TRUST WIN celebrates World Harmony Week

For World Interfaith Harmony Week on Feb 7 2012, interfaith women from TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) and MADA (Horizon) gathered in Daliat HaCarmel in the Garden of the Women we created in December commemorating a decade of Christian, Druze, Jewish, and Muslim women working together in the north of Israel. Despite the freezing weather, we did a walking meditation around the 44 trees that were planted to memorialize those who perished in the Carmel Forest Fire last year. Fortunately there has been a record amount of rain days in Israel and we’re looking forward to the spring when our new seedlings will be growing. We were joined by other women and children in the home of Hediya who had prepared Druze dishes for us including taboule and khubeisa with local herbs.

In honor of Tu B’Shvat we ate the customary dried fruits and almonds for the almond trees which are already spreading their white blossoms in the midst of the winter rain and cold. We discussed harmony among the religions in Israel with an awareness of recent problems of conflict among the people of different religions in local villages – and recognized that our women are always able to meet and work together and create harmony and trust among ourselves in spite of these tensions.

The Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shvat is the New Year of the Trees celebrated on the 15th day of our month of Shvat. It is an environmental holiday throughout Israel when hundreds of thousands of trees are being planted at this time. My own family will be gathering on Friday to plant an almond tree with our grandchildren in our garden to join the other fruit trees that we’ve planted each previous Tu B’Shvat. I was inspired by this quote from a great American environmentalist, John Muir, which speaks to the harmony of nature.

“This grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never all dried at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal sunset, eternal dawn and gloaming, on seas and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.”
- John Muir

and the below quote from Thich Nhat Hahn, the Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Master,

“Until there is peace between religions, there can be no peace in the world.”

TRUST WIN Celebrates First Decade of Women’s Interfaith Activities

TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) held a joyous Celebration of our First Decade of Women’s Interfaith activities on December 11, 2011 hosted by the American Center in Jerusalem – exactly ten years since our first gathering there. There were over sixty women – Christian, Druze, Jewish, and Muslim – Israelis, Palestinians, and US Embassy staff including the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Near Eastern Public Diplomacy.

We opened by lighting a candle depicting Jerusalem made by women of Abu Dis. Prayers were offered by women from the four religions emphasizing that this small flame can dispel much darkness that surrounds us. Each woman spoke from the heart about her feelings of hope, love, sisterhood, and “frustration that the harmony that exists in this room isn’t contagious enough to affect all of our people”. We reminisced about all the activities and programs that have taken place in these ten years and the strong bonds of sisterhood that have developed.

A Woman of Valor Award was given to Ester Golan, a Founding Member of TRUST – Emun, for a lifetime of service to Interfaith Relations. There were smiles, hugs, tears, and deep joy. As the women continually embraced in greeting, Elana commented to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State that “we, women practice bosom to bosom diplomacy – always hugging and connecting with our bodies which enables us to speak from our hearts. We also speak from our womb and connect as mothers who want all children to live in peace and safety”. We enjoyed a beautiful Anniversary cake decorated with a photo from our recent Inauguration of the Garden of the Mothers in Daliat HaCarmel:

The gorgeous Peace Quilt made by 72 Israeli and Palestinian women was on display and the Quilt women led a beautiful activity to continue the quilt process. The Quilt remains on display at the American Center. We are grateful to the US Embassy for their grant for this celebration and continual support for the last decade, and for their lovely video of the Peace Quilt and the Celebration.

We are grateful and blessed by all of our supporters who have helped to make this year a rich and busy one for women of different faiths to meet together and visit each other’s homes, to plant four mature olive trees on the Goldman Tayelet in Jerusalem with the assistance of the City of Jerusalem, and to plant forty-four trees with the assistance of the Daliat HaCarmel Regional Council as a remembrance of the Carmel Forest tragedy last year and as a symbol of women’s interfaith work.

We bless everyone that this holiday season will bring much light into our hearts, our homes, and our lands.

Healing and Peace Quilt Promotes Tolerance and Mutual Understanding

TRUST – Emun, a Jerusalem-based ngo offering an alternative to conflict and violence is holding its 10th anniversary celebration at the American Center in Jerusalem. TRUST-Emun is committed to building mutual trust and understanding through unique person-to-person programs and activities in the region. Their women-led activities aim to find the common humanity that builds relationships and dispels fear among people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, religions.

The Palestinian-Israeli Healing Quilt was created by a group of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women who joined together in 2003 with the vision and desire to embrace life and to work together to create a place of peace. The 72 embroidered/painted hands of the quilt represent each woman’s voice. The quilt is incomplete with each of its sides open to hear more voices and inspire others to effect social change within their communities.

Please visit the American Center, 19 Keren Hayesod, to view the exhibit. http://Israel.usembassy.gov/ac

Inauguration of the Garden of the Mothers

On December 1, 2011, women of different faiths from the TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) fulfilled a promise they had made one year earlier.

