“אני חושב שזה מעגל מאוד מאוד מעמיק לכיוון ההכרה, לכיוון הגישור.”
“I think this is a very, very deep circle toward recognition, toward bridging.”
Shiekh Ghassan Manasra
May 25th, 2026, Zoom across the Holy Land
For the opening session of what hopes to be an ongoing dialogue between Muslim and Jewish religious leaders in the Holy Land, 3 Rabbis and 5 Imams and Sheikhs convened to discuss the topic of “Abraham’s search for God.”
The group is convened by Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, AR International Director, and Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen, of Yakar Jerusalem, and also featured Imam Dr. Khalid Abu Ras, AR Peacebuilder & Shalom-Hartman Institute Fellow; Sheikh Helme Hamad of the Qadiri Tariqat as-Salaam, Sheikh Abed Elsalam Manasra of AR/Rising Tide; Rabbi Isaac Lifshitz; and several others.
Dr. Khaled opened the session by reciting verses from Surat Al-An’am and introducing Abraham’s search for God as the theme of the discussion. Rabbi Shlomo followed by comparing the Qur’anic account with Jewish Midrashic sources, while Rabbi Isaac added historical context and discussed the origins of these traditions.
Sheikh Helmi then spoke about Abraham’s journey to faith and the role of reflection in understanding God.
Throughout the session, speakers focused on the similarities between the Qur’anic and Jewish accounts of Abraham, showing how both traditions describe his journey to knowing God.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks, thanking participants for their contributions and encouraging continued dialogue in future sessions.
“This is the circle that we created many years ago, and I always felt that this is the path that leads to a deep understanding… it’s better to learn together to attain the religious-scientific or scientific-religious inspiration through which we can build connections.”Why I thought we should renew this circle now?
Because during a very, very turbulent time today, the time of wars and what is happening in the Middle East, at least we can give a little light to the people around us: to the congregants, to the students of the synagogue, and to everyone. Showing that here we are together, we understand one another, we don’t agree on everything, but at least we are together. We are working to mend things a bit between us…We are together, we have commonalities, the scriptures, all the sacred things that we study, and the sacred texts and everything.
So, thank God, what we are doing is truly something important. And we are not meeting just for a simple study circle, no, we are diving deep because it is truly theological, philosophical, very important work that we are doing, which really drives our desire, the desire of our inner thought to develop and to do more and more.”
Shiekh Ghassan Manasra
Quotes:
- “Reason does not prevent us from practicing tawakkul (trust and reliance on God), and tawakkul does not prevent us from using reason.” ~ Dr. Imam Khalid Abu Ras
- אבל אלוהים, הוא לא צריך מישהו להוכיח שהוא קיים.” “But God does not need someone to prove that He exists.” ~ Dr. Imam Khalid Abu Ras
- “זה ממש משהו מרתק שאנחנו מסתכלים בעין היסטורית ובעין תיאולוגית כדי להתמקד במשמעות הכללית של זה” “It’s truly fascinating that we’re looking at this both historically and theologically to focus on its broader meaning.” ~ Rabbi Shlomo
“אנשים… רוצים להאמין… ויש להם משבר ויש להם שאלות, והם צריכים תמיכה. הם צריכים תמיכה שבאה גם מהשכל.” “People want to believe… but they have doubts and questions, and they need support. They need support that also comes through reason.” ~ Rabbi Shlomo
The goals of this program are to:
- Encourage peace and mutual understanding through shared religious dialogue.
- Study Abraham’s search for God through Surat Al-An’am.
- Discuss the roles of reason, faith, and revelation in knowing God.
- Compare Islamic and Jewish interpretations of Abraham’s journey, highlighting shared teachings in the Qur’an and Jewish tradition.
This first session provided participants with a deeper understanding of how Islam and Judaism interpret the story of Abraham. The many similarities explored throughout the discussion reinforced the value of dialogue in building understanding and peaceful relationships between the Muslim and Jewish communities.
We look forward to keeping you updated on the ongoing connection of this circle of dialogue, organized by Sheikh Ghassan Manasra.
Reporting by Or Akta and Chris Miller
