The same rabbi I mentioned here, Eliyahu McLean along with Ezra Weinberg is doing a Jewish peacebuidling course in August in New York titled: The Netzah, Hod, and Yesod of Peacebuilding: On Becoming a Jewish Peacebuilder. Here is the full description. The one I received via email is more extensive, so I will share it: This week long training course aims to create a community of inspired and empowered Jewish peacemakers who will reclaim the peace voice within the Jewish tradition. This course is for both those who wish to initiate peace projects in their religious communities, as well as for the engaged peace activist who seeks a deeper connection with the Jewish path in doing the work.During this week we will study texts, share stories from the field and study theoretical peace building models. Examples will be drawn from religious peace making in the Holy Land, but with applications outside of the Middle East conflict.
Daily Study Topics:
1. The path of a Rodef Shalom. Overcoming anger and judgment – learning the way of empathy. Exploration of the values of being a Jewish peacemaker.
2. Intra-Jewish work: How do we build peace from within our own divided Jewish communities? We will explore how to build bridges between people of competing ideologies: religious, secular, left wing, right wing, and everything in between.
3. The Abrahamic model as a paradigm for Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim reconciliation: How can we use the story of Abraham¹s family as a tool for healing fractured relationships?
4. Envisioning the Future. What we can do together and what would the future role of Jewish peacebuilders look like?
Each day will include:
- Text study including Torah and responsa and texts from the field of peace making literature
- Theoretical and conceptual ideas in peacebuilding
- Skills and capacity building for the empowered peace builder
- Sharing life experiences and examples from our work or others
Topics for workshops will include:
- Engaging people on all sides – from Jihad to Kahane;
- grappling with problematic Jewish texts around peace and war ;
- skills development in understanding complex conflict;
- developing your compassion muscles ;
- Using ritual as a tool in building bridges;
- dialogue vs. hands on;
Holding opposites:
- the paradox of peacemaking;
- Sulha and Mehila: forgiveness in Jewish and Arab traditions;
- Meditation and prayer: helping us find inner peace