JOIN US in Building the NEXT PHASE of Elijah

Dear Friend,

The Elijah Interfaith Institute has had an extraordinarily diverse and productive year. We have created and conducted significant projects of our own, jointly created and conducted programs with partners, we have participated in major local and international events, we have engaged in new learning and teaching, have published some of the wisdom of our scholars and we have actively responded to mend and build that which was damaged or destroyed through our highly successful Rebuild Tabgha Campaign. 

Even with all this work achieved (see our HIGHLIGHTS section below), we are still at the early stages of actualizing our long-term vision, especially as the innovative HOPE Network (explained in greater detail below) points to the eventual establishment of The Center of HOPE.

The present moment is a very challenging one for us, not only because of the inherent challenges associated with realizing a major vision, but because of particular challenges stemming from present financial realities. As readers of Wisdom and as members of the broader Elijah community, I turn to you at the end of the year and ask for your active support. Even if you are only able to make a small gift, please consider this end of year, and its associated tax benefits (501(c) 3), as an opportunity to support Elijah’s work and join us in making our vision a reality.

Please click  or the DONATE NOW button below to make your contribution.

In gratitude,

Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein

Executive Director

Highlights of 2015

PILGRIMAGE IN MEMORY OF PRESIDENT WAHID

In January, Elijah was one of the hosts of an Indonesian delegation visiting Israel to honor late President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gusdur). President Wahid was on the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders and a great advocate for peace. The delegates, all influential religious leaders, were mainly from the Muhammadiyah movement, his legacy in Indonesia.

 

iPray4.org WEBSITE

The first week in February is UN Interfaith Harmony Week and Elijah took the occasion to launch the iPray4.org website, a platform for sharing prayer and supporting others in their prayers. Please click HERE to visit the iPray4.org website.

 

TABGHA CAMPAIGN

Perhaps one of Elijah’s greatest undertakings was our June Tabgha Campaign to fund the restoration of the friendship center at the Church of the Multiplications in northern Israel. The Church was vandalized, its visitors’ center destroyed by those claiming to act in the name of religion, so, in the name of religion, we sought to rebuild. The campaign exceeded its target. The friendship-building campaign is ongoing.

 

INTERRELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

August saw a successful Interreligious Leadership Institute in Jerusalem, attended by theology students, activists, religious leaders and youth leaders from 11 different countries. The theme of “Religious Genius” engaged the intellects and captured the imaginations of all participants. The summer Institute included visits to sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

 

ELIJAH PRINCIPLES OF FAITH

In September, we created the Elijah Principles of Faith to unite religion against those who would perpetrate acts of hatred and violence in the name of religion. Some signatories include: Grand Mufti Mustafa Ceric, Rabbi David Rosen, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The Dalai Lama, and more. We invite you to join us and .

 

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS

In October, Elijah was well represented at Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in Salt Lake City. In addition to Elijah’s booth, which showcased many aspects of our work, members of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders presented two sessions, one on “Religious Genius” and the second on the Center of HOPE. Elijah was also represented in a session on Bibliodrama. Several of the religious leaders and scholars associated with Elijah also participated in plenary sessions at the Parliament or were honoured by offering prayers on behalf of their religious tradition.

 

PRAYING TOGETHER IN JERUSLEM

In October we launched of Praying Together in Jerusalem, a project supported by Elijah in conjunction with the Tantur Ecumenical Institute and other partners who share the belief that prayers matter. Gatherings are held outside Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem at sunset on the last Thursday of each month. We invite people around the world to enjoin their prayers for peace with ours at that time.

 

NEW PUBLICATIONS

Two more volumes in the Interreligious Studies series, published by Lexington Press, appeared this year – one on and the second on .  Please click the links for more information and to purchase through Lexington Press.

 

Each of these achievements takes Elijah further in our mission of “Sharing Wisdom, Fostering Peace” but there is much more to be done.

HOPE Network

Elijah is striving to spread its vision of interreligious collaboration and friendship which has been developed by a small think-tank of people committed to Elijah’s work. The next phase of our work will be building the HOPE Network, which will nurture an international community around the Center of HOPE. This innovation will enable interfaith communities around the world to be linked to each other, to share resources and ideas and to receive guidance and support.  If you are interesting in hearing more about this initiative, please contact Peta at [email protected].

DONATE

We know that you have many options in choosing where to make a contribution, and we are grateful for your faith in us that your contribution will be invested directly in the growth of the Elijah Interfaith Institute.

 to make your contribution before the end of the calendar year.  All donations are US tax exempt.

Thank You!

“Our prayer for Jerusalem is a prayer for global peace. If this center of conflict becomes a center of peace, then the entire world will live in peace.” -Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal

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