5759 From: LGreenInc@aol.com April 11 1999 Compassionate Listening WEST BANK, ISRAEL, GAZA November 7-21, 1999 - Jewish delegation April, 2000 - Jewish-Palestinian delegation (all delegations are for North Americans) There is a Jewish saying that we were given two ears but only 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 An invitation to be of service... The Compassionate Listening project provides an opportunity for North Americans to advance Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation, to learn a powerful technique for conflict resolution, and to help build the international constituency for Israeli-Palestinian peace-building endeavors. Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy has been leading delegations for North Americans 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 East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. We believe that peace comes through the hard work of meeting 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 Our two-week journey begins in Jerusalem with a training in Compassionate Listening. The group then listens to and dialogues 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. We also learn from and support Israelis and Palestinians already involved in reconciliation efforts, and help build bridges between communities in conflict. "Rarely does a project of any kind live up to its stated goals. The 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, Psychotherapist, Redmond, Washington. Leading Israeli and Palestinian professionals in the conflict resolution field serve on our Advisory Board and are actively involved with our delegations. Through our daily practice in the field and our group sessions, participants come away with a thorough understanding of Compassionate Listening, which is applicable to all conflict situations. Staff Andrea Cohen Kiener, Delegation Leader, Compassionate Listening Project: Andrea has degrees in Hebrew Literature and secondary education from the University of Minnesota. Andrea is currently studying for her rabbinic ordination in the Fall of 1999. She has worked as a rabbinic intern, Hillel advisor, Jewish day school educator, and principal of a Jewish high school program. She served on the board of Aleph: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal from 1992-97. She translated a Hasidic text on mindfulness and meditation by Kalanymous Kalman Shapira (origin. Hebrew) called Conscious Community: A Guide to Inner Work and is currently co-authoring a book on enhancing prayer education for the Conservative Movement's Melton Curriculum. Leah Green, Founder and Director, Mid East Citizen Diplomacy: Leah holds masters degrees in Public Policy and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Washington. Since 1990 she has directed Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy, leading fourteen citizen delegations to Jordan, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Leah lived for two years in Israel, and began her work in Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation in 1982 during a one-year training at Neve Shalom/Wahat as Salaam's School for Peace. She lectures and writes on the topic of Israeli-Palestinian peace, and has produced two documentaries, including recently released Children of Abraham, a beautiful film which chronicles a 1998 all-Jewish Compassionate Listening delegation (please see our website for ordering information).
November 7-21, 1999 Andrea Cohen-Kiener and Leah Green will staff this delegation. Andrea, as the lead staff-person, will be setting the itinerary for this trip. Here's a note from Andrea about the itinerary: "Each Compassionate Listening delegation varies according to the personal interests of the staff and participants. The upcoming November trip will include emphasis in the following areas: I have personal interests in the religious and spiritual dimensions of our work as a listening group and the role that religion plays in the world view of the Israelis and Palestinians we'll be meeting with. We will use a variety of Jewish techniques–including Torah study, meditation, and conflict resolution insights, to support our group work. We will also meet with Jewish and Muslim spiritual leaders and spend time exploring intra-Jewish issues within Israeli society. Environmental concerns effect everyone, regardless of nationality or religion. We will explore some of these issues as indicators of consciousness and change within both societies. Economic development is a key factor at this time that can support great healing and rapid political reconciliation. I welcome entrepreneurs and/or philanthropists who would like to participate in our November delegation. We will look into micro-enterprise in the region. I'd also like to welcome participants with strong writing/speaking skills, who can continue to get the word out about our work to audiences at home in North America. Applications and full trip details are available on our website, or you can email me directly if you are interested in participating in the November, 1999 trip." (All contact information is listed below.) April, 2000 Leah Green and a Palestinian colleague will co-lead this ground-breaking delegation for Palestinian and Jewish participants from North America. We are looking for participants who have either been involved in Jewish-Palestinian dialogue/reconciliation work, or desire to be involved. Also, a feature length documentary film is planned to be made of this trip, sponsored by Stanford University's Center for Conflict and Negotiation, so all applicants must be willing to be in a film! We will post details on our website soon. If you are interested, please email your application or questions about this delegation to Leah (addresses below). In the meantime, you'll find lots of information on our website - including our advisory board, past itineraries, articles, cost, and more background on Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy. Please visit us! "This program was truly remarkable!!! I was awed every single day." - Cantor Robert Scherr, Temple Israel of Natick
Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy
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