Interfaith dialogue: key to resolving conflict in Holy Land

(Vatican Radio) While world leaders have been attracting international media attention as they attempt mediate the recent upsurge of violence in the Holy Land, the JCJCR, Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, is busy working at grassroots level, educating local Christians, Jews and Muslims about each other’s beliefs.

The JCJCR engages in many different aspects of interfaith dialogue. In an interview with Bramble Badenach-Nicolson, programme director Hana Bendcowsky spoke about her interfaith work with groups of women and children. She also talked about the JCJCR's educational outreach programmes, tailored training for teachers, government offices, tour guides and the military, all of which aim to help believers acknowledge and appreciate other faiths.

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Recent events such as violent attacks between Israelis and Palestinians, the torching of the Jewish holy site Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus and reported Jewish encroachment on the al-Aqsa mosque have made the Islamic-Jewish tensions a cause for serious global concern over the last three weeks.

Ms Bendcowsky used the analogy of family when describing international leaders’ efforts, such as those of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, to negotiate peace in the Holy Land. Just as parents ought not to solve their children’s disputes but rather encourage them to talk through their differences with one another, so should world leaders  promote peaceful discussion, instead of “forcing solutions”.