There is a craving for the healing that this work brings forth.
- Amy Rakusin, November 2008

In my many travels, I have never experienced the people and land in such a moving way. Your compassion, tenacity, insights, cultivated friendships, and great concern have been most healing in a troubled land. Your ability to connect with people’s essence, your vision, and your forward movement have contributed greatly to understanding and peace in our chaotic world.
- Linda Sekiguchi, November 2008

Compassionate Listening in conflict and post-conflict zones is based on a simple yet profound formula for the resolution of conflict: adversaries giving the gift of listening. To help reconcile conflicting parties, we must have the ability to understand the suffering of all sides.

On this basis, TCLP founder Leah Green has been leading delegations to Israel and Palestine since 1990. Journeys begin in Jerusalem with an intensive training in Compassionate Listening. We then practice with a wide spectrum of Israelis and Palestinians – seeking the humanity of each person we encounter, while practicing our craft of listening and speaking from the heart. Through our daily practice in the field and our group sessions, participants come away with a deepened understanding of Compassionate Listening, a powerful skill set for peace-building in our families, communities, and in all conflict situations.

Leah Green and Maha El-Taji Tahsin, Jewish-Palestinian co-facilitators, 2004-2007

Leah Green, founder of the Compassionate Listening Project is an American Jew who lived in Israel for two years in the late 70’s and early 80’s and developed strong relationships in Israel and the Palestinian territories. She began leading delegations in 1990 out of a desire to help people from outside of the region to understand the situation on the ground, introduce them to remarkable leaders in each community working for reconciliation, and invite them to find ways to make a difference.

We are pleased to welcome Compassionate Listening facilitator Yael Petretti as the new assistant facilitator for the delegations. In addition to being a certified Compassionate Listening facilitator, Yael has worked for over twenty years as a professional Israeli tour guide, facilitating encounters between her tourists and the various religious and ethnic groups who inhabit the land: Jews, Palestinian Muslims and Christians, Bedouin and Druze.

Yael and Leah bring a wealth of personal experience and academic expertise to this work. They are gifted trainers and guides who create safety for the participants to fully engage in the Compassionate Listening process. They are deeply commited to Compassionate Listening as a process for rehumanization, reconciliation and healing. The delegations are transformative, unforgettable journeys of the heart.

This trip was so profound in so many ways – I’ll be mining the depth of this experience for years to come.

I came on this trip because I thought it was an important thing to do. But I received the blessing of being a part of a 42-eared holy being…thank you!!

You have built an amazing program and mission. Your knowledge, passion and strength are so inspiring. I feel so blessed to have been a part of such an amazing journey.

Something changed in me profoundly because of our trip

Sample Itinerary, Press, Testimonials, Photo Gallery

Click here to view a short video about our trainings and delegations in Israel and Palestine:

Each trip is unique. We seek out Israelis and Palestinians who are involved in cutting edge reconciliation work or who can illuminate a particular aspect of the complexities on the ground. We also listen to leaders, and people in each community who have suffered greatly from the conflict. Each trip is hand-crafted and balanced so participants’ time is divided between listening sessions, Compassionate Listening training, political and spiritual tours, and group reflection. Listening sessions take place in homes, villages, offices and cities throughout Israel and Palestine. Participants also enjoy visits to off the beaten track ancient sites as well as major tourist sites while en route.

Hotels and Guesthouses for the May 2010 delegation:
Ecce Homo Guesthouse, Old City, Jerusalem
The Everest Hotel, Beit Jala, West Bank
Jerusalem Three Arches Hotel
Optional overnight at Al-Aroub Refugee Camp

May 2010 Itinerary
We are currently putting together the itinerary for this delegation, and will continue to post events over the coming months:

• Compassionate Listening Training
• Walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, guided by Yael
• Political tour of East and West Jerusalem with Ir Amim
• Visit and listening sessions in Sderot
• listening to Israeli and Palestinian peace and reconciliation leaders
• Listening to E. Jerusalem Palestinians who were evicted from their homes, and E. Jerusalem Jewish settlers
• Retreat time
• Tour Nablus and Listening in Balata Refugee Camp
• Listen to Israeli and Palestinian citizens
• Listening session and home visit with local Muslim leader
• Optional Shabbat services at Kol HaNeshama, Progressive Israeli Synagogue in Jerusalem
• Tour Bethlehem University; small group listening sessions and dialogue with students
• Palestinian Founder, Combatants for Peace
• Director of the Sulha Peace Project, with Israeli and Palestinian youth facilitators

  Yael is also offering a 3-day add-on tour of the Galilee and the Golan for anyone who would like to stay on and take in some of the breathtaking and historically significant sights. Ask us for more information.

  Who Can Participate: Delegations are limited to 20 participants. We seek participants who have a genuine interest in the experience, hopes, dreams and humanity of all Israelis and Palestinians. Our participants have come from every walk of life, and have ranged in age from 15 to 82 years of age. Couples and families are welcome. We welcome and honor participation of individuals from all nations and backgrounds (the more diverse the participant group, the more powerful our experience has been).

  Accommodations: We typically spend time based in a beautiful convent located within the walls of Jerusalem’s magnificent Old City, in homes/hotels in the West Bank and time in the Galilee/North. Each trip is unique – itineraries are available two to four weeks before each trip.

