Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue

The Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue is an interreligious organization based in Jerusalem which promotes an inclusive society for all religious, ethnic and national groups. Through education, encounter, research and consulting, the Rossing Center promotes better relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land.

Our Goals

Create and deepen relationships across religious lines despite differences and disagreement

Contribute to understanding and appreciation of the other’s religious/cultural/national narrative, traditions, beliefs and practices

Combat prejudices and negative stereotypes

Our Programs

Rossing Center Events and Updates

Dialogue, not diatribe

Earlier this week far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich (leader of the Religious Zionism party) attacked the Arab members of Knesset and by inference at least, all Arab citizens of Israel saying, “You’re here by mistake, it’s a mistake that Ben-Gurion didn’t finish the job and didn’t throw you out in 1948.” The appalling cultural resonance of that remark makes the lack of condemnation by mainstream Jewish leaders all the more shameful.

The Rossing Report September 2021

At the beginning of the school year, both parents and children are eager to find out who their homeroom teacher will be, particularly in grade school. This year, one appointment reached the national news......

The Rossing Center in 2020

Years of work

Programs

Participants

Hours of activities

Know Your Neighbor

Tishrei Holidays

Rosh Hashanah literally means “the head of the Year.” However, the association of this name, with the festival celebrated at the beginning of the Hebrew month of Tishrei only dates from Talmudic times. In the Torah, the festival is called both Yom Teruah, “the day of blowing the Shofar,” and Yom HaZikkaron, “the day of remembrance.” The association of this time of the year with a time of renewal probably goes back toExodus 23:16, when Sukkot, the autumn harvest festival, is identified with “the end of the year,” the intention most likely being the completion of the agricultural cycle. But the creative spirit of the Talmudic Rabbis infused Rosh Hashanah as the New Year with a much deeper meaning—the Day of Judgement, in a process called Teshuvah. That word literally means “response” or “return”, but carries with it a number of other associations, including repentance, renewal and, as some 20th century rabbis and scholars have put it, a kind of re-creation of the Self, in dialogue with God.

Our Partners

Participants say

"I now have more knowledge, I'm less ignorant. This reduces [feelings of] fear and anger. For example, when I hear a Muezzin [call], I know that the Muslim student in the group feels a sense of awe. He hears it and stands straight, even if he doesn't go to pray… for me it used to be like a call for war … (like "HaTikvah"[Israeli national anthem] might have been for him. So now, [the program] gave me an inner voice which influences me."

“Hana taught the class in such an interesting way. Her energy and interest in the subject made me connect to the class. I would be happy to hear more about the relations between the Jewish and Christian community in the Holy Land”.

“From the age of 15, I have participated in these kinds of dialogues and usually I return home tired and irritated. Here I feel that I am leaving with positive energy. The conversation was really honest, and we really listened to each other.”

Principal's reflection: "I introduced Educating for Change in my school in order to bring about real and practical change among my teachers. …A successful principal makes sure to expose teachers to wide-ranging different tools and cultures, and thus bring about a fundamental change among the students. …The training added not only knowledge and skills but also a change in the thinking patterns of all participants – myself included."

Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue

Our Goals

Our Programs

Dialogue and Identity

Open House

JCJCR

ADAShA

Educating for Change

Meeting Place

Healing Hatred

Know Your Neighbor

Rossing Center Events and Updates

Dialogue, not diatribe

The Rossing Report September 2021

The Rossing Center in 2020

Know Your Neighbor

Tishrei Holidays

Islam

Judaism

Christianity

Our Partners

Participants say

Contact Information:

Programs of the Center:

Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue

Our Goals

Our Programs

Rossing Center Events and Updates

The Rossing Center in 2020

Tishrei Holidays

Our Partners

Participants say

Contact Information:

Programs of the Center:

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