Sh'ma: The Practice of Hearing

Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener

Sh'ma: The Practice of Hearing

There have been better days for reconciliation work. The essential insight of reconciliation, namely everyone on all sides is a human being; is no less true in these difficult days. It is just less apparent.

In the better days, various organs of the Hartford Jewish community participated in collaborative efforts with the local mosque. We brought our kids together for very respectful interfaith dialogue. We ran social actions together, raising money for resettlement of Moslem refugees of Bosnia. Now I often hear "Talking is a waste of time. There is a war; choose sides" Still there are people whose human experience of the Other is that of caring faithful human beings. Once established, that insight is very hard to shake.

Is this a time for dialogue? I believe that the related communities in North America to the factions in Israel/ Palestine can and have played a defining role. We can certainly challenge ourselves to explore what constructive role we might play simply to reduce the suffering and express our own grief and concern.

There are three Middle East Dialogue groups that I know of which are over a decade old — one each in Nablus, San Francisco and Bethlehem. My colleagues in dialogue work say that this is a time for private and modest actions and perhaps a time for each community to look inward towards it's own teshuva/repair and self-reflection. I am very anxious to effect dramatic changes, but this work is a much slower process, the longer shorter way. Of establishing again and again that we refuse to be enemies. There is a way to do this. Let us accept the challenge.

In Hartford, the reconciliation work I have done in Israel/Palestine was once seen as mildly naïve and optimistic. Now, for some, the same work is downright treasonous. We have become afraid to hope. So privately, I am doing what my heart requires. I am part of a seed that is an interfaith Living Room Dialogue group (a phrase established by the San Francisco group).

Starting with my longtime colleague at the mosque, we have slowly and slowly grown to a group of 8 planning an event for 20. We plan to bring together an interfaith group on the second day of Rosh Hashana, which turns out to be the start of a holy month for Moslems, Rajab. That event will be by invitation only. We decided as a group to keep it that way in order to avoid the sort of shouting matches that can erupt when we get close to core issues. Every one who is invited is told that they must have a commitment to listening. We 8 have decided together on the program, the guest list, on who would contact whom as the wider invitations go out. We are very aware that we are building our own dialogue trust and connections as we work together to bring a wider ring into the conversation. We are all working with the triadic idea of Dialogue — Strategy — Action so that all of our efforts work with all three goals in mind.

Since it is the holiday season, we have decided to begin with a short and inspirational teaching from the Rajab narrative (a moment of Prophet Mohammed feeling very alone with his monotheistic faith) and Rosh Hashana (remorse, prayer and right action avert the hard decree). From there we simply plan to do a check in: let each one speak for 2-3 minutes about their personal connection to the region and their feelings about current events. We plan to pray for guidance together and to name and remember a number of the martyrs on both sides. And we'll end, of course, with refreshment, that valuable time of mixing and continuing the conversation.

*Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener is the spiritual leader of Congregation Pnai Or of Central Connecticut and a delegation leader for the Compassionate Listening Project, a project of MidEast Citizen Diplomacy. MECD offers regular Compassionate Listening delegations to the Middle East, trainings in Compassionate Listening and is currently mounting a traveling photographic exhibit created by March 2001 delegate, Beverly Boos. For information, see www.mideastdiplomacy.org.