"There is a Jewish saying that we were given two ears but ony one tongue to teach us that we should listen twice as much as we speak. The key to all good human relations is in listening. For this reason, the work of the Compassionate Listening Project is peacemaking at its best, and also its most practical."
- Rabbi Phil Bentley

This project provides an opportunity to advance Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation, to learn a powerful technique for conflict resolution, and to help build an international constituency for regional peace-building endeavors. Our upcoming April trip will be a mixed delegation - open to people of all backgrounds.

Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy has been leading delegations to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza since 1990. We have built respectful and trusted relationships at every level of Israeli and Palestinian society, and extend an invitation to you to join us in entering both societies very deeply to listen, learn and build bridges of understanding. Our work focuses on bridging the gap between Jews/Israelis and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. We believe that peace comes through the hard work of meetings one's enemy - the human being behind the stereotype, and acknowledging one another's suffering. Compassionate Listening as a tool for reconciliation is based on a simple yet profound formula for the resolution of conflict: adversaries giving the gift of listening. To help reconcile conflicting parties, we must have the ability to understand the suffering of both sides.

Project Summary We will spend two weeks in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Our journey will begin in Jerusalem with an intensive training in Compassionate Listening. The group will then listen to and dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians representing the full spectrum of opinion within each society, including grassroots and political leaders, professionals, peace activists, Israeli settlers, refugees, religious leaders and Hamas. Part of our time will be spent learning from and supporting Israelis and Palestinians already involved in reconciliation efforts.

"Rarely does a project of any kind live up to its stated goals. The Israel- Palestine Compassionate Listening Project is an amazing exception. The experience provided access to people few ever get to meet and learn from. I learned more in three weeks than I have learned in ten years!" -Dr. Howard Leonard, Redmond, Washington

Our team of professional trainers will facilitate our group discussions, based on our daily experiences in the field. Leading Israeli and Palestinian professionals in the conflict resolution field serve on our Advisory Board and will be actively involved with our delegation. Through our daily practice in the field and our group sessions, participants will come away with a thorough understanding of Compassionate Listening, which is applicable to all conflict situations.

"What I learned intellectually about the situation in Israel/Palestine was enormous. What I learned psychologically and emotionally about how conflict affects people's perceptions was transformative." - Heena Reiter, Director of Music and Bar/Bat Mitzvah programs, Congregation Beth Israel, Charlottesville, Virginia

Project Staff: Andrea Cohen-Kiener, Leah Green, Carol Hwoschinsky and Larissa Keet.

For further information including trip details, a sample itinerary from a previous Compassionate Listening delegation, trip cost, financial assistance, project staff, advisory board and application, please send your email address to Leah Green, Director, at lgreeninc@aol.com, or contact:

Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy
P.O. Box 17
Indianola, WA 98342
(360) 297-2280

Our next all-Jewish delegation is scheduled for November, 1999. We also plan to offer joint Jewish-Palestinian delegations in the near future.

"This program was truly remarkable!!!!!! I was awed every single day." - Cantor Robert Scherr, Temple Israel of Natick