The Religious Peace Initiative is an effort founded by Rabbi
Michael Melchior
Michael Melchior (; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former member of Knesset for Meimad ...
to promote dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.
Overview
One of the group's central organizing principles is to foster and promote dialogue between religious leaders of the two sides in this conflict, rather than between political leaders as was common with other initiatives.
[Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative helped resolve Temple Mount standoff](_blank)
by Kobi Nachshoni, ynetnews.com, July 27, 2017.
The idea for this group originated from a meeting in 2002 chaired by Melchior along with Palestinian Sheikh Talal Sider, in Alexandria, Egypt, co-sponsored by the Mufti of Egypt,
Grand Imam of al-Azhar
The Grand Imam of al-Azhar (), also known as Grand Sheikh of al-Azhar (), is a prestigious and a prominent official title in Egypt and the Islamic world. The current Grand Imam is Ahmed el-Tayeb, who assumed the role on 10 March 2010.
The Grand ...
Mosque, and Grand Sheikh of
al-Azhar University
The Al-Azhar University ( ; , , ) is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic ...
,
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi; Archbishop of Canterbury
George Carey
George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton (born 13 November 1935) is a retired Anglican bishop who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002, having previously been the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
During his time as archbishop the C ...
; and
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (; April 5, 1941 – April 12, 2020) was an Israeli rabbi who served as Rishon LeZion (Chief Rabbi of Israel) from 1993 to 2003. Prior to that he served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Bat Yam and Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Haif ...
, Israel's Chief Rabbi.
This summit launched the
Alexandria Process, and brought together religious leaders to adopt common principles aimed at mediating the conflicts in the region, and to seek common ground to promote resolution of the conflicts. Melchior is also a member of the
Elijah Interfaith Institute
Elijah Interfaith Institute is a nonprofit, international, UNESCO-sponsored interfaith organization founded by Alon Goshen-Gottstein in 1997. The organization is headquartered in Jerusalem, with offices and representatives in different cou ...
Board of World Religious Leaders.
[{{Cite web , url=http://www.elijah-interfaith.org/index.php?id=797 , title = Elijah Interfaith, Sharing Wisdom Fostering Peace #MakeFriends]
The Initiative consists of various individual groups from each community.
Endnotes
See also
*
Michael Melchior
Michael Melchior (; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former member of Knesset for Meimad ...
External links
Articles
Reaching a Religious Peace: A Conversation with Rabbi Michael Melchior video interview.
Peace organizations based in Israel
Israeli–Palestinian peace process