Eliyahu McLean - Recent Activities, 2004

<BODY> <H1><A HREF="recent0412.html">Recent activities</A></H1> <P>I share with you an update from the path of a <I>Rodef Shalom</I>, a Pursuer of Peace. My journeys have brought me to many places, planting seeds of hope for peace in the Holy Land. I share below lots of details but I promise you'll be inspired by what you read.</P> <H5>In the West Bank with Arun Gandhi</H5> <P>During the last week of August 2004 I had the opportunity to get to know the grandson of the Mahatma, Arun Gandhi, who runs a center in the US to spread the teachings of his grandfather. I attended a rally with 5000 Palestinians to welcome him in central Ramallah, where he emphasized the need for the Palestinian people to adopt a strategy of non-violence.</P> <P>In Bethlehem, I marched arm in arm with Arun Gandhi in a parade through the streets of Bethlehem to a huge rally at Manger Square. We were welcomed by many Palestinian dignitaries and an entourage of Palestinian scouts playing bagpipes. I sat directly behind Arun on the stage before he spoke to thousands. Rabbi Levi Kelman from Jerusalem also addressed the crowd, calling for the need for forgiveness between our peoples.</P> <H5>At the Santa Cruz Sulha Peace Gathering</H5> <P>On September 6th I was invited to the Sulha gathering in Santa Cruz, California. Over 500 people came to a very special day in the spirit of our Sulha gatherings in Israel. I was invited by organizer Nissim Malul to give a keynote speech along with Palestinian Sufi Yacoub Hussein and Congressman Sam Farr. I reported about the success of this year's Sulha gathering to enthusiastic applause.</P> <P>Jews, Arabs and others who live in Northern California sat in listening circles. Many workshops of Jewish and Arab culture were offered, such as Jewish meditation, Debke dancing and Muslim prayer. Yacoub and I led Hebrew and Arabic prayers on the stage. The day closed with Arab and Jewish musicians offering a musical celebration that had everyone on their feet.</P> <H5>In the Bay Area, California</H5> <P>During September I spoke to groups around the Bay Area. I was invited by Len and Libby Traubman to speak to a gathering of Bay Area Palestinian-Jewish dialogue groups at Mercy High School in San Francisco. Rector Michael McGarry of the Mercy HS invited me later to address a class in this Catholic girls' school.</P> <P>In Berkeley, Avram Davis invited me to speak to the Monday night meditation class at Chochmat Halev Center for Jewish spirituality. I spoke also at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. I had lunch in SF with the staff of the URI  United Religions Initiative. In Marin, Sufi teacher Shabda Khan invited me to give a talk and share in the Dances of Universal Peace.</P> <P>On Yom Kippur I prayed with Rabbi Michael Lerner at Beyt Tikkun in San Francisco. Reb Michael invited me to address the community about my work, and then I spoke on a panel with Starhawk and another Israeli. On the East Coast I spoke to students and staff at Goucher college in Baltimore, Maryland.</P> <H5>With the Compassionate Listening Tour (CLT) in Hebron</H5> <P>On October 10th I took Leah Green and the CLT to meet Sheikh Talal Sider at his home in Hebron. The sheikh shared the story of his remarkable transformation from being one of the founders of Hamas to becoming a leading Palestinian Muslim religious peacemaker. He said "<I>It's not enough to like peace, we must be PASSIONATE for peace</I>".</P> <P>On October 17th I made the Aliyah L'Kever, going up to the grave of a friend Eish Kodesh Gilmor from Moshav Modiim on the fourth anniversary of his death. Eish Kodesh was 25 when he was killed by Palestinian militants at the beginning of the <I>intifada</I>.</P> <H5>Envisioning 'Jerusalem, International City for Learning World Peace'</H5> <P>At Ecce Homo, the home of the Sisters of Zion on the Via Dolorosa in the Old City on October 22-23, we had a gathering of Jews, Christians and Muslims. Pia Gyger and Niklaus from the Lasalle Institut in Switzerland led us for two days in envisioning how Jerusalem can become a world center for peace. We closed the Shabbat with Rabbi Ohad Ezrahi and members of the Hamakom community leading us in Havdalah and a musical celebration on the balcony, with a stunning view of the Dome of the Rock / Temple Mount.</P> <H5>Healing the Family of Abraham Tour of UK</H5> <P>I traveled for 16 days throughout the UK speaking to Jewish and Christian groups from October 24th to November 8th. In Salisbury I spoke at Sarum College. In St Albans I was invited by Jonathan Gorsky of the Council of Christians and Jews to address a group. In Glasgow, Scotland, I attended a gathering of the Scottish Clan Maclean  I was the only Jewish McLean they'd ever met. When I spoke on Shabbat at the Orthodox Giffnock Synagogue in Glasgow I received an ovation after sharing about my journey to Baghdad.