“Day of Agony, Day of Hope” in Jerusalem Envisions a More Peaceful Future

October 21, 2024

People in a lecture roomAfter Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion had held a number of in-person and virtual memorial events to mark the first anniversary of October 7, several Israeli organizations that promote peace and coexistence gathered at the Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem to envision a brighter future for the region.

Busloads of Israelis, Palestinians, and Bedouins – Jews, Muslims, and Christians from 22 organizations – came together on October 9 to engage in dialogue. The first part of the day was devoted to pain: the 300 attendees were divided into smaller discussion circles where they could share their experiences connected to the Hamas attacks and the ensuing war. Discussions during the second half of the day focused on hopes for peace and justice. The event ended in the synagogue, with music and poetry by Arab and Jewish poets and songwriters, translated and performed in both languages.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Nachman Shai, Ph.D., Dean of the Jerusalem Campus, said the gathering was urgently necessary, “particularly now, in these challenging times we are all living through – and we are all experiencing them, regardless of religion, gender, or race.”

“Anyone living above this earth is going through the same challenges. During this war – to which I do not yet see an end – it is crucial to sit down together and share, not only the pain that is common to us all, but the hope as well, and the light that will follow,” he said.

On October 7, 2023, Shai continued, no one was spared from the wickedness – “those who were in the line of fire, and those who were far from it as well: Jews, Arabs, Christians, people of many nationalities, and all genders. This proves that evil has no limits.”

“The difference between then and now is that we understand that we must use one hand to obliterate evil, and the other to find another to reach out to and figure out how to move forward together,” he said.

“I would like to pray here with you that this war, which has spread to all possible fronts and throughout the Middle East, will come to an end, in the way all wars end – with political agreements,” Shai said. “When the last day of this war arrives, it needs to be the first day of additional political settlements between us and our neighbors that will lay down the foundation for coexistence in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinian People and between us and each and every one of the countries around us.”

Instead of accepting continued violence, Shai concluded, the participants gathered at the Taube Family Campus “would rather figure out how to reach an understanding between people living on this earth, under the same sun, eating the same food. And I believe we have common values around which we can all unite.”