Hello URI family,
The Abrahamic Reunion CC hosted a powerful event of unity in this difficult time in the Holy Land, Tuesday night, July 22, in Nazareth.
We arrived on two buses from Jerusalem: religious Jews and over 40 Palestinians from the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Ras al-Amud, Wadi Joz, Sur Baher, and Beit Haninah for a peace tour of the Old City of Nazareth. We walked together on a tour of the holy places to Christianity and Islam, to the Church of Annunciation, a Franciscan church, the White Mosque, and Mary's Well. Throughout the old market, residents were pleasantly shocked to see religious Jews and Muslims, lots of women with hijab and kids too, touring together as new friends joined together on a day after riots in Nazareth, clashes in East Jerusalem, and, not to mention, the present war in Gaza.
We then drove up to the home of Sheikhs Ghassan and Abdel Salaam Manasra, the Lights of Peace/Sufi center for an Abrahamic Reunion Iftar gathering on their rooftop. Our gathering of about 140 people opened with a prayer circle to bless the food for the Muslim Iftar and remember those who have lost their lives in Gaza, Palestinian and Israeli.
We shared the Iftar meal together, and our Muslim hosts made sure we Jews had kosher 'l'mehadrin' meals catered in. After the meal, as the Muslims stood in a row for evening prayers facing Mecca, we religious Jews stood in a row right behind them for davvening maariv (our evening prayers), with the Christian priests joining, in a powerful symbol of coming together. I gathered all the Jews and led the mourners Kaddish.
Rabbi Yaakov Nagen of Otniel yeshiva, Anglican father Abuna Nael Abu Rahmoun, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra and Hadassah Froman gave teachings and prayers, while Gaby Meyer led a zikr in Arabic and Hebrew- "ein k'elohenu, la illaha ill'Allah", men in the outer circle, women in the inner circle. We then had a listening circle where everyone shared from the heart about how empowering it was to be in such a circle of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and to fulfill a deep desire to be together in this circle of unity at this crazy time.
Father Nael, Sheikh Ghassan and myself led a powerful closing prayer and teaching. I invoked the memory of Leah Lublin, an interfaith activist who died Tuesday morning just moments before leaving work to join us on the bus to Nazareth. I shared that after my family and I were attacked on a bus of religious Jews driving in Wadi Ara recently—our vehicle was pelted with rocks and live Molotov cocktails, nearly killing us. Some friends urged me take revenge on the Arabs, I said my revenge was to plan THIS gathering! I called for, in the name of the late Rabbi Menachem Froman, a “Jihad for peace.” Abuna Nael added another goal, exclaiming, "…and a Jihad for Love!!" to applause from all.
Host Sheikh Ghassan closed, imploring each of us to be examples and leaders, in our religions and to stand together for peace—as we are standing together now—and that our work together for peace and justice must continue. While the world says that religions are the cause of war, we came to demonstrate, as all of you in URI agree, that religion can be the cure.
We are already planning more activities of multi-faith peacemaking to bring together again the wounded and traumatized family of Abraham. We pray for your support, knowing that our URI family is working in the Holy Land, beyond blaming one or the other, to make a difference.
Shalom, Salaam,
Eliyahu McLean,
Abrahamic Reunion CC