Last December women leaders of different faiths surveyed the damage of the Carmel forest fire and vowed to replant trees in honor of the the forty-four Prison Services personnel – Christian, Druze, Jewish, and Muslim who perished there. With the cooperation of the Daliat alCarmel Community Center, TRUST – Emun held the Planting and Opening Ceremony of the Garden of the Mothers – planting forty-four trees and creating a permanent and serene symbol of the sisterhood of Christian, Druze, Jewish, and Muslim women who have worked together in the northern region for ten years. The Garden also is home to two ancient olive trees and two new sculptures representing Hope and Rebirth.

Several hundred people gathered for the Ceremony to hear Carmel Nasreddin (the Head of the Local Council of Daliyat al-Karmel), Emile Hamadi (Director of the Cultural Center), Ayoob Kara (Deputy Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galil), Prison Service officials, leaders of the Faith Communities of the area, members of the families of the prison personnel who perished, and women leaders from the TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) CC, Siham Halabi of MADA CC, Ibtisam Mahamid of Women Reborn CC, .

After the final planting of the seedling trees, there was a silent Meditation Walk around the garden with the interfaith women and mothers from the families whose sons and husbands had perished. One mother thanked us tearfully and showed us a beautiful photo of her son, and said she would come regularly to visit the Garden of the Mothers. Another one said this was the first time anyone had created a permanent memorial – and that it took the women to do it!

We are deeply grateful for grants and donations from the Center for Religious Tolerance, the URI Environment Program, John Weiser, Barbara Meislin/the Purple Lady, and supporters in Austria, Germany, and Spain. Their faith and financial support for the work of interfaith women enabled us to carry out this substantial and permanent project. We invite everyone to come and visit it with us!

We thank everyone for their prayers and commitment to the sisterhood of women of different faiths building peace.

Press Coverage
http://www.panet.co.il/online/articles/1/2/S-482502,1,2.html

http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/interfaith-womens-group-commemorates-carmel-fire-tragedy/

Video
Trust Emun Inauguration of the Garden of the Mothers

Elana interview 6:17 – 9:12

World Interfaith Harmony Week Tree Planting in Jerusalem

On February 14, after a week of rain, the clouds parted and the sun shone on the TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) gathering of Christians, Druze, Jews, and Muslims for World Interfaith Harmony Week to plant trees on the Goldman Promenade in Jerusalem, to honor the memories of Richard and Rhoda Goldman, the Benefactors, and Lawrence Halprin, the Landscape Architect. Michelle Katz displayed an oil painting she had created for the occasion — bright and colorful with women and trees. Gathered together were men and women from the Jerusalem Peacemakers and MADA (“horizon” in Arabic) and other organizations, as well as a group of U.S. college students visiting at the Holy Land Trust in Bethlehem. Everyone basked in the warm sunshine and incredible views looking out beyond the Judean Hills to the Dead Sea and Jordan.

Blessings were given by Rabbi David Rosen – International Director of Interreligious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee, Fr. Gusan Aljanian from the Armenian Orthodox community in the Old City, Haj Ibrahim Abuhalwa – Municipal Spokesman for the Muslim Community, and Siham Halabi – Director of Women’s Programs for the Druze community. Elana Rozenman welcomed everyone and stressed that although our city is filled with conflicts and violence, the TRUST WIN women walk regularly in the serene beauty of this walkway to strengthen the energies of harmony and sisterhood among women of different faiths. She spoke of our gratitude to the Goldmans and Halprin for their great gift that we enjoy daily. Nomi Tsur, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, paid tribute to the Goldmans and Halprin. She acknowledged the many environmental contributions of the Goldmans and the architectural contributions of Larry Halprin in our city. She learned from Larry Halprin the importance of including the needs of the community into environmental planning. She stressed that women are the key to ending war — mentioning the legend of Lysistrata when the Athenian and Spartan women refused to welcome their husbands home until they made peace. She mentioned her long and successful struggle to keep the Promenade area free of development.

The City Beautification Department created for us a small grove of four large olive trees which had been removed from the path of the Jerusalem Light Railway and were now being replanted as an eternal symbol of the contributions of Halprin and the Goldmans. These four olive trees also symbolize the sisterhood and holy work of the women of the four different faiths to build peace in our land. Noemie Nalbandian taught about the three times that the olive tree is mentioned in the Christian Bible in relation to Jesus. Sarah Yehudit Schneider taught the metaphor of the olive which requires so much work to turn the bitter into the sweet. A Druze woman stated that we all share the quality of trees — being solid and stable. A Jewish woman expressed satisfaction that our years of work together had produced such a tangible symbol of beauty and endurance. Everyone laughed and enjoyed the work as they took turns shoveling dirt around the base of the trees – each one approximately thirty years old and soon to produce olives for all to enjoy. We closed with the words of Gandhi “There is no path to peace, peace is the path” and we now have these beautiful trees to enhance our regular experience of peace on this pathway.

