The Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel
Aim
Harness the teachings and values of the three Abrahamic faiths and transform religion's role from a force of division and extremism into a source of reconciliation, coexistence, and understanding for the leaders and the followers of these religions in Israel and in our region; promote Jewish-Arab coexistence within Israel and peace-building programmes within Israel and the region; foster dialogue and development of action projects to promote peaceful coexistence; envision the personal transformation and empowerment of a growing cadre of influential Christian, Jewish and Muslim local religious and cultural leaders; envisage a transforming of the public discourse which will empower peace-builders in the region to effect lasting change.
History
Founded in January 1991, ICCI is now Israel's best-known and most-respected inter-religious organisation. In 2015, ICCI became associated with Rabbis for Human Rights.
IRD Activities
- Religious Leadership
ICCI brings together mainstream religious leaders in from Arab (Muslim and Christian) and Jewish communities within Israel to meet one another, develop personal relationships, and engage in interreligious dialogue based on the sharing of personal stories, sacred texts, and views on core issues of the conflict. Together these leaders develop action projects, which mobilise their communities to serve as positive forces for social change
- The “Face to Face”/”Faith to Faith” Alumni Program for Youth and Young Adult
The goal is to provide a framework for meaningful follow-up experiences. The programme combines group-building activities with joint planning and implementation of action projects aimed at managing and mitigating misunderstanding and hatred, which arises from the socio-political situation
- Lectures and Symposia
The goal is to provide the community with lectures and symposia on a wide variety of subjects including coexistence discussions, Arab Jewish Israel conflict resolution talks, interreligious perspectives on current affairs in the community and many more! ICCI invites religious leaders from the community and abroad to share their thoughts and beliefs on coexistence issues in Israel by fostering an inclusive environment in which all feel welcomed and respected
- Interfaith Study Tours
ICCI offers interfaith study tours in different areas of interest with a serious, systematic and sensitively balanced educational experience in Israel. Participants will confront serious questions about faith, people and nationality in the context of complex regional problems, deepen their own values through encounters with other people and cultures and delve into timeless texts in the places where they were composed
- Abrahamic Teams
Our successful interfaith Abrahamic Teams program continued throughout 2018. This program brings “teams” of 3 religious leaders, each representing one of the Abrahamic faiths, to take part in discussion panels in different educational and communal frameworks. These panels highlight the many similarities that exist between the different Abrahamic traditions.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
Israel - Israel - State of Palestine - UK - Israel - Israel - Israel