MY JERUSALEM - 3 Encounters of Jerusalem Women's Interfaith Encounter at the STI in June, July and August 2008:

Our last meetings were dedicated to "Jerusalem, our beloved city" as seen by our members, under the angle of our religions and traditions. Each of us had the opportunity of expressing herself and speaking about "her" Jerusalem, her perception of the Holy City.

Each meeting was attended by 7-8 Jewish and Muslim members. At our last meeting Seta joined us to give a testimony of her family's terrible journey to Jerusalem, escaping the massacre of the Armenians at the hands of the Turks at the beginning of last century. We were fortunate to welcome Esther , who came back after a long absence due to health problems. She talked about Jerusalem forty-fifty years ago, about the atmosphere at that time and the need to open it to all - a city of love and tolerance. Seta talked about Jerusalem for the Christian faith, its importance and symbolism.

The previous meetings were dedicated to Jewish and Muslim Jerusalem. They took place between The 17 Tammuz and Tisha B'Av fasts, reminding the Jewish people of the destruction of Jerusalem and both Temples, the last one by the Romans. The Western Wall as the last remnant of the temple has been and is still the holiest site of prayers for the Jewish people for the last two thousand years. Shulamit talked about "Sinat Hinam" - Baseless Hatred - which is thought to be the root of the destruction, about the need to tolerate and respect the other, the only way to assure our future in peace. We talked about "Jerusalem of above" the symbolic Holy Jerusalem from the Scriptures, Jewish and Christian, very different from the city we know, with its traffic jams, terror attacks, filled garbage collectors and neglected alleys..

Adia gave us a magisterial historical overview of Jerusalem, from the destruction of the city by the Romans, who razed it , expelled its Jewish inhabitants and called it Aelia Capitolina until today, going through all the different conquerors. She explained the importance of the city to the Muslim faith as the third Holy City. Indeed prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven from Jerusalem. This is such a extraordinary topic that we could go on talking about it for many, many meetings....

We all learned about the other's traditions regarding our city and had a deep feeling of closeness and friendship talking about a delicate topic while sharing some food and drinks in the peaceful surroundings of the STI sitting room....

Reported by Saheer, Seta and Evelyne

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