The Houston
Palestinian-Jewish Dialogue
Group
The Houston Palestinian-Jewish
Dialogue Group was a group of people who are
committed to listening to each other with
open, caring hearts to form relationships and
begin to understand each other's
experiences. The group's first meeting was on
September 11, 2005. The group met monthly or
bi-monthly 2005-2010 in the homes of members and
was unaffiliated with any other organization. It
was a grass-roots effort facilitated by Sharon Joy,
and based upon the model of Libby and Len Traubman
and the Jewish Palestinian Dialogue Group of San
Mateo, CA.
Why Dialogue?
There are some things only
governments can do, such as negotiating
binding agreements. But there are some
things that only citizens outside government
can do, such as changing human
relationships.
Dr. Harold Saunders, former U.S. Secretary of
State, and negotiator of the Camp David
Accords
Perhaps through this group and others like it, we
can begin to listen to each other, to share
our stories, and to form relationships. Many of the
participants are still in touch with each other.
The foundation for peace is built by people who
know each other.
For information about this type of dialogue please
go to: http://traubman.igc.org/faq.htm.
Outreach
Events
November 2008
A Call to Dialogue, Houston
Texas
September 2009 Presentation at Kol HaLev's Rosh Hashanah Day Two
Sharon Joy and other Dialogue group members presented information about the group to the congregation of Kol Halev, a Houston Jewish Reconstructionist Havurah, at their second day Rosh Hashanah service.
.....Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273)
During a trip to Israel/Palestine in July 2009, Sharon Joy participated in three formal Intercultural Dialogue experiences in association with the Interfaith Encounter Association. These were the Jerusalem Women's Group and Reut Sadaqa, also in Jerusalem. She attended a retreat at the Austrian Hospice in the Old City of Jerusalem that was sponsored by the Interfaith Encounter Association and the Palestine Peace Society of Hebron. The attendees from the retreat have continued to meet as a group, sustaining the action of dialogue and relationship-building.
Sharon Joy also attended a meeting of the intercultural council in Maghar village in the Galilee. She visited the Jerusalem Hand-In-Hand School and the Arava Institute for Environmental Sciences, both dedicated to bringing people together.
April 2009 Dialogue Facilitators Conference
Sharon Joy and Hanan Patel participated in a conference at Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey. Representatives from 14 dialogue groups in the United States, Canada, and Israel/Palestine came together to share about their groups and exchange ideas.
Click here for links to additional
programs and organizations that are actively
supporting
communication and understanding in
Israel-Palestine.
Beier experienced the Israeli occupation of her neighborhood in Jerusalem as her family was forced to flee during the 1967 war. As a Jewish teenager in New York City, Joy went door-to-door, raising money for Israel during the same 1967 war.
How can these two women who grew up in cultures with such dramatically opposed historical narratives become such close friends? And if friendship and understanding can exist in this relationship, is it possible for others to overcome cultural conditioning? Can a model of communication and understanding end a cycle of suffering and war?
Sharing personal narratives is
the first crucial step in discovering common
ground.
Drs. Beier and Joy are available to present this
event at locations in Texas and Louisiana.
Contact Sharon Joy
for scheduling
information.
