Regional Cooperation and a New Quran Series Through Jewish Eyes

Shalom, Salaam, Peace —

Spring is in the air in Jerusalem, and with it, the joy of renewal, and a season full of stories worth telling. The past weeks have been extraordinary ones for the Jerusalem Interfaith Center. We have been present at historic commemorations, launched new educational content and continue building real bridges between real people.

This newsletter brings you five stories from our world. We hope they inspire you as much as they have inspired us.

When Missiles Couldn't Stop the Table

We are excited to share the launch of our new series — "Am HaSefer" (People of the Book) — in which Rabbi Dr. Aharon Ariel Lavi explores the sacred texts of our neighbors through a Jewish lens. In the first episode, Rabbi Aharon examines Surat Al-Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Qur'an. As he explains in his own words:

"When I look closely at the texts of my neighbors, I often find in them beautiful reflections of our own tradition. The Arabic word 'Fatiha' sounds remarkably like the Hebrew word 'Petichah' — opening. And this chapter contains exactly seven verses. In Jewish theology, the number seven represents cycles of wholeness, just like the seven days of the week. Discovering these shared textual concepts helps us build a foundation for mutual responsibility, right here in our shared home."

Rabbi Aharon is clear about what this series is and what it isn't: "We know that singing 'Kumbaya' won't resolve our conflicts. True coexistence requires us to understand our neighbors' faith seriously."

This is what genuine interfaith diplomacy looks like, not surface-level pleasantries, but deep, honest, textually grounded engagement.

Watch the first episode | New episodes every Wednesday in English and Thursday in Hebrew.

A Historic Anniversary and JIC Was There

40 Years Since John Paul II Entered the Synagogue

On April 13, 1986, something unprecedented happened. For the first time in nearly 2,000 years, a Pope entered a synagogue. Pope John Paul II walked into the Great Synagogue of Rome and declared that "with Judaism we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion", and most memorably, that the Jewish people are the Church's "dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, our elder brothers." Forty years later, that moment was commemorated at the Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C. and the Jerusalem Interfaith Center was represented there.

The commemorative evening, co-sponsored by the Coalition of Catholics Against Antisemitism and the Shrine, brought together Catholic and Jewish leaders, scholars, and friends to reflect on a moment that transformed Catholic-Jewish relations and continues to shape our moral responsibilities today. Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, marked the occasion by noting that through his synagogue visit, John Paul II "charted a significant course for the future of reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Judaism." Papal biographer George Weigel put it simply: Jews and Catholics "are providentially entangled religiously" and that entanglement, he said, "can only be enriching for both sides."

We are proud to have been part of this historic commemoration. The work John Paul II began forty years ago is the same work we pursue every day in Jerusalem.

From Enemies to Allies: Present This Research to Your Community

At a time when so much attention is focused on threats, the Jerusalem Interfaith Center has been asking a different question: who are our allies willing to stand up against the Red Green Alliance, and how can we connect and mobilize them?

The Red Green Alliance is a global movement threatening the free world, and not just Israel and the Jewish people, through a combination of neo-Marxism on the one hand, and Islamism on the other (which is political Islam, not to be confused with genuine and moderate Islam).

Our new research maps faith-driven potential allies worldwide and shows that if cultivated systematically, these networks could form the basis of a durable pro-civilization coalition — potentially evolving into a broader “Abrahamic Movement.”

We are available to present this research in a closed briefing to your community, institution, or organization, in person or via Zoom.

To invite us, reply directly to this email or contact us at [email protected]. We would love to bring this conversation to you.

The work of the Jerusalem Interfaith Center is built on a simple conviction: that religion, at its best, is a force for healing. That the same faith traditions that have been weaponized to divide can, and must, be reclaimed as bridges.

Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for believing that this work matters.

The Jerusalem Interfaith Center Team

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