12/34 HaArazim Street
P.O. Box 3814
Jerusalem
Israel
- Democracy and community development
- Gender
- Heritage
- International/Cultural relations
- Religion
- Youth and education
The Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) is dedicated to promoting real and sustainable coexistence and human peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East through cross-cultural study and inter-religious dialogue. We believe that, rather than being the cause of the problem; religion can and should be a source of solution for conflicts that exist in the region and beyond.
We do not believe in the blending of all traditions into one undifferentiated group, but in providing a table where all can come and sit in safety and ease, while being fully who they are in their respective religions.
IEA's objective is to create a popular movement of active building of peaceful inter-communal relations. It aims to do so mainly through community-based development of on-going interfaith encounter groups. Each group brings together neighboring communities and builds relations of mutual understanding, respect, trust and friendship.
• Regular weekend retreats with Palestinian partners – 23 until now.
• Occasional inner-Israeli retreats – 10 so far.
• Annual Middle East conferences with partners from: Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Turkey. 5 so far.
• On-going groups of interfaith encounter. So far the following 29 groups were formed (from north to south): Acre, Karmiel-Majd el-Krum, M'ghar – Sawa Rabina, M'ghar – Shibolot, M'ghar – Bridging, M'ghar – Lana, M'ghar – Green Light, Galilee Women's Interfaith Encounter (WIE), Haifa WIE, Haifa University Youth Interfaith Encounter (YIE), Carmel City, Wadi Ara WIE, Living Together in Wadi Ara, Netania-Qalansawa, Tel Aviv University YIE, Petach Tikva – Kfar Kasem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Talking – Mt. Scopus YIE, IEA Reut-Sadaqa, Study and Dialogue, Jerusalem WIE, Jerusalem YIE, Jewish-Christian study of the Gospel of Mathew, Abu Dis And Maaleh Adumim, Ein Karem – Health Equality for all People in Israel, Jerusalem Arabic Speaking group, The Future – Mothers and Daughters, Jerusalem-Hebron YIE, Eilat