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Abrahamic Reunion PeaceMakers

			Sheikh Hussein Abu Rukun is an elder and recognized spokesperson for the Druze faith. He often represents his religion at national and international peace talks and meetings with religious leaders. Sheikh Abu Rukun is frequently called upon to help resolve conflicts in his hometown of Issifya in Northern Israel as well as in surrounding communities.

			Ibrahim Abu El-Hawa is an Arab Muslim who has been involved in peace and reconciliation efforts for more than 30 years. His home on the Mount of Olives is a meeting place for international peace activists of all faiths. Ibrahim also conducts humanitarian missions throughout the Middle East, including collecting and distributing food and clothing for displaced Palestinians and Bedouins.

			Sheikh Khalil Albaz is the council spokesperson for the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva. He is a frequent commentator on Bedouin and Islamic affairs in the Israeli and the Arab media. His commitment to peace and justice have led him to organize a number of interfaith reconciliation projects, including journeys to Auschwitz and Northern Ireland.

			Rabbi Zion Cohen originally from Morocco, has since 1993 been the regional rabbi of the Sa’ar – Hanegev Kibbutzim near Sderot, alongside the Gaza Strip. He is involved in dialogue with Hamas; has met with Abu Mazen, the president of the Palestinians in Ramallah; and works constantly in the field of interreligious dialogue both in Israel and abroad.

			Rabbi Menachem Froman is an Orthodox rabbi from the West Bank settlement of Tekoa. He has been active for years in high level political negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Rabbi Froman was one of the initiators of the Alexandria interfaith peace accords which were supported by Palestinian Authority, Israel and Egypt.

			Rabbi Yosef Hadane is the chief rabbi of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel and a leader in interfaith activities. Until recently, Rabbi Hadane was the only rabbi in Israel to be ordained in both Ethiopian and traditional Rabbinical schools, and he serves as a bridge between these communities as well as between Judaism and other faiths.

			Abouna Abu Hatoum has been a minister for 25 years in the Greek Melkite Church of Israel. He is a leader in both national and international interfaith activities, with particularly close ties to the Christian community in Lebanon.

			Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari (In Memoriam) was a founding member of the Abrahamic Reunion and a pillar of interfaith peace activism in Israel. He died on May 31, 2010. The Uzbeki Cultural Center in Jerusalem, which he founded, is home to a collection of historically significant Islamic documents and artifacts. His wife Hala and his son Izzedin plan to keep the center open and to continue Sheikh Bukari’s legacy of interfaith work.

			Elias Jabbour is an Arab Christian and founder of the House of Hope Peace Center in Shefar’Am (Shefer Amer) Israel. He is widely known for his work with ‘Sulha,’ a traditional Palestinian peacemaking process. In 1993 he received the International Courage of Conscience Award and in 1995 he received the Mount Zion Award for promoting interfaith dialogue.

			Ibtisam Mahameed is a religious Muslim woman from the city of Fureidis in northern Israel. She is an activist for peaceful Arab-Jewish co-existence and founder and director of Women Reborn, a social empowerment program for Arab women. Ibtisam has been named by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a 2009 “Unsung Hero of Compassion.”

			Deacon Jiries Mansur is a Christian Arab, deacon in the Greek Catholic Church, and principal of the middle school in the town of Rama (Rame) in the Galilee. Under Jiries’ leadership, a new school has been developed in Rama promoting interfaith tolerance. He has also organized numerous youth interfaith projects and events. Jiries is currently finishing his doctorate on the role of Christians in peace in the Middle East.

			Eliyahu McLean is an observant Jew living in Jerusalem. He has devoted his life to the pursuit of peace and has initiated such projects as the Jerusalem Circle (a weekly peace vigil), Jewish-Sufi prayer gatherings; the Rodof Shalom Peacemaker Training Project, and various Sulha activities throughout the Middle East. He travels extensively to educate people about interfaith peacemaking.

			Elana Rozenman is a Modern Orthodox Jew from Jerusalem. She is founder and director of Trust-Emun, a non-profit program working to build trust between the Abrahamic religions and between Israelis and Palestinians. She is also active in many other organizations promoting women and peacebuilding across the globe.

			Rabbi Ari Abraham Smadja born in Tunisia, is the chief rabbi of the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in Jerusalem; coordinator for oral law at the national center for in-service teacher training at Beit Yatziv, Beersheva; director of the Institute for Study of Conduct and Education in Judaism in Jerusalem; and fellow of the Mandel Institute. He is known for his innovative educational programs for Ultra Orthodox Jews.