Religious leaders in the Holy Land see interfaith initiatives as ways to promote peace. This could mean basketball games — at which the fans cheer for both sides — or offering musical academies at which people of all faiths can learn an instrument.
Art is “an extremely important form of interfaith dialogue,” said Abbot Nikodemus Schnabel, O.S.B., adding that it allows a person to “express yourself in a very precious way.”
“Especially here in time of war, we see a dehumanization and demonization of the others,” he said.
Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum of the Zion community in Jerusalem said her community wants “all Jews to know their fellow Christians and Muslims in this city, and to talk with them, and to know them, and to respect them. We very much come to each other’s prayers to support each other.”
Watch the video by George Jaraiseh.
Read more about the steps Christian leaders in the Holy Land are taking to build peace in Judith Sudilovsky’s story, “ ‘Times Will Be Better,’ ” in the September issue of ONE magazine.