Interreligious Exchanges (part 1 - Israel)

Hello Everyone.
I have been engaged in interreligious dialog with two different organizations this past month. One was ICCI, an interfaith organization in Israel, made up of Jews, Muslims, and Christians working for peace. A group
of 15 representatives came to Japan, and me along with the other Gakurin Honka students received them and took part in a week-long exchange program with them, through differnt parts of the country.

Our focus was on peace reconciliation efforts in the middle east, more specifically the "holy land" of Israel and Palestine. This was a second meeting, a continuation of dialog that began last year when the Gakurin students visited Israel to witness firsthand the area of conflict.

By continuing discussions in Japan, Hiroshima was chosen as the most appropriate place for the exchange, so the majority of the program took part in Hiroshima. By witnessing the city of peace and how it became that following the horrific atomic bomb attack that ended WWII. Since then, Japan has been the icon of a peaceful nation, having abolished their military and implemented a constitutional amendment as vow to never again engage in war efforts. Clearly, the point was to express sentiment of peace and how it is possible to change even from the most desperate of conditions.

This was only a first step, in my opinion, where they could talk amongst one another, including the Japanese perspective. I found the experience to be truly priceless as we learned so much about the reality of their region of conflict raised our level of concern towards the global sector. In the end, we were able to compile a Peace Proclamation, however, I am certain that unless real actions for peace are put into action, these will amount to only words. In my view, we must think locally and try to create peace and harmony in our families and communities first before we can extend that wish...

It's the natural condition that if we are able to do just that, the
influence will undeniably extend far and wide....

Sincerely,
Nick Ozuna