Father Bruno Hussar 1911-1996 Interfaith Harmony Leo R. Sandy

Hussar cont’d Hussar founded an interfaith village where Jews and Arabs live, learn, and work together – Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam (Oasis of Peace) He has been repeatedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize Using the conflict management approach, his school has taught more than 35,000 people

Hussar cont’d Hussar was born to parents who were non- practicing Jews, a Hungarian father and French mother After the loss of his parents and a close friend, he yearned to understand the meaning of life His journey began with a study of the Bible but he felt closely connected to both Christianity and Judaism

Hussar cont’d He finally decided to become a Catholic priest, and went to Israel to establish and head a Dominican Center for Jewish Studies He used his new position to promote interfaith studies such as conducting conferences on Christian/Jewish dialogue After the Six-Day War in 1967, Hussar came to the idea that for peace to happen Jews and Arabs must share daily life experiences

Hussar Thus, he developed an interfaith village “to show that is was possible to live together in a spirit of equality and brotherly cooperation, respecting differences which would be mutually enriching; and at the same time to form a model for a ‘school for peace’” The Trappist monastery heard of his vision and leased him 100 acres of land for very little rent. The property was on a hilltop between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Hussar cont’d The property had been uninhabited and uncultivated since the 14th century, and it came with snakes and scorpions – no electricity, roads, or water For 4 years, Hussar lived in a shipping crate

Hussar cont’d After many years, a Jewish family came; Pax Christi contributed funds; and more residents came Those who came risked being called traitors by their relatives, friends, and neighbors Many arguments arose within the mixed group but no one gave up

Hussar cont’d At the school, every child learned both Hebrew and Arabic as well as regular academic subjects taught by both Jewish and Arab teachers. Although there were typical disagreements among the children, none centered on religious differences Some families who came were agnostic and led secular lives

Hussar cont’d Hussar’s new School for Peace brought together Jews and Arabs together, and often for the first time in their lives He used psychodrama and had Arab and Jewish children reverse roles Many children lost enemies and found friends through the process

Hussar cont’d As of 2008, there were 50 families living in the interfaith village. It was expected to triple in the coming years Two hundred children from nearby towns attend the Oasis of Peace School which has grades preschool through junior high Over 45,000 people have attended workshops at the school including people from Cyprus, Kosovo, and Northern Ireland

Hussar cont’d More than 500 have been trained as conflict moderators After Hussar died in 1996 his epitaph was carved in three languages – Hebrew, Arabic, and English – and his body was laid to rest in his beloved village His vision showed that even in a troubled region, interfaith harmony is possible

Hussar Quotes One thing is certain: The real solution to this problem will be political, not military, with negotiations conducted with mutual respect What’s very important is that there’s a sort of invisible communion (among) all human beings in the world The most solid rock of all is fraternal love. We can never go wrong with love

Oasis of Peace Web Page http://wasns.org/

Video Neve Shalon-Wahat al Salam

References Beller, K, & Chase, H. (2008). Great peacemakers: True stories from around the world. Sedona, AZ: LTS Press Explore: Oasis of Peace. Retreived from https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=y hs-mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs- 001&hspart=mozilla&p=YouTube+Oasis+of+Pe ace#id=1&vid=527e7e97be34d193b6a4102994 0e815c&action=click