‘Figuring Out How To Live Together’

“We’re not politicians,” says Rabbi Ron Kronish, above, director of Israel’s Interreligious Coordinating Council. Muhammad Zibdi, an Islamic judge in Jerusalem, calls dialogue “a religious obligation.”

“We’re not politicians,” says Rabbi Ron Kronish, above, director of Israel’s Interreligious Coordinating Council. Muhammad Zibdi, an Islamic judge in Jerusalem, calls dialogue “a religious obligation.”

by Merri Rosenberg
Special To The Jewish Week

Hearing Arabic, and the Koran, quoted from the bima is unusual, even for a liberal Reform congregation like Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale.

But perhaps it wasn’t so surprising, after all, when the program Oct. 21 featured speakers from Israel’s Interreligious Coordinating Council, Muhammad Zibdi, the chief Islamic judge of the Muslim Sharia Court in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Dr. Ron Kronish, director of the organization.

Founded in 1991, the Jerusalem-based organization has focused its efforts on bringing together Christian, Palestinian/Muslim and Jewish individuals and organizations in a bid for coexistence. A major target of its initiatives is reaching mainstream religious leaders through its Kedem program.

“The stereotypes are so great,” said Rabbi Kronish. “The average Jew views Muslims as terrorists or suicide

bombers. Ninety-five percent of Israeli Jews have never met their neighbors.” And on the other side, he added, “Palestinians see Israelis as settlers or soldiers at a checkpoint. One has to overcome a general negativity. In times of crises, it gets harder.”

And the organization is well aware of reality. As Rabbi Kronish said, “It’s an ongoing conflict. The conflict may not end tomorrow. We have to talk during conflict.”

Working to move past stereotypes is a primary mission of the ICCI, which includes more than 60 Christian, Palestinian/Muslim and Jewish organizations in Israel.

“Nobody knows about this work,” said Rabbi Kronish, who emphasized this his organization is not “an extreme left-wing activity.” He acknowledged that “what we’re doing is counter-intuitive. It’s not normal in Israeli society.”

Still, he said, “Jews and Muslims are able to work together in Israel. In my view, developing good relations with the Arab minority, Muslim or Christian, is the Jewish thing to do. It’s healthy for us to treat the stranger fairly.”

By focusing on the common values shared by the three monotheistic religious traditions, members of the organization hope to establish respectful dialogue and a way to work and live together in what is admittedly a complicated community.

For Mohammad Zibdi, who spoke Hebrew and had his remarks translated by Rabbi Kronish as well as one of WRT’s Hebrew school teachers, “dialogue is a religious obligation. Our belief as Muslims is that today’s enemy can become your friend tomorrow.” He added that “deepening the knowledge about one another and one’s religions, with the focus on common values, can form a good foundation for the dialogue. Each side can hear the truth on the other side. Islam recognizes that people come from other cultures and religions and that we have one God who is father of us all.”

Further, said Zibdi, “as a Palestinian Arab living in Israel, I don’t view the state of Israel as the enemy, or the Jewish people in Israel as the enemy.” Quoting from the Koran, he said, “If the enemy come and offers peace, you should engage in peace.”

More than 200 people, including a significant contingent of WRT’s high school students and their parents, as well as about 30 members of Westchester’s Muslim community, heard that message, one that was reinforced by WRT’s Rabbi Richard J. Jacobs.

“Tonight, we, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, gather as children of the same father,” said Rabbi Jacobs, who had participated in the 2009 Brookings Institution’s U.S. Islamic World Forum in Qatar this past February. “That which unites us is greater than that which divides us. There is so much for us to learn. The ICCI does important work, creating genuine and respectful dialogue. It’s committed to building bridges that were broken or never built. Dr. Kronish is shaping a different Israel for us and our children. Having Arabs who speak Hebrew and Jewish teachers who speak Arabic is part of the redemption of our world.”

Both Rabbi Kronish and Kadi Zibdi also explained that they approached the issue through a religious, rather than political, perspective.

“We’re not politicians,” said Rabbi Kronish. “We’re not here to write the treaty between Israel and Palestine. For us, engaging in interfaith dialogue is not an academic or intellectual exercise. We’re bringing people together to live together. The focus of our discussions is religious, educational and spiritual. The goal is learning to live together for the purpose of coexistence.”

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