Community Building for 1000 Jews & Muslims 2023-25

January 5

The students visited a mosque at Kfar Kassem. Because of the high infection rates at the moment, it was a hybrid event, with some students joining via Zoom. The visit was very meaningful for the students.

January 12

The final session of the course was held over Zoom due to the increase in Covid cases. We started with each student summarizing their impression of the course. Many responses were repeated and they were all enthusiastic. Here are some of them:

Diana: This is the first time I have talked to Jews about the religious tradition. No stereotypes, no judgment. I got answers to a lot of questions I had.

Samira: I learned a lot of new things about the other religions, things I knew in general but not in detail. I also learned new things about my religion.

Nadav: What I particularly liked was that the students themselves presented the topics from their religious angle, and no "experts" were brought in for that purpose. We became real friends and I think without this course I would not have had a chance to develop friendships with Muslims or Christians.

Mutaz: I was amazed at how easy it was for us to communicate with each other and understand each other. People I told about what was going on here were also surprised by the ease with which we were able to discuss such weighty issues.

Pauline: The course was amazing - I had been waiting for it all week. There is also a problem with this: I do not think I will ever enjoy such a course ...

Erin: The course revealed that with all the differences between us we are all human beings with a heart.

Rowan: Never before have I had the opportunity to have a real conversation with Jews. And in no other course have I had the opportunity to express myself so much.

Shira: People usually connect with people who are similar to them and here I learned how important it is to connect with people who are different.

Jack: This is a life-changing course. We are so used to seeing the negative in the other and here we had the opportunity to meet others in a positive way and even become their friends. I think every person should go through such an experience.

Dan: Usually (outside the course) if there are encounters, then we talk about politics. Here, when we talked about religion and not politics, the conversation was much deeper.

In the second part, Yehuda presented options to take the experience further - to form a group or join an existing group in the area where you live or join the group of graduates at the university. Many of the students were enthusiastic about the alumni group and even wanted to form a special alumni group for this group. It was agreed that we would try this option.

Links:

• IEA website
• Activity & annual reports
• Get invovled