TRUST WIN Women’s Walk and Blessings for Rain in Jerusalem

TRUST WIN (Women’s Interfaith Network) held a Women’s Walk and Blessings for Rain on Tuesday, November 23, in Jerusalem as the drought and unseasonably warm weather continues in Israel. Recently clergymen from the different religions have offered joint prayers for rain. The Chief Rabbis have called for fasting and prayers for rain. We decided to add the voice of women to appeal for the mercy of rain on our parched land. Over forty Christian, Druze, Jewish and Muslim women were amazed to see a beautiful small round circle of a rainbow in the sky as we gathered together. We obtained army permits for a group of women from Bethlehem to participate. Palestinians, Israelis, and Dr. Andrea Blanch from the U.S. Center for Religious Tolerance walked hand in hand slowly and silently on the serene Goldman Promenade along the seam between East and West Jerusalem carrying open umbrellas and a rain stick mimicking the sound of falling rain. We had a young daughter of six and women in their 70′s. We offered prayers in Hebrew, Arabic and English. We shared dances and songs that celebrate water and appeal for rain from the different traditions, and we ended with a blessing circle to strengthen each other. We experienced the powerful sisterhood of combining the energies of women with their prayers for the blessing of rain to pour down upon the Holy Land.

An Israeli women mentioned that she was so comfortable walking silently with a Palestinian woman and being freed from the necessity and challenge of verbal discussion. She was especially moved when the Palestinian woman took her hand and they ended the walk in a deep embrace. The women from Bethlehem invited us to visit their center, and plans were made for exhange visits with the Druze village in the north of Israel.

We are grateful to the students of Anna Halprin and the Center for Religious Tolerance for their support of this Women’s Walk. We plan another Walk in December.

Women’s Meditation Walk for RAIN

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 2 p.m.
Goldman Promenade, Armon Hanatziv, Jerusalem

With friends and supporters from the U.S. Center for Religious Tolerance.

We will do a silent walking meditation on the Goldman Promenade with Israeli and Palestinian women – Christian, Jewish, and Muslim. We will conclude with blessings from the different faiths for RAIN, and a movement/dance experience dedicated to RAIN led by students of Anna Halprin.

Please bring snacks to share.

Please bring drums, tambourines, flutes, or other portable musical instruments. We will provide water.

Gathering place at Parking Lot of Haas Promenade in Armon Hanatziv at 2 p.m. SHARP!

For information and registration, call Elana Rozenman 02 6749698, or elana@trust-emun.org

Women’s Empowerment in Interfaith Meeting in Sderot

Our Abrahamic Reunion visited Sderot on the southern border with Gaza to pray for an end to the violent conflict, and to bear witness to the suffering of the Israelis being bombarded daily by rockets from Hamas for eight years. We were Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Jews — Palestinians and Israelis — all male clergy except for me (my Muslim woman counterpart was ill). One Sufi Sheik had sisters and a daughter in Gaza. A Catholic Malekite priest brought his Christian, Druze, and Muslim high school students from Nazareth area to meet with the high school students in Sderot. We sat in a classroom that was a fortified building – a chilling reminder of their reality. The children spoke beautifully and deeply — immediately bringing up and confronting the core issues that separate everyone and create fear and mistrust. The clergy were each asked to offer prayers – which were quite lovely and meaningful, especially in that context. I indicated to the hosting rabbi that we had not heard the voice of women and he called on me. I spoke simply as a mother and told them my prayer came not only from my head and heart, but from my womb — and my prayer was that no other child should ever have to suffer as my son did as a survivor of a Hamas suicide bomber’s attempt to kill him. In response to the fear and caution that some of the students had expressed, I told them that they had already done the hardest work — just walking into the room and sitting together was the first and most important step in overcoming fear, mistrust, and feelings of vengeance. I pointed out that right now the majority of Israelis and Palestinians would never come into this room or talk to the “other” – so they already began the long road towards reconciliation.

What was most gratifying to me afterwards was that several of the clergymen each told me that I had said the most important words. Not because I wanted praise, but because this was another significant step for them in recognizing the equal value of what a woman, even a lay leader, can contribute to our public prayer meetings. Since we formed the Abrahamic Reunion over five years ago with 10 clergymen and two women spiritual leaders, it has been an uphill struggle for the two women to be equal participants in the public meetings of our group although they have no problem with us doing the organizational work behind the scenes. So I have no illusions about the difficulty of our task for equal women’s participation or the need for patience and perseverance. In the patriarchal societies of our region, it is much more complex than in Western societies, and the work has to be forceful but subtle. Moreover, those of us who are on this path know that the sisterhood of women and the support of men all over the world is a deep comfort that empowers and strengthens us. Your love enables us to demonstrate the necessity for, and the benefits of, women’s contribution to public discourse on peace.

Partners

Peace X Peace
Connects women around the world for the purpose of dialogue, understanding and collaboration.
www.peacexpeace.org

United Religions Initiative
Promotes enduring daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the earth and all liveing beings.
www.uri.org

Just Vision
Informs local and international audiences about under-documented Palestinian and Israeli joint civilian efforts to resolve the conflict nonviolently.
www.justvision.org

The Center for Religious Tolerance
Promotes peace and harmony through dialogue among the world’s religions and through spiritually based interfaith activities.
www.centerforreligioustolerance.org

The Wasatia Movement
An alternative to redical Islam based on moderation.
www.wasatia.info

Abrahamic Reunion
A group of 25 spiritual leaders of the four main faiths in the Holy Land that find their roots in the prophet Abraham.
www.jerusalempeacemakers.org