FW: 'The Sulha Way' Gathering of 2004 (long)

TYASTO tyasto at sapa.nsk.su
Mon Sep 6 05:57:04 PDT 2004


Dear friends and colleagues,

I want to share with you these impressive information from a friend of mine
Eliahu McLean of Jerusalem about a successful Sulha of 2004. That is not
about particular methods, but I believe it should be interesting to all of
us and we can be proud of it's organizers, facilitators and participants.
There were lot's of genuine contacts between believers of different
religions, collaboration of  former and real enemies, they had sharing of
their hopes and pains in the circles, they were dreaming about future and
wishing to train their children to develop this holistic approach to Peace
in their region. I wish it could happen in the south of Russia. With love
and blessings,

Marina Tyasto
Novosibirsk.

-----Original Message-----
From: Eliyahu McLean [mailto:eliyahu at actcom.co.il]
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 12:31 AM
To: Eliyahu McLean
Subject: 'The Sulha Way' Gathering of 2004


Hello friends,

"The Sulha Way" gathering of 2004 was a huge success. This year's gathering
was held over 3 days, from August 17th-19th.  This year we reached a new
level, bringing together over 4000 Arabs and Jews, including 600 children
and many international guests. This year¹s Sulha was held in Park Shuni,
just outside of Binyamina near Haifa. It was special that 200 Palestinians
from Jenin, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and Gaza, as well as 20 Jordanians
were able to join us.

  As an official opening event of the Sulha, Shvil Zahav (the Middle Way)
organized a silent peace walk with over 200 people from the Binyamina train
station to the site of the Sulha.  Joining the walk was the Palestinian
delegation from Jenin. As participants from all over Israel, religious and
secular, Arabs and Jews and the buses from Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin and
Jordan arrived they were greeted at the Sulha¹s Welcome Center. After Sulha
founder Gaby Meyer welcomed everyone, the crowd broke up into listening
circles, where people had a chance to speak from the heart.  Many
Palestinians were moved by the chance to share their stories, eye to eye,
with Israeli Jews and others.  Many expressed their frustration at having to
wait for hours at checkpoints that day on their way to the Sulha.

 In the center of the main lawn of the park was the main stage for
ceremonies and concerts. On each of the loud speakers were big signs reading
in Hebrew and Arabic, Two People¹s Want to Live in Peace. Around the main
lawn were the Children¹s Space, the tent of the Bereaved Parents Circle, a
Peace Organizations space, and a Druze family offering traditional pita and
labane. Nearby were the Tent of Hagar and Sarah and further away, the
kitchen.

  Many workshops on Arab and Jewish religion and culture took place at the
Sulha. On the first day a workshop on the topic of "Our Jerusalem" was led
by Rabbi Menachem Froman of Tekoa and the Imam of the Dome of the Rock,
Abdel Karim Zurba.  Later the Imam led the Islamic afternoon prayer service,
while Rabbi Froman led mincha, the afternoon Jewish prayer services.

 In the peace organizations space, groups dedicated to peace and human
rights shared their work. These included Bustan L¹Shalom, Rabbis for Human
Rights, Maagal Haderech, Peace Child-Israel, Mosaic Communities, the
Theosophical Society and the Network of Co-existence Organizations in
Israel.

 At the opening ceremony on the first night Rabbi Froman and gave a teaching
about the meaning of Allah-hu Akbar translating it as 'Love will Prevail' as
the crowd repeated that phrase in Hebrew -Ahava T¹Natzeach!- after him. MC
Mahmoud Salame invited Elias Jabbour to speak followed by a Fatah leader
from Ramallah. The keynote speakers spoke powerfully about the need for
peace between our peoples. Rabbi Michael Melchior said that religion is the
heart of peace and that we can¹t wait for the politicians to bring peace. Al
Quds Univ. Professor Sari Nusseibeh encouraged the need for peace between
our peoples. John Quzholini from South Africa offered blessings followed by
Tibetan Geshe Thebten Phelgye, and Greek Catholic Deacon Jiries Mansur. The
ceremony closed with a blessing and Sufi Ozikr¹ led by Sufi Sheikh Abu Ali
from Majd Al-Krum.

 During the music offering of the first night, musicians like Shotei
Hanevua, George Yusuf Samaan and Gaia had everyone, Arabs and Jews, dancing
together.

 During the second day the talking circles gave everyone the opportunity to
get to know each other on a deeper level. Over a thousand people took part
in 45 talking circles over 3 days. In the Bereaved Parents tent, Israelis
and Palestinians who have lost family members in the conflict shared their
stories of transformation.

 In the Tent of Hagar and Sarah, women shared their pain in an intimate
space. One Israeli woman whose son was killed in a suicide bus bombing
shared, followed by a Palestinian woman whose son was killed by the Israeli
army. One woman said "my picture of the Jews changed, before the Sulha I was
filled with hate and now I see the Jews also have pain". Some women said we
want our nations to cry and to dance together.

