After the tragedy of September 11, 2001 our church’s Board of Deacons met, and we asked ourselves how we should respond. One of the things we resolved was that we needed to redouble our efforts to strengthen our interfaith community. Little did we know then that discussions with our Jewish and Muslim neighbors would lead us right into the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, taking us on nine annual “Tree of Life Journeys”to Israel and the occupied territories in which over 200 have participated. These journeys, in turn, have led to five annual interfaith conferences in which we have tried to amplify the voices of conscience of Israelis and Palestinians— Jews, Christians and Muslims— who have been working for a just and peaceful resolution to what they often refer to as “the American-Israeli occupation.

Reverend David W. Good of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme in Connecticut shares the church’s experiences in the June/July 2011 issue of “The Link,” a newsletter published by Americans for Middle East Understanding, Inc. Click here to read the complete article: TheLink_vol44_issue3_2011

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