A long road, not a closed one

Religious traditions in Jerusalem are trying to write an alternative story of the city together, one serious enough to hold. Hard, slow, but not hopeless.

“The road is long and difficult, but necessary, and neither impossible nor without hope”

Two professors, one stage

At Notre Dame's academic center in Jerusalem, Israeli historian Karma Ben-Johanan and Palestinian philosopher Sari Nusseibeh talked through Cardinal Pizzaballa's pastoral letter in public.

Born after October 7

The forum took almost three years to build, through private conversations with Israeli and Palestinian scholars and organizations in the wake of the darkest moment of the conflict.

“Each of us felt that something in our souls had died.”

Listen without moral superiority

Director Daniel Schwake says the platform proposes no political solutions and claims no single voice. It exists to start processes and hand people better tools for thinking.

“Our interest is in seeking the truth together, grounded in the reality and history of all the parties involved.”

Language went first

The opening subject was words. Christians, Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem often have no idea what the same contested stone means to the person beside them.

The Jerusalem I want

Nusseibeh admits he cannot tell whether his attachment to the city is healthy. He wants a Jerusalem that has not existed yet, and thinks it can still be built.

“I do not think the Jerusalem I want is the one I inherited.”

A discreet, uncomfortable presence

Pizzaballa is not promising to change society. He wants a steady voice reminding everyone that this land belongs to all of them.

“we want to make our contribution and be a discreet, clear presence, an uncomfortable one, if necessary”

Open-ended by design

No forced milestones, no finish line. Scholars, educators, historians and philosophers are invited in, with groups in Italy and the United States already taking part.

“this is Jerusalem's authentic mission: to be a city with open gates”