Interfaith Encounter Association
The Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) is an Israeli-based non-profit organization. Its primary purpose is to foster dialogue between different religious groups within the Holy Land (specifically Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Baháʼís). This is done on a grassroots level throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories. History. In the fall of 2001 – in the wake of over a year of violence in the Middle East (from the Second Intifada) and the September 11 attacks in the U.S. – the newly formed IEA set itself to the task of building and strengthening a grassroots interfaith movement for peace , justice, and sustainability in the Holy Land and in the Middle East. Envisioning a society in which the "otherness" of "the other" is not only accepted, but truly understood and respected, the IEA dedicated itself to promoting real coexistence and human peace in the Middle East through cross-cultural study and inter-religious dialogue. The IEA was founded on the following principles and goals: Since 2001, the IEA has grown from just six groups to one hundred. Participants are estimated to have grown from 800 to 6,000 since 2001. Current Activity. Overview. The IEA operates within three concentric circles of  interfaith work. In the first and most preeminent circle – the Inner-Israeli circle – the IEA focuses on the promotion of respectful relations between Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Baháʼís living within Israel. According to their website, this process in turn impacts and enables the second circle – the Israeli-Palestinian circle – where the IEA works in cooperation with 8 Palestinian organizations across the Palestinian Territories. The work of the first and second circles, according to IEA's organizers, aids the work of the third circle – the Middle East region – where the IEA has been a major founder in establishing the "Middle  East Abrahamic Forum", along with similar organizations from Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey. Additionally, the IEA maintains three interconnected programmatic sections. The first section, known as the general program, is accessible to all segments of society, regardless of age or sex. The Women's Interfaith Encounter (WIE) was launched in the winter of 2001 to address women's needs while the third programmatic section, the Youth Interfaith Encounter (YIE), designs and implements programs specifically for young adults. The YIE was created in the spring of 2002. The IEA facilitates interfaith encounters through three program formats: inter-religious study  sessions, multi-day conferences, and desert seminars. In bringing Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Baháʼís together to study topics of relevance from their own religious perspectives, interfaith study is used to achieve two main goals. Primarily, it serves as a vehicle towards understanding, acceptance, and respect for "the other", but it also serves as a way to deepen awareness of one's own religion. The IEA also maintains connections and relationships with many international interfaith organizations and networks. The IEA is a Member Group of the International Association for Religious Freedom, a Member Group of "Roots and Shoots" of the  Jane Goodall Institute and an Affiliate Member of the "Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations". The Jerusalem programs of the IEA function as part of the "Partner Cities Network of the Council" for a Parliament of the World's Religions and the Goldin Institute. The IEA is also a member in the "Committee of Religious NGOs" at the United Nations and a founding member of the "Partnership Committee for the United Nations Decade of Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace". The group also keeps up-to-date information on their events and meetings at: https://groups.io/g/IEA-stories/topics Group list. Listed from  north to south: