Dear Friends,

Its easy to watch the news at a time like and feel powerless. But despite this
latest flareup of hostility in the Holy Land, and with the help of the Interfaith
Encounter Association, we are coming together - now more than ever - to build
bridges, overcome prejudice by replacing it with face-to-face knowledge, and
thus ensure a better future for ourselves and our children.
Theres an old proverb that says If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If
your vision is for ten years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant
people.
Those words really speak to us, because that's exactly what we have been doing
since 2001, as members of the IEA. Were in this for the long haul. And our
efforts are bearing fruit, recruiting more activists to the cause of peace than
any other organization in the Holy Land thus far, over 8500 participants have
met the Other in a deep and life-changing way in the IEAs 73 encounter groups.
Making enemies into friends isnt easy. It means taking risks, making oneself
vulnerable, and reaching out to those who other groups give up on, or dont even
try to involve. But by cultivating an approach which is truly different, which
utilizes the power of religion as a force for peace and compassion instead of
conflict, we are building a mass-movement of people who refuse to be enemies.
How YOU can make a difference:

Help spread the word by forwarding this message to others

Become involved. If youd like to contribute your time and skills to the
organization and attend encounters, please send us a note at office@interfaithencounter.org

Please make a financial contribution. We need your help to keep going!

Your donation of:
$30 covers printing and communications costs for one encounter session
$60 buys food for one encounter session
$100 pays for transportation for Palestinian youth to come to Israel for an
encounter session
$250 allows us to retain trained coordinators of one encounter session
$500 covers all the costs for one Palestinian and Israeli Youth Encounter
$1,000 pays for one conference
$5,000 can sustain one ongoing dialogue group for one year.
Please contribute now online at
http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/donate/. As always, all contributions
of any size are very warmly appreciated!

All contributions are fully tax-deductible in Israel (article 46) and the US
(501(c)3). See http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/donate for how to
make tax-deductible contributions if you are a UK or Swiss citizen.
In the US, contributions by check may be mailed directly to: Friends of IEA,
832 Lathrop Ave., Forest Park, IL, 60130-2039
Lastly, wed like to ask you to take just one minute to watch this brief video clip
of one of our encounters, between Jews from Karmiel and Muslims from Majd
el-Krum:
https://youtu.be/ULWIs3yuiy4
(If youd like, you can see the entire video, as well as other videos, at
https://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/mediapress/video/).
We wanted you to see this footage because it really isnt just a story about us;
we cant make these inspiring, boundary-crossing encounters happen alone. We
need YOUR help and involvement. Anything you can contribute will make a real
difference on the ground. The teacher from Majd el-Krum, the doctor from
Jerusalem, the student from Hebron, and the engineer from Beit Jala are all
counting on us as they take a stand within their respective societies for peace.
Today were all inviting you to join with them, and with us, by supporting our
work.
We are truly grateful for your help!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Yakov Nagen, Group of Rabbis and Sheikhs
Olfat Ghaben, Group of young Jerusalem women
- In the name of IEA participants