The program will generally consist of the following items (conditions permitting). Exact timings, travel routes, and site access may vary due to security and local schedules. There is a 2-day/1-night trip to the Galilee:

• Jerusalem of the Abrahamic faiths. Including visits to the Western Wall and the ruins of the Temple Mount, the Holy Sepulchre, and the Haram esh-Sharif (al-Aqsa Mosque/Dome of the Rock).
• Shared and/or contested sites. Including Mount Zion (the Cenacle, David’s Tomb), the Mount of Olives (place of the Ascension, the tomb of Mary) and possibly Bethany (Lazarus’ Tomb).
• Difficult places (sites of conscience). Including a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Places associated with the Israel-Palestine conflict.
• The tomb of Abraham, including a guided visit of Hebron.
• Observational visit to a local mosque in Jerusalem. Including Q&A with a local Muslim leader. Similar visits to a church and a synagogue.
• Local interfaith speakers/organizations. Meet local interfaith workers. Explore interfaith work in Israel and Palestine.
• Including a visit to the Church of the Nativity (the birthplace of Jesus). Lunch in a refugee camp hosted by Muslim women. Visit with a local organization of peace and reconciliation.
• Galilee (2-days/1-night). Nazareth and Sea of Galilee sites associated with Jesus’ ministry. Site visits to Jewish sites in the Galilee.

The course integrates interfaith learning, spiritual reflection, and engagement with contemporary realities in the Holy Land. Participants will:

• Live in community as interfaith participants, experiencing the hospitality of the Holy Land.
• Encounter the storied landscapes of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
• Engage with Jewish, Muslim, and Christian perspectives, both similarities and differences.
• Explore archaeological and historical contexts that illuminate the texts and traditions of the Abrahamic faiths.
• Reflect theologically on sacred texts together, listening, questioning, sharing with others in a safe interfaith community.
• Engage the Holy Land as interfaith pilgrims, integrating biblical, historical, and contemporary studies with spiritual reflection.
• Engage local Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities and explore contemporary issues in Israel and Palestine through multiple perspectives.
• Return renewed in faith resources, equipped to enrich one’s interfaith life and work back home.
• Share the experience of the Holy Land—its peoples, problems, hopes, and prayers—with others.

Sharing Perspectives is led by the staff of St George’s College—Dean Richard Sewell and Course Director Rodney Aist—together with a program team comprised of one Jewish and Muslim leader. Local speakers and guides also contribute to the course.

Participants receive a recommended reading list upon registration. There are no required readings.

Contact

For questions about participation in the program, contact Dean Richard Sewell at dean@sgcjerusalem.org.