Limud Vesiach Interfaith Encounter Group on 12th March 2009:

On March 12th the Study and Dialogue group met again. Many of our regular members were absent but we were privileged to have with us a guest who is a social worker and psychotherapist from the US, who just came back from a conference. He shared his experience in the conference, which included conversations in small intimate groups and conversations in the plenary of some hundred and fifty people. He told the group how in the small groups relations between people of different communities (Jewish, Muslim and Christian – locals and internationals) were very human and close while once people got into the plenary they referred to 'the other' in antagonistic, nationalist, way.

This led to a very interesting conversation about the psychological aspect of the conflict – about the need to develop the relationships and to overcome the competition on who is a bigger victim.

We also talked about the difference between the individual identity (that manifested itself in the small groups) and the collective identity (which was manifested in the plenary) and about the challenge we face in taking the human relations developed on the individual level into the collective level.

 

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