JUBILO is a comparative religion project with an anthropological approach aiming to prevent and resolve conflicts and to build peace through the interfaith dialogue, namely among Jewish, Christian and Muslim individuals, communities and peoples.

One of the Project’s main purposes is to enlighten the current status of the Abrahamic faiths in a thorough, open, respectful and tolerant dialogue with each other, and with other cultures, faiths and realities.

It showcases the contribution of cultural diversity to our common cultural heritage and our shared values, thereby creating stronger community cohesion, it underlines the contribution of different cultures to our common heritage and lifestyle. It raises awareness of the importance of exploring together the means to implement and develop an active participation in our society through inter-cultural and interfaith dialogue, with an open attitude to the world and respect for cultural diversity in a community based on common shared values.

The Jubilo project was launched at the Peace Palace, The Hague, on September 2006 and is endorsed by the  Council  of  100  Leaders  of  the  World  Economic  Forum  (Davos  2006)  and  by  the  European  Year  of Intercultural Dialogue (2008).

It consists of a threefold structure: the documentary series Abraham’s Legacy; the Tea for Peace series of round-table dialogues; and the multimedia thematic series The Spirit Inspires my Way. All these closely related but independent components could evolve further to cover other major or minor religious and philosophical traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism etc.

Tea for Peace is one of the operational programme of the Jubilo project consisting of a series of ‘tea parties’. Spanda Foundation organizes an evening event on a specific topic related to the interfaith dialogue to foster better understanding among the community of the three Abrahamic faiths.

The topic that will be discuss in the next “Tea For Peace” will be Marriage.

The event will begin with the screening of a series of short extracts from films and documentaries. Afterwards, the guest speakers will discuss about the topic with the audience. Guidelines will be given to the audience beforehand to involve them actively in the discussion. As part of the programme, a research study is carried out within the audience examining the level of tolerance, preconceived views and stereotypes affecting the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities andwhether these preconceptions have changed as a result of participating in the event. A quick assessment of the questionnaires closes the ‘official’ programme, after which the audience will have the opportunity to meet the guest speakers informally while having a cup of tea or other refreshments.

Films have a unique ability to engage, entertain and, at the same time, inform and educate. The audience benefit from the event by gaining a deeper knowledge and understanding of current problems. Furthermore, regular discussions on peace-related issues will bring people closer, and may lead to further interfaith and intercultural cooperation.

The guest speakers in this session are:

SJAAK  DE  BOER Pastor of the Church of Our Saviour, The Hague. Fr Sjiaak holds a doctorate in Religious Studies from Louvain University, Belgium. He is the organiser of the European Pastors’ Symposia on the Millennium Goals, and since 1986 the Chairman of Auxilia, a foundation supporting world wide projects for the poor.

AWRAHAM  SOETENDORP Rabbi Soetendorp was born in 1943 in Amsterdam and survived as a «hidden child».  He  presides  over  the  European  Region  of  the  World  Union  for  Progressive  Judaism.  Rabbi Soetendorp is Earth Charter Commissioner and a Founding Board Member of Green Cross International and co-chair of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders. He his also a member of the International Advisory Committee of World Peace Summit, acts as an advisor to the American Jewish World Service, and is the founder and chair of the Hope Foundation for Children for Universal Education. Rabbi Soetendorp is a member of the Steering Committee of the World Council of Religious Leaders and participates as a key discussion partner of the World Economic Forum in his function as a religious leader. Rabbi Soetendorp is a Member of the International Advisory Board of the Jubilo Project.

JOHANNES  WITTEVEEN Dr Witteveen was born in 1921 in Zeist, the Netherlands. He holds a doctorate in Economics from the Netherlands School of Economics, Rotterdam. He was professor of Business Cycles and Economics at the Netherlands School of Economics in Rotterdam, and Rector Magnificus of the same institution.  Mr Witteveen  served  twice  as  Minister  of  Finance  to  the  Dutch  Government  and  has  been Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Chairman of the Group of Thirty  (G30).

He is a life-long member of the International Sufi Movement and is now its Vice-President. He has published a number of essays and books, among which Universal Sufism; The heart of Sufism; Soefisme en economie; Sufism in action, Achievement, inspiration and integrity in a tough world. Dr Witteveen is a Board Member of Spanda Foundation.

Take part:

- Duration: 3 hours.

- Admission: 5 euro.

- Language: English.

- Location and date: