

We recently interviewed Rabbi Menachem Froman, an Orthodox rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, famous for traveling to the Gaza Strip to meet with the late Sheikh Ahmed Yassin of Hamas and former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Later, we also interviewed Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari, a Sufi Sheikh of the Naqshabandian Religious Method and head of the Uzbeke Community in Jerusalem.
Both Rabbi Froman and Sheikh Bukhari are interested in inter-religious dialogue and a nonviolent means for attaining peace, and both imparted a similar sentiment: When it comes to matters of Jerusalem, the politicians have their role, but the religious leaders have a role too. As Rabbi Froman shared, the issue here is not gold, nor oil: it's God. And since all three Abrahamic religions believe Jerusalem belongs to God, he asks, "Why not give Jerusalem to God?" Froman's view is also global: "If we can figure out Jerusalem, we can be a bridge for all humanity."
Perhaps the moral lesson of Jerusalem is simple and best described by Sheikh Bukhari: "Respect is like a mirror: if you show it, you will receive it in return." For him it's obvious that our destinies are entwined. "We all live here together and we are all going to die together. So why not support each other?"
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