</P> <P>The main Sikh <I>gurudwara</I> of Birmingham and their teacher Bhai Sahib-Jihosted me for two days. We are planning a visit by the Sikhs to support peace in the Holy Land. Near Oxford, at St. Ethelwold's Retreat Centre I led a Jewish meditation. On November 3rd an Iranian imam and I led a torchlight interfaith vigil through the streets of Oxford, organized by the International Interfaith Centre. Then I led a discussion in a nearby church.</P> <P>In London I spoke at St. Ethelburga's Reconciliation Centre. Then, the organizer of my tour, Jane Ozanne, welcomed me at the Peace Tea for the Holy Land event in Sevenoaks. I finished my tour with a special day at the Dominican Worth Abbey, where I was welcomed by Fr. Paul and spoke to a packed multi-faith audience.</P> <H5>With James Twyman and the 'Beloved Group'</H5> <P>In mid-November, I helped host peace troubadour James Twyman and some 55 folks from all over the world on a spiritual peacemaking tour. I took the group to meet with Ibrahim Issa at the Hope Flowers School in Al-Khader near Bethlehem. On Saturday evening, Jeff Goldstein organized a peace concert at Neve Shalom with some 200 Israelis and a few Palestinians. James Twyman blessed Ibrahim Abu el Hawa and myself as examples of Jews and Muslims working for peace together.</P> <H5>At the <I>Tools for Peace</I> conference in Sweden</H5> <P>From November 21st-24th I attended and led a workshop at the Tools for Peace conference in Söderköping, Sweden. I brought with me Mordechai Zeller, son of Rabbi David Zeller, and Ibtisam Mahamid to a gathering with 120 religious peacemakers and scholars from around the world. Among us were peacemakers from Sudan, the Philippines, Jordan, Bosnia and USA. Buddhist peacemaker Sulak Sivaraksa from Thailand (he refers to it as 'Siam') spoke about the need for inner and outer disarmament to go together.</P> <P>The most remarkable people I met there were Imam Mohammed Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye from Nigeria. In Nigeria there is a civil war between Muslims and Christians with many killed. Pastor James was a leader of radical evangelicals and used to incite hatred of Muslims, losing his right arm in the violence. Imam Mohammed was a radical Muslim leader, until he met Pastor James. Now they work together running the Muslim�Christian Dialogue Forum and the Interfaith Mediation Centre in Nigeria.</P> <P>Pastor James told me, "<I>When Israel sneezes, Nigeria catches a cold. Many Christians in Nigeria are ardent Zionists and go on a rampage against Muslims when a Jew is killed in Israel. And likewise the Muslims commit violence against Christians when a Palestinian is killed. So we need to show in our country examples of Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land working together for peace, to calm down our situation.</I>" He hopes to show the new <I>On the Way to Sulha</I> video to groups throughout Nigeria.</P> <H5>More bridge building in the Holy Land</H5> <P>I joined a group of religious Jewish environmental activists for an 'Eco-Shabbat' gathering on December 2nd-3rd in Efrat. On Friday December 10th I gave a workshop on Judaism and Human Rights at the new Daila Center, run by ICAHD in downtown Jerusalem. On Sunday 12th I met with a friend Firas Yaagi in Ramallah. Firas is in charge of the Palestinian municipal elections throughout the West Bank. He spoke about the new Fatah committee formed to support grassroots activities with Israelis.</P> <P>On the eighth night of Hannukah I hosted an interfaith celebration at my home in Jerusalem. Over 50 people filled my living room, including many Carlebach Hasidim, an Egyptian, Ibrahim Abu el Hawa, some Catholic brothers from the Order of the Beatitudes and locals from my neighborhood in Nachla'ot. Yankele Shemesh sang Shlomo Carlebach songs and I had friends from all religions share in the lighting of the Hannukah candles. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari led Sufi chanting and alternated to lead chanting of Arabic and Hebrew sacred phrases. Everyone walked out of my place with a huge smile on their faces.</P> <P>I drove up to Nazareth with Sheikh Bukhari on Sunday December 19th to attend the opening of Anwar il Salaam, a new Sufi center in Nazareth under the guidance of Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra. The place is Sufi Central, with Muslim mystics coming from all over the country. They held a powerful <I>zikr</I> in their center, that is dedicated to spreading the message of a tolerant Islam. Sheikh Manasra proclaimed that this center, situated directly across from the Church of Ascension, is not just for Muslims, but for people of all faiths.</P> <BR> <P CLASS="sans">In order to continue this work I need your support. Please support my work for peace by making a contribution <A HREF="donate.html" CLASS="red" TARGET="_top">here</A>.</P> <P CLASS="sans">Please visit the <A HREF="http://www.sulha.com/" CLASS="red">Sulha Peace Project</A> website to see seven pages of amazing pictures from the August Sulha gathering.</P>  <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2"> </script><script type="text/javascript"> </script><noscript><img height="1" width="1" alt="" src="http://nht-2.extreme-dm.com/n2.g?login=jpeace&pid=elirect1&j=n&jv=n"/> </noscript>  </BODY>