1985 and became the general manager in The Arab Democratic Party in the years 1989–1990, He is a member of the Committee for the Appointment of Sharia Judges and has served as a member of
The Knesset on the United Arab List and the Nationalist Party
Al-Arabi in December (2008), and Kanaan joined the Centrist Party
Al-Arabi came in second on the Knesset list.

Ghadir Hani
Standing Together, Ambassador of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
Ghadir Hani (Arabic: غدير هاني; born November 3, 1977) is an Arab-Israeli educator and mediator, columnist, social activist, and advocate for Jewish-Arab coexistence. She is a member of the leadership of the Standing Together movement and the Women Wage Peace movement. She is the recipient of the 2018 Sami Michael Award for Social Activism, the 2020 Israeli Hope Award for Promoting Partnership in Israeli Society, the 2024 Goldberg Award, the 2025 Raya Foundation Award, the Luxembourg Prize for 2025, and the Ben-Gurion Award for 2025.

Avi Shaked
Businessman, Politician
Author of “The Greater the Risk: The Imporbable Rise of an Israeli International Business Leader and Peacemaker.” Avi Shaked is a pioneering tech entrepreneur and co-founder of 888.com (now Evoke plc), which was founded in Israel and now employs 12,000 people. A graduate of Ben-Gurion University, he has led ventures across telecommunications, online gaming, and digital innovation. Alongside his business achievements, Avi is a passionate advocate for peace, dedicating his time and resources to advancing Israeli-Palestinian dialogue and reconciliation. His career reflects a commitment to both bold innovation and bridge-building diplomacy. In 2025, Avi became co-chairman of Israel’s “Together We Succeed” party, which promotes equality between Jews and Arabs and aims to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. https://avishaked.com/

Deacon Jiries Mansour, PhD
Christian Education in Israel
Deacon Jiries is a Co-Founder of the Abrahamic Reunion, and oversees Christian Education & Schools in Israel. He is a Christiaxn Arab, Deacon in the Greek Catholic Church, former Principal of St Anthony’s Middle School in the town of Rama (Rame) in the Galilee. Under Jiries’ leadership, a new school has been developed in Rama promoting interfaith tolerance. He has also organized numerous youth interfaith projects and events. Jiries has his doctorate in the role of Christians in peace in the Middle East.

Dr. Warda Sada
Women Wage Peace
Dr. Warda Saada is an educator and activist in the fields of human rights, civil rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, and workers’ rights. She is committed to encouraging healthy public dialogue that connects different sectors of society and advocates for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
She is an active member of more than twenty local and international organizations working for peace, and through her social and humanitarian engagement, she strives to promote the values of justice, human dignity, coexistence, and dialogue among peoples and communities.

Prof. Dr. Muhamad Hugerat
Scholar, Scientist, Arab National Party, Political Commentator
Prof. Dr. Muhamad Hugerat is a renowned scholar in science and chemistry education, recognized for his contributions to innovative teaching and research-based learning. Prof. Hugerat is a mamber of the Arab National Party and frequent television and radio commentator for International and National news issues. Currently, he is a Professor of Science Education and Vice President at the Academic Arab College for Education in Haifa, Israel. He has held prominent roles, including Head of the Chemistry Education Department and of various centers focused on student-active learning and action research in science teaching. Additionally, he serves as Editor in Chief of the DARUNA Journal and is affiliated with the Center of Science Education at The Galilee Society in Shefaram.

Sheikh Hasan Tarif
Druze Sheikh
Sheikh Hasan is the son of Druze Spiritual Leader Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, and a Sheikh in the Druze Faith.

Dr. Khalid Abu Ras
Abrahamic Reunion Israel
Dr. Khalid Abu Ras is a scholar and lecturer specializing in Islamic thought, Arabic literature, and Sufism. He holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies and Arabic Literature from Bar-Ilan University. Dr. Abu Ras lectures in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature at Sakhnin Academic College and also teaches in the Department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar-Ilan University. His research focuses on Islamic mysticism, medieval Islamic philosophy, and contemporary Islamic thought, and he is likewise affiliated as a researcher with the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. In 2023, his book The Ṣūfī Shaykh of Jerusalem: The Life and Teachings of Shaykh Muḥammad Hāshim al-Baghdādī was published. Alongside his academic work, Dr. Abu Ras is actively engaged in Ṣūfī spiritual education and in promoting interreligious dialogue in Israel.

Abed Manasra
Abrahamic Reunion Programs Director
Sheikh Abed Alsalam Manasra is the Programs Director for the Abrahamic Reunion. He is an ordained Sheikh in the Tariqat Qadriyya As-Salaam (Qadiri Sufi Order Of Peace in the Holy Land), in which his father is also a Sheikh, and his Grandfather, Abdelsalam Manasra, is the Head Sheikh. He is a musician, performing classical Arabic and Sufi music and hymns with his wife, and works with young adults and youth to organize interfaith dialogue and gatherings in and around Nazareth. Abed@abrahamicreunion.org

David Less
Abrahamic Reunion Co-Founder, US Chair
David Less is a global teacher of meditation, conflict resolution and inter-faith dialog of over forty years. For over a decade he has been the Global Dean of the Universal Worship, an organization in over thirty countries, that honors the commonality in all religions and appreciates and respects the differences. He started promoting understanding rather than blame as a path to peace in the Holy Land in 2000 and was one of the founders of the Abrahamic Reunion shortly thereafter.

Ghassan Manasra
Abrahamic Reunion International Director
Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, International Director of the Abrahamic Reunion, oversees programming in the Holy Land and Internationally since 2015. He was one of the Abrahamic Reunion’s Co-Coordinators in the Holy Land from 2014-2015, before moving to the US with his family, and has been an active contributing Peacemaker with the AR for more than a decade. He is an ordained Sheikh in the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land, and son of Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra – head of the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land. He is the founder of Anwar-Il-Salaam, the Lights of Peace Center in Nazareth, and is Director, Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth. Ghassan is an expert and lectures in Islam, Islamic history, Sufism, and contemporary Muslim issues in the Middle East, Europe, and the USA. Ghassan@abrahamicreunion.org

Noa Kali
Standing Together
Noa Kali is an educator from the Western Galilee, who believes in coexistence and peace and has strived all her life to achieve that through civil activism and through education. She is a leading member of Standing Together – the Western Galilee Circle.

Online Interreligious Dialogue Circle: "Humility & Empathetic Listening"
2026-06-04 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Zoom, FL, United States
Peace Through Understanding:
Knowing ‘The Other’ via Interreligious Dialogue
Monthly Topic: “Who is God? Nature and Names”
Jewish, Muslim, Christian, & Baha’i Insights
Zoom Link Click Here
Format:
This series features presentations from each religious tradition for 5-10 minutes per presenter, small-group discussions, followed by a full-group reflection and discussion of the theme.
Please come ready to dialogue with an open mind, and learn about others’ practices and beliefs.
This is a welcoming space where we learn more deeply about our own traditions and selves by learning about each other’s perspectives and traditions on common stories, themes, and practices.
By knowing each other’s traditions, we dismantle separation, fear of the unknown, misconception, and create a more connected, understanding, and inclusive world. All Welcome– Peace starts with each of us!
RECORDINGS of past Text Study Sessions now available on the AR Website and Youtube.
With Sheikh Abd Alsalam Manasra of Rising Tide International, Ted Brownstein of Lake Worth Interfaith Network, Rev. David Grishaw-Jones, Rebeckah Dickerson of Templa Adath Or, Chris Miller of Abrahamic Reunion, or other Leaders & Friends
Contact: theabrahamicreunion@gmail.com
