International Connections 2006-2007:

As a regular reader of the stories of our interfaith encounters, you know that we focus our attention and efforts on our work in the Holy Land and the Middle East. We strongly believe that real and sustainable transformation of the pattern of inter-communal relations in the Holy Land will come only as a result of a lot of hard work, one person at a time, of changing the way people and communities relate to each other. This is the top priority and our main endeavor of the Interfaith Encounter Association.

However, we are indeed connected with many friends and partners around the world and are frequently invited to share our work in various conferences and forums. When we are invited we do our best to attend as we see these meetings as important opportunities for making new connections and developing new partnerships, for maintaining old ones, and for raising awareness for our work and delivering the message that real and sustainable peaceful coexistence in the Holy Land is indeed possible, even easy, if we make the right effort.

In the following pages you can find brief descriptions from most of IEA's participations in international gatherings in the past year:

1. Seoul, Korea – June 2006

In June 2006 the executive director of the Interfaith Encounter Association, was invited to participate and present at the 2006 World Religious Leaders' Conference and International Forum on Religion and Peace that were organized by the Manhae Foundation and took place in Seoul, Korea. He presented one paper in each of the conferences: "The Role of Religion for World Peace and Sustainability - The Interfaith Encounter Approach" in the first; and "The Role of Religion for World Peace and Sustainability in the 21st Century" in the second.


2. Camp Tawonga, California, USA – September 2006

Four of IEA coordinators took part in the 2006 Oseh Shalom-Sanea al-Salam Palestinian-Jewish Family Peacemakers Camp. This camp was organized by the California based network of Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue groups, led by Libby and Len Traubman.


3. Nuerenberg, Germany – September 2006

IEA's executive director participated in the IX. Nuerenberger Forum and presented there "The Interfaith Encounter Approach". The Forum was organized by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität under the title: "Making Visions come true - Evaluating Concepts of Interreligious and Intercultural Learning".


4. Antalya, Turkey – November 2006

In November 2006 the International Conference on Education for Peace & Democracy was organized by IPCRI (Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information). Two of IEA Coordinators presented a workshop on "FASTING IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS" and IEA's executive director presented a paper on "Religion: Not the problem of the Middle East but may be a solution".


5. Istanbul, Turkey – November 2006

The Department of Conflict Analysis and Resolution in the Sabanci University invited IEA's executive director to present the work of IEA in a special session at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.


6. Barcelona, Spain – December 2006

In December 2006, Unescocat – UNESCO Center of Catalonia and “la Caixa" Foundation Community Projects organized in Barcelona the Congress on Religions and cultural Diversity: Mediation towards Social Cohesion, under the auspices of UNESCO. IEA's executive director was invited to present a key address on "Interreligious Prevention and Mediation of Conflicts in Urban Areas – the Interfaith Encounter Association".


7. Dead Sea, Jordan – January 2007

In January IEA's executive director was invited to present at the Religions and Reforms – International Conference that was organized by the Regional Program Near East / Mediterranean of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Royal Institute for Inter Faith Studies (both based in Amman, Jordan), under the Patronage of HRH Prince El Hassan Bin Talal. He presented there a paper on "Religion as a Reform Mechanism".


8. Washington, DC & New York, NY, USA – March 2007

One of IEA's coordinators and its executive director took part in a serious of events organized by ALLMEP (ALLiance for Middle East Peace - a coalition of 38 NGOs doing reconciliation and co-existence work in the Middle East).

The main part of these events was a full day of very successful meetings on Capitol Heel, with senators and representatives, in order to promote the establishment by the Congress of a $10 million Middle East People-to-People Coexistence Program to support Middle East people-to-people coexistence and reconciliation efforts.

Another part was two foundation-outreach events, one in Washington and one in New York, in which representatives of foundations were exposed, some for the first time, to the work IEA and other organizations in ALLMEP are doing.


9. Lleida, Spain – March 2006

IEA's executive director took part in the first meeting of the International Network on Religions and Mediation in Urban Areas, coordinated by Unescocat – UNESCO Center of Catalonia and "aims to be a particular and creative answer to the challenges of social cohesion in current societies".


10. Washington, DC, USA – May 2007

IEA's executive director was selected to be one of "eight key influencers who lead organizations that are prominent in social change and advocacy efforts in Israel", to experience the three-day intensive Art of Leadership training of The Rockwood Leadership Program.


11. Nazareth, Israel – May 2007

Eight of IEA's coordinators took part in a special training of the Compassionate Listening, which "offers heart-based framework for personal and large-scale reconciliation and healing" and teaches "to discern and acknowledge the essence of those with whom we disagree, and to build bridges between people in conflict". A special team of trainers came from the US for this event.


12. Firenze, Italy – June 2007

IEA was represented by its executive director in a special Israeli-Palestinian-European conference, organized by The Region of Tuscany, together with the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum in order to explore "Europe's Role in the Resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict". It was a meeting of international significance, in terms of its participant list and its impact on worldwide awareness. It is expected to bear further fruits.


13. Jerusalem, Israel – June 2007

IEA's executive director was asked, and gladly accepted, to accompany the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches Dr. Samuel Kobia and his wife Ruth, for their visit to the Western Wall and prayer there; and their visit to Herzl Mount National Cemetary.


14. Paralimni, Cyprus – June 2007

Three of IEA's coordinators of our Youth Interfaith Encounter groups in Tel Aviv and Haifa, took part in the Cyprus People for Peace Training-of-Trainers Programme, in peacebuilding skills and non-violent communication, together with young adults from nine countries in Europe and the Middle East.


15. Antwerp, Belgium – June 2007

A coordinator of one of IEA's groups, who is also a member of URI's Global Council, participated in the annual meeting of the GC of the United Religions Initiative.
 

16. Istanbul, Turkey – July 2007

IEA's research fellow participated in the 6th Annual International Conference on an Inter-faith Perspective on Globalization for the Common Good, organized under the title: “A Non-violent Path to Conflict resolution and Peacebuilding”. He presented at the conference the IEA and the paper "Inter-religious Research as a Resource for Conflict Resolutions: Demonstrated in the case of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem".
 

17. Clearwater, Florida, USA – July 2007

A coordinator of one of IEA's groups, who is also a member of IARF Council, represents IEA in the 33rd General Meeting of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF).

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