Young Peacemakers in Germany!

Thirteen Young Peacebuilders from the Holy Land have arrived in Germany for 1 week of training, Oct 11-18. Follow along their journey on our Social Media and Website!

Website    Facebook   Instagram

 

Arrivals — Sunday, October 11th, 2026

 

First Full Day — Monday, October 12th, 2026

The Young Peacebuilders Training started in full at the Kreuzkirche in Wetzlar, Germany. Abed Elsalam Manasra, AR Programs Director, opened the training discussing the program of dialogue, trauma awareness, and peacebuilding leadership. Chris Miller, AR Executive Director, shared the history of Abrahamic Reunion, and its key philosophy for overcoming differences and creating unity that can replace the cycle of conflict.

Abed led two icebreaking activities with the group — “The Bottle” — teaching teamwork, how to encourage each other, learn from mistakes, and understand the group so it can be strengthened. The second activity was “The Spiderweb,” which showed how through our unique support networks we create a community that is strong enough to hold each other and someone up.

After a shared lunch, with much spirited discussion, some foosball, the group went into downtown Wetzlar, a medieval German town unbombed in the war, to see the downtown and attend two intercultural education walks. The first was a tour of Wetzlar Cathedral, built originally in the 800s, and now shared between a two Catholic and Protestant parishes, “Two Parishes Under One Roof” is their motto. We heard of the history of this Cathedral and its example of unity and community overcoming division. Eva and Jochen, two homestay hosts, sing in the Cathedral choir, and gave the historical tour.

This was followed by a walk through Wetzlar visiting the empty spaces where once the Jewish community lived, including where the synagogue used to be, where the kosher butchershop was, and the defaced Jewish graveyard. Along the way, we met the author of the books used to teach the Wetzlar Historical Shoah Walking Tours! He offered free copies of his book to everyone in the group.

Finally, everyone went back to the Kreuzekirch to make pizzas together. There’s a brick woodfired oven, built by community member Wolfgang, who made the pizza dough. Everyone got to dress their own pizza. Some went out on the town afterwards to socialize and continue the discussions. The group has begun to really get to know each other, open, share stories, and connect.