Let's Know each other
An Inter religious course
Background:
The area that lay between the Jordan river and the Mediterranean sea, widely known as "The Holy Land" is one of the most complex region in the world, regarding its population's national, cultural and religious composition. Moslems, Christians and Jews live in two national territories: the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The peoples that live in these territories are entwined in a bitter conflict that include political, cultural, economic and religious elements. The future of this area depends on the ability of these people to develop a dialogue, learning about each other, nurturing mutual respect and cooperation based on real equality.
The Friendship Village:
The Friendship Village is an international center for educating young people to live in a multi-cultural and multi-religious environment. The essence of its mission is - respecting the "other" and learning about him or her, the same time studying about them, to recognize and to build what is in common between people coming from different cultural, national, religious or ethnic background, especially those that share common social or political frameworks. Education for peace, tolerance and democracy is a logical conclusion of multi-culturalism.
The Friendship Village focuses on education for inter-cultural and inter-religious understanding , respectful coexistence and inter-cultural cooperation, based on real equality, tolerance, democracy and peace.
Team:
The "Friendship Village" grew out of the veteran "Reut-Sadaka" Jewish-Arab youth Organization. The educational and the organizational experts of "Friendship Village" got their experience through years of Jewish-Arab inter-cultural projects with teenagers of the two communities in Israel. International projects were also part of this NGO's activity.
In 1998 and 1999 the team of "Friendship Village" run international summer training programs, both in Shefar-Am, future site of the "Village". In 1999 it also coped successfully with a half year long Palestinian Israeli bridging program for young political leaders.
Schedule of activity:
As a result of the last uprising of the Palestinian people and the tension inside Israel between the Jewish and the Arab communities, inter-cultural activities face difficulties unknown ever before. Intercultural and Interfaith projects of "Friendship Village" are planned to start in September 2001. If the present situation of Palestinian boycott on every joint project will keep on, the Project will start in participation of Israeli citizens of different religious and national groups.
Has to be mentioned, that the relationships between national and religious groups inside Israel are a reflection of the general situation in the Middle-East. The same tensions, based on ignorance, fear and hatred exist inside Israel, even though on somewhat milder level. In this connection we have to mention the Moslem Christian conflict in Nazareth last year and the violent demonstration of the Arab, mostly Moslem population last October that was followed by a brutal oppression by the police that killed 13 Moslem citizens.
The "Let's Know Each Other" course
Goals:
To cope with the religious and the cultural diversity of the Palestinian and Israelis, two peoples that contain many different religions: Moslems, Christians, Jews, Druz, Bahais and more. In all these religions deeply entrenched elements of tolerance can be found, together with many similarities, as well as many differences.
As religious fanaticism is one of the most dangerous and destructive element in every society, strengthening inter-faith dialogue and tolerance has an unusual importance in promotion understanding between the people and peace.
Purpose:
To learn about faith of the different religious, ethnic and national groups that live in the "Holy Land". To find out what are the real differences as well as the similarities between young people of different cultural and religious background: to learn to respect the differences and to strengthen the cooperation through similarities.
Methods:
10 Monthly weekend sessions, including lectures, workshops and discussions in small groups, guided by professional counselors. The course will be hold in parallel in two age groups:
14 18 and 20 26.
Content of sessions:
1 Trust building process: personal and cultural acquaintance.
2 * 3 Basic principals of the religions that the participants belong to.
4 - Stereotypes, self identification.
5 Institutional religion & faith
6 - Role of the religion in national civilizations.
7* - Meetings with religious leaders.
8 Tolerance and intolerance in the different religions.
9* Role of the religion in cultural dialogue & peace-making.
10 Practical ways for peaceful and respectful cooperation
* - Study tours
Schedule of standard Seminar:
First day: 16.00 17.00 plenary: reception, arrangements
17.00 18.30 working groups: warming up games. Experience exchange in groups of
3 - 4 youngsters.
18.30 19.30 supper
19.30 21.00 lecture & discussion in working groups
21.00 23.00 plenary: social activity.
Second day: 07.30 08.30 breakfast
08.30 10.00 - working groups:
10.00 10.30 break
10.30 12.00 - working groups:
12.00 13.30 dinner
13.30 15.00 plenary: panel or lecture.
15.00 16.30 working groups:
16.30 17.30 plenary: summing up the seminar
Seminars' content in brief:
1 "Ice breaking" games, personal and cultural acquaintance.
2 Presentation of participants' faith. Rituals and beliefs of different religions. Personal connection of participants to their faith.
3 Visiting religious institutes, meetings with local religious leaders over the North of Israel (in case of Palestinian participation most visits in Jerusalem).
4 - Circles of identity (the individual, family, community, culture, nation). Prejudices, stereotypes.
5 Going deeper to learning about institutions, history and rituals of religions. Universal connections of the religious groups.
6 Religion and nation. Examples of mixture of national and religious relationships abroad and in the Middle-East. National religious conflicts and coexistence.
7 Meeting with religious political leaders. Acquaintance with the most influential leaders that make the religious policy. Visit in central religious centers in the North of Israel and/or in Jerusalem.
8 Political ideological aspects of religion. Expressions of religious tolerance and fanatism in religion. Reasons of these opposite attitudes. Examples in theory and in practice.
9 Visiting peace making religious organizations. Meetings with outstanding religious leaders the promote tolerance and peace.
10 Summing up the course. Practical ways to spread the message of religious tolerance. Means to emphasise universal messages and their specific interpretation in every religion.
Methods:
Along the Project emotional as well as cognitive elements will be used. As the knowledge about faith of the other, as well as of their own, is very superficial among the youth or even non-existing, learning about different aspects of religion and its role in the human civilization, in personal life and in relationships between human groups (politics) seems to have a superior importance. On the other hand no inter-cultural can be hold, without an elementary trust-building process between people coming from different communities that sometimes are in a state of conflict.
Educational activity in small groups, discussions in wider forum, lectures, meetings with well known public persons, visiting interesting and important sites, together with positive atmosphere along the seminars will build mutual understanding.
Evaluation:
The purpose of this Project is to create a hard core of young activists that will be ready and full of willing to spread the message of inter-religious tolerance. If 50% of the young participants will join community and educational activities, we shall see it as great success.
Cost: 93,300 $
