An Abrahamic Showcase

Pioneering Interfaith Peacemaking Efforts Being Featured

• Finding Improbable Pairs – Paul Andrews created “Improbable Pairs,” a short film telling stories of ‘enemies’ who have become friends, including an Israeli who lost his son and a Palestinian who lost his brothers in the war around them. This powerful peacemaking tool has been used around the world but deserves a wider audience. It has frequently been offered as a workshop where people are able to consider their own improbable pairs.
• Constructive Dialogue with the Other: How to do it – Years ago Len and Libby Traubman began sponsoring living-room dialogues among Christians, Jews, and Muslims and their pioneering work transformed into a global movement. Their work with young people is particularly remarkable in a ministry of dialogue that reaches around the world. They’ve developed a library of resources.
• Educating One Another – Maha ElGenaidi began a Speakers Bureau to educate Muslim immigrants about the United States and educate Americans about Islam 16 years ago. Today thousands of presentations are sourced through her group, which is enlarging its scope to include communities across the country. Two years ago the project opened its doors still more widely, making the service an interfaith effort with speakers certified in five different religions.
• From The Camera to Your Living Room – Unity Productions Foundation creates films for worldwide broadcast (largely on PBS) and long-term educational campaigns that increase understanding and dialogue among the world’s spiritual and cultural traditions, starting with the Abrahamic traditions. Their vision is to be a catalyst in ending the ‘clash of civilizations.’ Mohammed – Legacy of a Prophet is one of seven films they have produced. UPF is also responsible for the popular 20,000 Dialogues program, bringing people together to see the films and talk about them.
• Abraham’s Vision Today – Abraham’s Vision is a conflict transformation organization that explores group and individual identities through experiential and political education. Co-directors Aaron Tapper and Huda Arquob work with Abrahamic high-school and college students, giving them the space to create deep new relationships that strip away stereotypes and ignorance. Hundreds of graduates have learned to use powerful peacebuilding tools through their efforts.
• What We’ve Learned – A sixth session is envisioned in June, a dialogue about what we can learn from new interfaith peacemaking ventures emerging in our midst.

Sponsorship

The Interfaith Center at the Presidio was created to welcome, serve, and celebrate the diverse spiritual wisdom and faith traditions of the Bay Area. At home in the Main Post Interfaith Chapel, the Center is networked with hundreds of interfaith groups locally and globally. We share a common commitment: to promote daily, enduring interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence, and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

An Abrahamic Showcase is a program of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio in partnership with Vidder.com, a new San Jose software company which has contributed the webcasting capabilities. The project is made possible through the inspiration and generosity of the Abrahamic Family Reunion, and through them the support of the Center for Theory and Research, Fetzer Foundation, and TRACK TWO: An Institute for Citizen Diplomacy. Pace e Bene is the first of what we hope will be a number of co-sponsors who will help promote the project.

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