Organized & written by Abed Manasra, Program Director for the Abrahamic Reunion in Israel.
November 24, 2019
At dawn, angels descend each day with mercy to grace the faces and hearts of the ones who answer the appeal to pray in the morning.
At dawn, we woke up to prepare for a day full of energy and love. It is the day we were eagerly waiting for, the day that brings participants from all religions and sects to emphasize their unity and cooperation and to discuss the best ways of coexistence.
The Program at Sayyidina Ali Mosque
The bus departed at 9am from Jerusalem heading to Herzliya on the Mediterranean shore. Beginning our program of Knowing the Other, we visited the Sayyidina Ali Mosque in Herzliya (al-haram village before 1948) to learn about the Islamic religion.
Upon the arrival of the 70 Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze participants to the mosque on the beach, we went to the sea, which accompanied our beautiful intentions with its splendor. After enjoying the spectacular view we entered the mosque and toured its spaciousness, then sat together in the mosque’s courtyard for the program.
The meeting was opened by Mr Abdelsalam Manasra, the Abrahamic Reunion’s Programs Director in Israel, who welcomed everyone, many new participants, and many longtime participants, explaining the impact on society that the Abrahamic Reunion has by helping create a covenant of hearts.
We enjoyed a speech about Islam and its noble message from Sheikh Jamal al-Din from Jerusalem, who stressed the need for coexistence and peace which is the depth and content of the Islamic message guided by the Koran. This was followed by sophisticated dialogue between the people of different religions.
The Sea
After nearly two and a half hours of beautiful connection and shared words, we drove to Marina Herzliya. We often emphasize in our programs the importance of uplifting participants together through recreational activities, and so this program we completed the dialogue with high spirits by enjoying time at the sea.
Jaffa & Bustan Ibrahim, the Orchard of Abraham’s Children
We visited together the historic city of Jaffa, and Bustan Ibrahim, the Orchard of Abraham’s Children, a center of peace and spirituality which offers kindergarten for children of all religions. Mrs. Irit Tzoref greeted us; she’s one of the organizers and a Sufi dancer. We ate lunch there and simply watching them prepare the food was a vision of beauty, unity, and love! Young men and women of all religions prepared our food together in harmony. We also saw where all the children play together without being fluent in any language except the language of love and innocence. They play together and don’t differentiate between one and the other, just looking for peace and joy.
In the courtyard of Bustam Ibrahim we held another strong group dialogue including discussing the development of the peace process and the importance of constructive criticism for determining what our society is doing.
Historic Jaffa
The day finished with free time to tour the historic city of Jaffa, and then we parted with love and peace and full of positive energy that we spread on our way back to all we meet. Perhaps it touches the hearts of those who have lost the way.
Contact Abed Manasra at abed@abrahamicreunion.org
