Abrahamic Reunion England

ARE is the local branch of the Abrahamic Reunion international organisation, a team of spiritual peacemakers dedicated to uplifting human consciousness and building peace in the Holy Land and around the world by opening hearts to the love and wisdom of all spiritual traditions. Locally, the ARE’s activities include serving as an umbrella organisation for new related initiatives.

TalkMatters informs UK Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and other constituent communities about over thirty associated cooperative grassroots organizations that unite Palestinian and Israeli Jewish people. TalkMatters engages via webinars and live events, fostering a space for respectful conversation to explore the complex issues facing Israel and Palestine.

Enacting Peace invites you to act for peace. Your action, whether reading a poem, sharing a meal, or organizing a concert for thousands, can set off a wave of change. Peace is not easy but it is possible, if we act together. Simple acts with profound impact: join the quest for peace.

ARE promotes inter-religious harmony through education, inspiration, and action in our multi-faith society, respecting all faiths, spiritual paths, and Humanists equally. We demonstrate interfaith cooperation via presentations at schools, universities, places of worship, homes, and especially prisons.

BBC Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday interviewed Abrahamic Reunion’s international spokespersons, Rev David and Dr Anna Less: listen below:

We may know who we are, or we may not
We may be Muslims Christians or Jews
But until our heart becomes the mould for every other heart
We will only see differences
Rumi

There is a light in this world: a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people, who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.

– Richard Attenborough

Photos by Jonathan Tait of Tait Films

A Universal Unity Initiative Event at St Ethelburga’s Centre For Peace & Reconciliation, London.

How it all began

In 2004, a group of spiritual leaders in Israel from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze faiths founded The Abrahamic Reunion to promote inter-religious harmony. They work by using interfaith dialogue, praying together, visiting each other’s places of worship, celebrating each other’s festivals and dining together. The Abrahamic Reunion is non political and believes that harmony between different groups is best achieved by first achieving harmony between individuals.

Inspired by their vision, after a tour of their peacemaking activities in Israel, we set up Abrahamic Reunion England. We act independently to promote interfaith harmony in our society. We often invite founder members of the Abrahamic Reunion to England, to give presentations and trainings that are ideally suited for the UK, under the auspices of our Universal Unity Initiative programmes. View the Abrahamic Reunion England Powerpoint.

View a delightful video of a Abrahamic Reunion get together https://vimeo.com/250494849/2e0f4805f2

Also watch a conference held at CCPE “The Jewish and Muslims Paths to Personal Transformation” with Nigel Hamilton, Rabbi Danny Newman and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUYV7hfoz5A

We believe that we all have the potential to be prejudiced against those who are from a different group or culture, especially if we don’t know them. We can all have a major effect in bringing harmony and friendship between different faiths by learning about each other’s religions, meeting members of other faiths and celebrating our differences and similarities. We also believe that all spiritual paths in essence teach peace and friendship.

If we know people from other faiths and backgrounds we will be more open to them, less prejudiced and treat them with compassion and friendship. Building bonds with other community members is an essential part of the process of creating peace and harmony with other communities. However what clear evidence is there for this beyond our own common sense, what research has taken place?

“The Abrahamic Reunion functions as a bridge between the divides created by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Using interfaith engagement as its method, the Abrahamic Reunion models that friendship across national, ethnic and religious lines is not only possible, but can be meaningful and successful. In a climate of ignorance, hate and violence, the Abrahamic Reunion provides an outlet for peace that impacts the experience of citizens and transforms individual understanding of the other”.

Analysis of Strides for Peace in the Israeli-
Palestinian Conflict with the Application of
Theories by Butler and Buber
Rebecca Katherine Buchanan
Wofford College

Research showing that the methods used by the Abrahamic Reunion are successful in reducing prejudice………………

David Less, Chairman of the Abrahamic Reunion Board, speaking after a concert organised by Abrahamic Reunion England at the Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education in London. Also speaking were Sheikh Ghassan Manasra and Dr. Ann Less.

You can listen to their talk below.

This was the third speaking tour to the UK that The Abrahamic …

Interfaith Iftar Dinner hosted by H.E. Cardinal Nichols at the Catholic Archbishop’s House in London; those attending included London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Chief Rabbi of the UK, Ephraim Mirvis.

Catholic Cardinal of the UK with Sheik Ghassan Manasra.

London Interfaith Iftar with London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Sheikh Ghassan Manasra of the Abrahamic Reunion at the Catholic Archbishop’s House in London.

Abrahamic Reunion – an introduction

This video summarises the work of the Abrahamic Reunion through interviews with International Director Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, Co-Founder Rodef Shalom Eliyahu McLean, Co-Founder & Executive Director Dr. Anna Less, Co-Founder David Less, member Maher Abu Rami, and footage from multi-faith peacebuilding events.