Latest News

A priest, a rabbi and an imam walk onto a plane … No, this is not the start of a joke – it actually happened in May this year, when four Christians, four Muslims and four Jews, all from Melbourne, set off on a Joint Jerusalem Journey, the first such interfaith journey from Australia to Jerusalem; a city that is holy to all three Abrahamic faiths.  The purposes of the Journey were to engage in dialogue, study the peace movement in Jerusalem, and to engage in serious discussion about each other’s beliefs.

The concept of this visit actually goes back some eight years but was postponed because of the perceived difficulties in getting such a journey to function.  There was also a fear (proved to be incorrect) that there would be little interest in such a pilgrimage.

The three organisers of the trip were:

• Fr John Dupuche, a Roman Catholic priest from Stella Maris Church, Beaumaris;
• Sheikh Riad Galil, the imam of the West Heidelberg mosque;
• Rabbi Adam Stein, rabbi of Kehilat Nitzan, a Masorti, Conservative or middle-of-the-road congregation in North Caulfield.

Not only did the organisers want to have the participation of four Christians, four Muslims and four Jews, but they also wished to have those who practiced a variety of forms of their religion.

There would be a mix of genders, and a blend of clergy and laity. Those with a background in interfaith dialogue were to be given a preference.  Over 40 people made enquiries about Joint Jerusalem Journey and from them the following nine people were selected to join the three leaders:

• The Revd. Barbara Allen, a Uniting Church minister and chaplain at Strathdon Aged Care;
• Kemal Brkic, a Muslim born in Australia but with a Bosnian background;
• Nasir Butrous, a Chaldean Catholic, originally from Nineveh, Iraq, and a native Aramaic speaker;
• David Cohan, a humanist Jew;
• Hyder Gulam, an Australian Muslim currently working in Singapore;
• Di Hirsh, an Orthodox Jew, and President of the National Council of Jewish Women;
• Albert Isaacs, a Progressive Jew, and Secretary of the Council of Christians and Jews (Vic.);
• The Revd. Ian Smith, a Churches of Christ minister, and the Executive Officer of the Victorian Council of Churches;
• Rufiath Yosuff, a Muslim with an Indian background.

The Joint Journey to Jerasulem group with the Old City in the background.
Front: Rabbi Adam Stein, Albert Isaacs, Dr Nasir Butrous, Sheikh Riad Galil, Hyder Gulam, Kemal Brkic.
Back: Rufiath Yosuff, The Revd. Barbara Allen, Di Hirsh, The Revd. Ian Smith, Fr John Dupuche, David Cohan.

In retrospect, the thing that will always stand out in my memory is the way these 12 people of vastly different backgrounds and beliefs got on so well together.  We still get together often, particularly at panels where we talk about our experiences in Jerusalem to widely different audiences.  The number of emails bouncing around between the 12 of us is quite startling.  However – bottom line – through the trip, I have made a number of close friendships.

Left: The three female members of the group posed next to a stylised globe sculpture, which was sited half-way between Lions Gate (an entrance to the Old City) and the Bet Shmuel Hotel, where the group stayed. Right: The four Muslim members of the group, with the group’s Muslim guide Hisham (centre), in front of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

So, what did we do in the Old City of Jerusalem? Specific days were devoted to visiting places that were sacred to the three faiths. Early in the week we were all able to visit the Dome of the Rock and see the Al-Aqsa mosque. On the Friday our Muslim colleagues again visited Al-Aqsa but because only Muslims are permitted to enter the mosque on Friday, the Jews and Christians did the next best thing and went to Ecce Homo, the home of the Sisters of Sion, where there is a terrace garden that overlooks El-Aqsa, and whilst the Muslims were at prayer their non-Muslim friends also joined them in prayer.

On Friday night, all participants attended a synagogue service to see in the beginning of the Sabbath and, then, we were all guests at various Jewish homes where we participated in a typical Sabbath meal.

We went to a various significant and historical churches, including a number of visits to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The Sunday morning service was particularly inspiring.

A choir of priests from various ethnic backgrounds at the Sunday morning Catholic service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
In the foreground is part of the congregation including Muslims, Jews and Christians from the Joint Jerusalem Journey group.

We also visited places where racial even-handedness is a priority; this included a University and a Hospital.  We met up with a number of people who were able to add to our knowledge of the current state of dialogue and peace in Israel.

One of the most important aspects of the Joint Jerusalem Journey was the study of texts important to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Particular attention was made of difficult texts; those texts within each religion which, over the years, have led to misunderstanding, suspicion of the Other, and to mistrust.

Interfaith within Jerusalem – a group of Orthodox Jews in a Muslim cemetery, with the Old City in the background.

There is a strong possibility that a similar visit will again be undertaken in 2016.  Perhaps you, dear reader, may like to be part of the next Joint Jerusalem Journey.

By Albert Isaacs
Secretary of the Council of Christians and Jews (Vic.)