The fourth day of the conference proceedings involved committee sessions right at the beginning, which the respective chairs initiated with a feedback from the participants about the conference.
Within these sessions, topics such as gender issues and women’s rights lead the participants to immerse themselves into interesting discussions. Participants also voiced their thoughts on the diverse explanations regarding the concepts of the Sharia and the Halacha, sharing their different interpretations and opinions. Further on, participants also argued over issues such as Islamophobia, gay rights and legislative details incriminating LGBTQI people in both religions. Some attendees also expressed their feelings and emotions regarding the suffering of the refugees as monitored and reported by media through art projects.
In the afternoon, the participants attended the interfaith panel discussion, which included Jo Frank from ELES (German Jewish Foundation), Gessa Ederberg, Dawood Nazirizadeh, Leyla Jagiella. They emphasized the importance of inter faith dialogue and its increasing prevalence in the society. After having discussed some primarily prepared questions, the participants were invited to join the discussion.
The last activity for the day was the Israel-Palestine panel lecture moderated by Joel Brauntold from the Aliiance for the Middle East. Aaron Bamea & Wajih Tmaiza from the Parents Circle explained their distinctive perspectives on the conflict. Their diverse stories carried a lot of weight since the guests had lost family & friends to this ongoing war, yet their striving for peace is phenomenal. Suffering and pain only serve them as a reason for reconciliation and so both the guests are of the belief that long lasting option in this case is to opt for a peaceful resolution. If this message can be sent across from the ones who have suffered during this conflict, then this step will compel the future generations to revise their approach towards the current Israeli-Palestinian tension. The participants were welcoming to the idea and the debate proved to be an accomplishment.
