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Report (September 14, 2014)
A successful Abrahamic Reunion interfaith journey on Sunday, September 14, 2014. On the bus from Jerusalem we were 40 Palestinians- including Sheikh Jamal al-Din, and women and children, from Wadi Joz, Ras al-Amud, Beit Haninah, Beit Iqsa, and 15 Israeli Jews. At the Modi’in checkpoint, the soldiers stopped us in suspicion, checking all ID’s..then pleasant shock that Jews and Arabs would be making such a journey together at this time….
Arriving in Faradis we were welcomed by Ibtisam Mahamid at her center “the Tent of Hagar and Sarah”, where another 15 Israeli Jews joined us. Sheikh Ghassan Manasra facilitated the morning, breaking us into groups to study and discuss from sheets with sources from Islamic and Jewish tradition on teshuva/repentance.
Elana Rozenman had everyone contribute to the shared closing blessing.
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We then proceeded to Zichron Yaakov, crossing the new bridge from Faradis for a bonding hummus lunch in a local park, accompanied by the song “A Prayer for Peace-HaRachaman” from musician RebbeSoul asking God, the Compassionate One to bless the children of Isaac and Ishmael. After a guided tour of Zichron Yaakov, we traveled to Haifa where we met Bahai leaders and descended the stairs through the stunning Bahai gardens, stopping for a group prayer for peace.
Next at Elijah’s Cave, ultra-Orthodox rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman spoke about the meaning of Eliyahu/Elijah in the Bible and Jewish tradition and the history of Jews, Muslims, Christians and Druze praying side by side here in the cave during the Ottoman era. In Elijah’s Cave we did a shared chant of ‘Allah’ and ‘Ana Elna Rafanala’, praying for the healing of Abraham’s Family and for two leading religious peacemakers from the Haifa area that are very ill now: Druze Sheikh Hussein Abu Rukkun from Isafiya and Shear Yashuv HaCohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa. The guard of Elijah’s Cave said later, in 27 years he had never seen such a group come to pray together there…At this point we heard that Radio Israel broadcast a report on our event…
We closed with a magical evening of a sunset walk and prayers (and swimming for the kids) on the waves of Jizr il-Zarka beach…with Jizr activists sharing their work for community empowerment in the one of the poorest towns in Israel. All left inspired and motivated to continue this work of bridge building at a challenging time in the Holy Land.
Thanks to the Rising Tide International and German Global Hope Fund for their support to make this day happen…
Event organizers: Eliyahu McLean and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, with Raed Hashimah