The Compassionate Listening Project

MidEast Citizen Diplomacy

July 2002

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July 2002 e-Newsletter

CBS Special Broadcast: "Crisis in the Holy Land"

by Rabbi Andrea Cohen Kiener

"Can't we do better?" asked Ted Holmes, co-director of the CBS religion and cultural programming division, when he called me to ask me to be on a panel addressing religion and the Middle East conflict. His heart broken by the stand off at the Church of the Nativity, this newsman was moved to ask a deeper question than news programs usually ask.

Through a variety of contacts Ted and his team brought together two representatives of each of the Abrahamic faiths to explore the challenge of bringing religion to bear as a force for morality and commonality in the Middle East.

At the taping on May 8th, the six panelists quickly hit a common ground, referring to the complexity of the Middle East situation, the use and misuse of religious ideology, the power of truth and confession. The conversation constituted one of those moments where it was possible to imagine the way out of the current impasse. All the panelists felt excitement to be in each other's company and agreed to continue the work in other avenues.

The program also features footage from our Compassionate Listening video, Children of Abraham. This special program can be a great support for bringing dialogue consciousness to a wider audience. Thank you Ted and CBS!