  In the Children¹s Space, many workshops on art and games were offered. The
children painted a large peace mural in Hebrew, Arabic and English around
their space. There were workshops on eco-building with mud, juggling and
walking on stilts. Many Palestinian children from Jenin and elsewhere bonded
beautifully with the Israeli children.

 The outdoor kitchen fed over a thousand people twice a day. In the kitchen
Israeli and Palestinian volunteers worked with the devoted kitchen staff to
offer meals. Many people of different cultures had a chance to connect
sitting and sharing a meal together. The kitchen was also kosher and
vegetarian in order for as wide an audience as possible to feel welcome.

  In the afternoon there was a panel with our foreign guests and religious
leaders about solutions to ethnic conflicts. Zulu tribal leader John
Quzholini from South Africa spoke, followed by Senegalese Sufi sheikh Fara
Gaye, Fatima Shwartz, a Muslim woman reconciliation activist from South
Africa and Geshe Thebten Phelgye, a representative of the Dalai Lama and
member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile. Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsur, head of
the southern branch of the Islamic Movement spoke about Islam and peace.

The evening ceremony was led by the women, honoring the new Hebrew month-
Rosh Hodesh Elul and the Islamic month of Rajab, one of the holy months
leading up to Ramadan.  In this ritual led by Rabbi Ruth Kagan and Ibtisam
Mahamid, the women called out the names of their foremothers. Maighread
Kennedy from Northern Ireland spoke about her Corrymeela Community in
Belfast, which promotes reconciliation between Catholics and Protestants.
The women finished with a song chanting "Elohim Echad, Allah Hu Allah" that
that got everyone up and dancing.

The evening ceremony was followed with a blessing by video for the Sulha
gathering offered by Reb Zalman Schachter Shalomi.

 Late in the evening a spontaneous music and jam session formed in a
circle<with dancing and call and response with Gil Ron from Sheva and
traditional Palestinian singers. A large group of Palestinian youth broke
out in debka, the traditional Arab dance. Arabs and Jews sang and danced
together into the night. This was all broadcast live on the internet.

 The most moving highlight of the gathering was the farewell ceremony, held
early on the 3rd day, for the Palestinian and Jordanian delegations. Firas
Yaghi, coordinator for the Palestinian Legislative Council and head of the
Palestinian delegation spoke, followed by Muhammad Shawahin from Jordan and
Gaby Meyer and Yael Meyora from the Sulha staff.

 A wave of emotion began to wash over the crowd, our departing friends
formed a long line and we lined up to give each one a gift and a farewell
blessing.  Many of the Palestinians burst into tears and everyone hugged
each other and some danced together. Azriel Cohen took a fig branch with
three branches. One fig branch had three branches broken off to be planted,
one in Palestine, one in Jordan, and one in Israel, and the main branch to
be planted in Jerusalem. A circle of Israelis and Palestinian joined hands
together forming a big circle around the field.

 On the last afternoon there was a workshop on Our Father Abraham with Rabbi
Yehoshua Engleman and Sufi Sheikh Hilmi from Nazareth and other scholars.
Sheikh Hilmi and Palestinian Sheikh Abu¹l Qasim, also known as the Green
Sheikh led a Sufi zikr ceremony. At sunset the children led a procession
around the park. A Jewish Yemenite Hazan (traditional singer) and Hilmi led
Jewish and Muslim chants on the stage as Arab and Jewish children sang the
words of the prophet Isaiah- my house will be a house of prayer for all
peoples- in Hebrew in Arabic.  That evening more Arab and Jewish musicians
played into the night.

 First the first time ever, Al-Jazeera Television, the most widely-watched
network in the Arab world covered live and devoted a positive ten-minute
report of a peace event in Israel.  Other coverage included the major
Israeli TV networks< channels 2, 3 and 10, all 3 Arabic newspapers in
Israel, local Arabic cable TV, Israeli newspapers Maariv and Yediot, the
Jerusalem Post, Haaretz English, and HaTsofe, the ultra-Orthodox newspaper.
International coverage included French and Canadian TV, Radio Colombia, NPR
radio, Radio Sawa and reporters from Spain and Germany.

 After this event a delegation of Jews and Muslims from the Sulha made a
pilgrimage to Hebron. On the way we were received by the mayor of Halhul and
visited the people of Beit Omar and Hebron. We offered a shared prayer at
the entrance to the Tomb of Abraham where Palestinian women and children and
an Israeli soldier were so moved that they joined us.

  On the Way to Sulha is planning a mini Sulha training gathering for 70
Palestinian and Israeli teenagers in January 2005. We are already scouting
for the site of annual 2005 "To The Sulha" gathering.

 We are in need of financial and other support to continue this project.
Please offer of a tax-deductible donation, information on our website:
www.sulha.org

 Email: amensulha at yahoo.com

 Shalom, Salaam,
 Eliyahu McLean,

Rodef Shalom- Pursuer of Peace,
from the Sulha Staff

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