By Talita Borges
In October 2025, the Focolare Forum, in partnership with Rumi Forum and ICRD, welcomed the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue for its Healing Hatred workshop and an evening conversation about the organization’s work in the Holy Land. The opportunity emerged from relationships built during the Forum’s Sustainable Peace Networks gathering in May 2025. Following the event, Benjamin Kamine of the Jewish Theological Seminary—who participated as a panelist—introduced the Forum to Rossing Center leaders, planting the seeds for a collaboration that culminated in this workshop.
Based in Jerusalem, the Rossing Center brings together Jews, Christians, and Muslims to strengthen relationships across some of the world’s deepest divides through education, dialogue, research, and community engagement. Rather than focusing on political positions or seeking consensus, the Healing Hatred workshop invites participants to begin with their own lived experiences of identity, conflict, and difference. Through carefully facilitated storytelling and reflection, participants examine how those experiences shape the way they see others, creating space for deeper empathy and authentic encounter.
Facilitated by John Munayer, Director of International Engagement, and Hana Bendcowsky, Director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, the workshop guided 18 participants through this distinctive process of dialogue. By starting with personal experience instead of abstract political questions, participants discovered unexpected connections, gained fresh insight into their own stories, and developed a deeper appreciation for the experiences of others.
Participants consistently described the experience as both challenging and hopeful. Many shared that the process helped them see their own stories in a new light while deepening their appreciation for the experiences of others.
“What surprised me most was realizing that the different stories I shared about my own life weren’t isolated memories—they were all connected. Seeing those connections helped me better understand my own journey, and it opened me to hearing others’ stories in a deeper way.”— Paul Catipon
Reflecting on the workshop, Forum Director Kate O’Brien noted: “It was incredibly meaningful to experience a model of dialogue and bridgebuilding that wasn’t developed in the United States. The Rossing Center’s approach challenged me to go deeper—not only into understanding someone else’s story, but into reflecting more honestly on my own. I left with new tools and new questions that I continue to carry with me.”
The evening program extended the conversation by introducing participants to the Rossing Center’s broader work in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land, where it continues to foster relationships among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities amid ongoing conflict.