The gentle man who rose to give his presentation at the Middle East TED X conference is no huckster, PR hack or snake oil salesman. Nevertheless, his title, "The Easy Way to Peace in the Holy Land", seems over-the-top, even for this part of the world, long the birthplace of prophets and dreamers.
Perhaps there is a little bit of the prophet and dreamer in Yehuda Stolov. Just as the original TED conferences are platforms for big thinkers who are also doers, so are the worldwide independent TED X regional conferences. And peace in the Middle East is certainly a big idea.
Stolov explains the deep existential meaning of religion in this part of the world, even for those who don't consider themselves religious. He has found a way to bring Christians, Muslims and Jews together in an apolitical and nonthreatening context, to enable them - usually for the first time in their lives - to meet and talk together.
Political leaders bluster and threaten, others shout or even shoot. The locals are loud and in your face. But Stolov's style is different. In his quiet, gentle way, person by person, group by group, he creates opportunities for people to learn about one another, but not just in an intellectual way. His approach enables people to engage emotionally, where it counts.
His method combines patience and the willingness to take initiative. So far, he has 41 groups including 10 groups that bring Israelis and West Bank Palestinians together. It is the only organization that does that. There are common interest groups, such as health care professionals, and there are astonishing groups, such as Sheiks and Rabbis. Because the program is apolitical, it has attracted people from across the political spectrum, from settlers on the right, to far leftists. The groups have continued to meet regularly over years, even through periods of severe and violent conflict.
Stolov is proud that his work has spread beyond Israel/Palestine to Europe. 2011 saw the second meeting of its Euro-Mediterranean Abrahamic Forum, which took place in Lublin, Poland. Participants came from Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the Palestinian Authority, as well as from Albania, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK.
This extraordinary event culminated in a visit to the Majdanek concentration camp and a multi-faith prayer ceremony, which included reading names of those who were murdered in that place. Hope for the future is what was sown in the ashes and sorrows of the past.
The easy way to peace in the Holy Land? Here's where to start:
http://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/
