MEPCF Newsletter - Critical Conversations Series! Religious Leaders on Conflict and Peace
From the Middle East Peace Civic Forum
Dear Peace Tribe,
The Middle East Peace Civic Forum (MEPCF) envisions Israelis and Palestinians thriving in mutual respect and security. This newsletter presents our latest efforts, including a new Critical Conversations Series featuring a Rabbi, Sheikh, and Pastor paired with our expert facilitation team.
We are also working on the Eden’s Echo civil society peace conference, and we have published two new episodes of the Peace Tribe Rising podcast!
MEPCF Initiatives
Critical Conversations Series
Our new three-session Critical Conversations Series is on the subject of Religions as a Source of Conflict and Peace in the Holy Land. The series will be streamed live on Zoom and published on YouTube.
Session one is happening THIS Thursday, April 24, 2025, and will bring together Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faith leaders who will explore challenging passages from all three major Abrahamic faiths while seeking access to reconciliation and peace.
When: Fourth Thursdays: April 24, May 22, June 26, 2025, at 12:00 PM Eastern time and 7:00 PM Jerusalem time. 90 minutes.
Speakers:
-Pastor Alex Charles, Florida, USA
-Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, Gush Etzion
-Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, NazarethFacilitation Team:
-Walid Seyam-Matt Lakenbach
-Bill Phillips
Sessions:
Apr 24: Deep dive into Jewish texts, with Islamic and Christian responses.
May 22: Deep dive into Christian texts, with Islamic and Jewish responses.
Jun 26: Deep dive into Islamic texts, with Jewish and Christian responses.
Join Us!:
-Watch live via the Zoom link (password: 63723) or
-Watch Later on our YouTube channel.
Eden’s Echo: Civil Society Peace Conference on St. Croix
We’re buzzing with excitement for Eden’s Echo, which we are creating for early 2026 on the island of St. Croix, part of the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. This week-long working retreat will bring together up to a dozen participants—Jews, Muslims, Israelis, Palestinians, and diaspora allies—to envision a future of real coexistence while also reflecting on areas of unworkability that are crying out for thoughtful resolution.
With our facilitation team encouraging constructive and honest discussion, participants will have an opportunity to workshop and align on a potential statement for release to the public powerfully affirming the possibility of real peace for the region. The program will culminate in an event featuring remarks by the participants and musical performances at Serenity’s Nest.
Peace Tribe Rising Podcast
Our latest Peace Tribe Rising Podcast features Nimrod-Avraham May, creator of God’s Gang, an animated series uniting Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Hindu superheroes for peace. A former Disney executive, Nimrod shares how storytelling bridges divides. Listen at www.mepcf.org. Or search for Peace Tribe Rising on your preferred podcast
Website Relaunch
Last year we were able to acquire the domain, www.mepcf.org. We redesigned a brand new website and relaunched the page at the new domain. Our prior domain, www.middleeastpeacecivicforum.org redirects to www.mepcf.org.
The new website features a clear and concise presentation of our Model of Change, the DNA of our organization that informs our Mission and Vision and lends direction to the design of all our programs. Visit www.mepcf.org to see the new site!
We request your generous support to continue our work for real peace and reconciliation.
Click the button below to make a tax-deductible contribution to MEPCF today. We are a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization.