From the Dead Sea to Tehran: Religion Is Part of the Solution

Spring Has Arrived in Jerusalem!

Since we last wrote to you, the world has changed dramatically and the work of the Jerusalem Interfaith Center has never felt more urgent, more necessary, or more alive.

To all who are preparing for Pesach, we wish you a Chag Passover Sameach. The story of the Exodus is not just a Jewish story but humanity's story, an eternal reminder that oppression does not have the final word, that freedom is worth fighting for, and that even the longest exile comes to an end.

To all our friends around the world welcoming the spring season — whether through Eid Al Fitr, Easter, Nowruz, or simply the return of warmth and light — we send our warmest wishes for renewal, joy, and peace.

This newsletter brings you four stories we want you to carry with you: a moment of interfaith courage near the Dead Sea, groundbreaking research on the allies of the Jewish people, a message of solidarity with the Iranian people, and a powerful response to hatred that reminds us what Judaism truly stands for.

Thank you for being part of this community.

When Missiles Couldn't Stop the Table

Interfaith Iftar near the Dead Sea

Earlier this season, something remarkable happened near the shores of the Dead Sea.

Israelis and Palestinians gathered together for an interfaith Iftar, a breaking of the Ramadan fast, organized by the Children of Abraham under the banner of One Table, Shared Humanity. Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen was there, and what he witnessed moved him deeply.

He reminded those gathered that while we are living through a painful time, our God is One, and we are one family. As such, the spiritual strength of our faiths should not be considered a source of division. Rather, it is our greatest resource for healing a broken world.

Then, mid-gathering, missile fire interrupted the call to prayer.

The participants stepped away and then came back. They returned to the table and continued building connections. That moment of return is everything.

It is proof that the desire for peace is stronger than fear. That when people of faith choose to sit together, they are doing something that no missile can undo.

As we marked Eid al-Fitr, Rabbi Yakov reflected: "Seeing Muslims fasting and working under the hot sun is a powerful reminder of the strength that belief in God gives people to do incredibly difficult things." Jews and Muslims are part of one family, and, together, we can find a way to live in peace.

Eid Mubarak to all who celebrated.

📖 Read more about this gathering (in Hebrew)

From Enemies to Allies: Research That Reframes Everything

At a time when so much attention is focused on those who wish the Jewish people harm, the Jerusalem Interfaith Center has been asking a different question entirely:

Who are our allies and are we paying enough attention to them?

It is time to look at the full picture, focusing not only on the threats but on the alliances quietly reshaping the landscape. Rabbi Dr. Aharon Ariel Lavi has been conducting research that maps potential faith-driven partnerships between the Jewish People and other nations. These could evolve into an Abrahamic Movement designed to foster shared values and stand together against common enemies, such as the Red-Green Alliance. The findings are both strategic and hopeful.

Invite Us to Present This Research to Your Community!

We believe this research deserves the widest possible audience. If you lead an organization, community, or institution that would benefit from hearing Rabbi Dr. Lavi present these findings we would love to come to you.

Whether in person or via Zoom, we are available to present to philanthropic foundations, Jewish communal organizations, interfaith networks, academic institutions, policy circles, and faith communities around the world.

To invite us, please reply directly to this email or contact us at [email protected]

Standing with the Iranian People

The War, the Regime, and the Real Iran

This is the first newsletter we have sent since the conflict with Iran broke out and we could not write to you without addressing it directly.

The Jerusalem Interfaith Center's position is clear: our struggle is not with the Iranian people. It never has been.

Over recent weeks, we have been moved by the voices of Iranians and Iranian-Israelis who have reached out to us, to the Jewish people, to the Iranian people, and to the world with messages of solidarity, hope, and moral clarity. We want to share three of them with you.

Setting the Record Straight: What Judaism Really Says

Response to Viral Misinformation

The work of the Jerusalem Interfaith Center is rooted in a simple and radical conviction: that religion, at its best, brings people together. That the same faiths that have been weaponized to divide can be, and must be, reclaimed as forces for healing.

Thank you for walking this path with us.

From Jerusalem with hope.

The Jerusalem Interfaith Center Team

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Together, we can build a Middle East defined not by rivalry, but by reverence.