Israel and Gaza: ICJS Resources - ICJS (original) (raw)

The devastating Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, including the taking of hostages, and the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis that has killed over 40,000 Gazans, have caused profound grief, anger, and anguish. In this context, it has been challenging to even envision a path to dialogue. Yet, for the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS), fostering dialogue in these trying times remains crucial, and we remain committed to it.

Our mission is to dismantle religious bias and build interreligious communities. In our initial October 2023 response, we urged a three-part response by all of us: first, grieve and mourn; second, reach out to those you know who are hurting and stay in dialogue, despite the difficulty; and third, stand against religious bigotry.

One year on, ICJS reaffirms that threefold call to action. We continue to say that our path forward begins with these simple, yet challenging actions:

• To grieve and mourn
• To reach out and dialogue
• To stand up against religious bias and bigotry

Just as we have urged our community to do this work, ICJS has been doing it, too. Collectively, more than 500 people in the Baltimore region have engaged in ICJS workshops on interreligious understanding and dialogue, as well as in our facilitated dialogue sessions on Israel and Gaza.

In the coming months we will continue this work, working with groups and organizations who view us as trusted conveners and who seek help in continued dialogue in these troubled times.

In this spirit, we offer this collection of reflections and resources to address the ongoing conflict.