  Orientation/training: We begin in Jerusalem with a half-day training in Compassionate Listening. Our group continues to meet on a regular basis throughout each trip to continue training, while reflecting on our experience and deepening in our understanding and practice of this powerful reconciliation tool. Please consider this delegation an “on the job” training experience.

  Wall Art – West Bank

  Project Support: This project is guided and supported by several Israeli and Palestinian leaders actively involved in reconciliation work. They assist with project development and with our daily itinerary. Some have an active role in our delegation.

  Fundraising/Financial Assistance: Participants on each one of our trips successfully raise all of their trip expenses. We encourage participants to seek funding within their own communities. If you are a member of a synagogue, mosque, church, peace group, academic community or other organization, we suggest that you seek sponsorship from your local community. This will allow a wider number of people to become invested in the project and supportive of your experience. You might consider working together on a fundraising event. We also encourage you to request support from your network of family and friends – people often express tremendous gratitude for giving them a meaningful way to make a difference in the world (we can send you a sample fundraising letter). Participants also use our film, Children of Abraham, for their fundraising efforts – successful with both private and public screenings.

  Reservations: To secure your spot on a trip, please send your $400 deposit along with your completed trip registration form.

  Payment: The cost for the next delegation to Israel and Palestine is $2,600. Airfare is additional and purchased separately. We accept payment by check and credit card (additional 3% for credit card payment). Unless other arrangements are made with the Compassionate Listening Project in advance, full trip payment is expected 90 days before the trip.

  What Your Trip Cost Includes: All accommodations are based on double occupancy, with private bath and shower; breakfast and dinner daily; ground transportation; trip leaders; guides; tips and gratuity for hotels and driver; honoraria for Israeli and Palestinian speakers and hosts; Compassionate Listening training. Single rooms are available for an additional $350. If we are unable to provide a roommate, the single room supplement of approximately $350 may apply. Your early registration increases our chances to find matches for those wanting a roommate.

  Airline Tickets: Participants purchase their own airfare, and we meet in Jerusalem. Sometimes we recommend a particular flight from the East Coast so those who want can travel together from the USA. We provide specific directions to make your travel as easy as possible to our Jerusalem hotel.

  Cancellations and Refunds
  If you must cancel your trip, a cancellation fee will apply. Cancellations must be received in writing or by email. The following cancellation fees apply:

  • 90 days or more: $400 will be retained;
  • 30 – 90 days: 50% of the trip cost will be retained unless you find someone to take your place; *
  • less than 30 days and "no-shows": we’re sorry but we cannot provide any refund in this case due to the nonrefundable reservations we are locked into at this stage of the journey. *

  No partial refunds will be granted for unused hotel rooms, meals, or other scheduled activities. Our trips are quoted as a package and credits are not given for unused portions.

  If We Cancel a Trip: We reserve the right to cancel a trip due to dangerous political situations (we’ve never had to do this, up until this point), or if we do not receive a minimum of 17 registrations (we’ve never had to do this either, but you never know!). In such a case, we will refund your payments minus $200. If you have already purchased your ticket and we have to cancel the trip for any reason, airfare will be refunded according to the policy of the air carrier. For this reason, we recommend travelers insurance.

  Travelers Insurance: We encourage participants to purchase travel insurance, which generally includes: trip cancellation, baggage, medical and/or emergency evacuation insurance. No one ever intends to cancel their trip; however, unforeseen circumstances can change travel plans. Baggage may be lost or damaged, and some medical insurance (including Medicare) will not provide coverage outside the U.S. For a modest price, protection can be provided for these and other concerns. Please check with a travel agent of your choice or there are many reputable companies on-line.

  Delegation leadership:

  Yael Petretti

  Yael Petretti has a BA degree in International Relations from UC Berkeley. She lives in Israel where she worked for over twenty years as a tourist guide, facilitating encounters between her tourists and the various religious and ethnic groups who inhabit the Middle East: Bedouins, Jewish settlers, Druze villagers, Palestinians and Christians. During an eight-year stay in the United States from 1999-2007, Yael served as Executive Director of Promoting Enduring Peace, Inc. and trained as a Compassionate Listening facilitator, earning her certification in June 2006. She is now working to integrate Compassionate Listening techniques into Israeli/Palestinian peace and coexistence efforts, with a special emphasis on bringing Compassionate Listening into the schools: http://www.cl-middleeast.org.

  Leah Green

  Leah Green is founder and director of The Compassionate Listening Project. She holds an MA in Public Policy and completed her course work for an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Washington. Leah is internationally recognized as a leader in Jewish-Palestinian reconciliation, having led 21 citizen delegations to Jordan, Israel/Palestine, and Syria/Lebanon and produced three documentaries about the conflict: Speaking of Peace, Children of Abraham, and Crossing the Lines: Palestinians and Israelis Speak With The Compassionate Listening Project. In 2002, Leah co-founded the Jewish-German Compassionate Listening Project. Leah has taught Compassionate Listening in Israel and Palestine since 1999 and now teaches world-wide. Her work has been profiled in many books, including Gary Zukav’s “Soul Stories”, Susan Skog’s “Peace In Our Lifetime”, “Soul of Success: A Woman’s Guide to Authentic Power” by Jennifer Hawthorne, and “Peace, Justice and Jews: Reclaiming Our Tradition.” Leah is a 2003 recipient of the Yoga Journal’s “Karma Yoga Award.”

  For information about other organizations that do peace-building work in Israel and Palestine, please see ALLMEP.