My name is Rabbi Dr. Dov Maimon.
I'm senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute.
I'm in charge of the strategy of Jewish people towards Islam.
And we believe that the relation between Jews and Muslims could be much better than they are today.
Because we want all to be servants of God.
All of us want to be a just and a right society.
We believe that we are all the sons of Abraham.
And it's very clear that God is not happy to see sons fighting together.
We should find a way how to solve problems in non-violent way.
And to work closer together as it happened in the past.
To build a more moral and just society.
And religion in some way could be a force of reconciliation.
Could help the people to be a better society.
It's not the situation today.
Most of people see the rabbis and the imams.
People who are putting oil on the fight everywhere.
And they make a lot of noise and a lot of violence.
But it could be a different way.
So we have to think what was wrong.
How we can make the change.
And hopefully it will work at the end of the day.
It will be a lot of work to do.
Today what we do at Jewish People Policy Institute.
We have a strategy toward Islam based on three different actions.
One is confrontation.
So we are people in Islam who are not very good friends of the Jews.
It's also a part of the game.
And we understand why they are there.
Maybe because the Jews are not holy as we should do.
And maybe we have to work on that too.
The other part is the people who as you are to try to make a reconciliation.
We try to have a good relation together.
And we try to develop such relation and to understand how better we can make it.
And the third place is what we called accommodation.
When the places when you have bad situation that the Jews have to adapt to this situation.
And to mitigate the violence of the things that are not so pleasant to us.
And we try so it depends.
And we see a lot of places today when the Muslims and the Jews are not good friends.
And it could be different.
It's a work that has to be done on education and also on the political diplomacy.
I believe that it's not easy to accept the people who are different from you.
And we know that there are people, normal people don't like people who are different.
And the most important thing is to have a kind of not to be an easy prey for us.
If people want to hate somebody, they will hate somebody else, not to Jews.
We have paid the price for the moment.
So the idea for us is to have a kind of capability of deterrence.
To say that the people who want to hurt the Jews will not let them go with that.
And if people understand that the Jews are not easy prey.
They maybe want to hate other people, but not the Jews.
They will find other people.
And so there is conflict between people.
Where conflict, normal conflict, because of material resources.
People want land, people want resources, want money, want power.
And there is conflict.
But it should not be based on religion.
Religion should be something outside of this kind of political game.
And we have to work on that.
To make the people know better each other.
And to find a way to make a kind of mediation.
And this is the reason people don't like Jews.
Because Jews are just different.
It's not easy to be different from other people.
And where a minority, people don't like minorities everywhere.
So we have minorities in Europe.
And you have minorities in Arabic states.
And minorities in Turkey.
And it's not easy to live with people that are different.
So we have to educate the people toward how you can be yourself.
And accept the other in his otherness.
How you can live in a common society to share the same public space with people who don't share the same dream.
The same societal dream.
The same values.
And it's something which is not self-evident.
It needs to be done.
It's been to work on that.
We have to sit down with people.
And to build a relationship which is easy.
When you have two people together.
Like in the Bible.
Cain and Abel.
Like Kabil and Nabil.
One kills the other.
That's the regular situation.
Because of jealousy.
Yeah.
Because you have competition in some way.
So we have to work on that.
And to overcome this natural thing that we have all in us.
So if we don't use your mental strength.
If you don't use culture.
If you don't use your ability to think.
We are going to fight.
Like in the jungle.
So we have to note.
So the idea is that we have to work on.
On the.
To work.
And to make discussion with the people.
To have dialogue.
And this is what you try to do.
And this is what people have to be more clever.
And we have much less violence than.
Two thousand or three thousand years ago.
So we are improving.
But the way is still very long.
We have to work on two fields.
One is information.
And then to have a mental change in your mind.
And the mental change is made by meeting between people.
So that's the reason we have set up an organization.
Israel Interface Association.
We have 50 group of people who meet every month.
And they try to work together.
About the model I spoke about before.
I mean.
How we can.
Believe.
You be completely confident.
In your own face.
In your own model.
Of life.
And accept that other people.
Do not share the same values.
The same project.
The same face.
I think.
And to go there.
One of the key values.
Is what we call.
Epistemic modesty.
That means that we have to know that.
We don't know what God really wants of us.
We have to say.
Maybe you are right.
Maybe I'm wrong.
So we have to be modest.
We don't have all the picture.
We don't know what God really wants from us.
And if we are in this such situation.
I believe that we can.
We can improve the situation.
But it's a long, long way.
So we have a lot of work to do.
And.
But it's possible.
We see.
We see a result.
People are easy.
It's very easy to destroy everything.
Like in a family.
And it's very long to build.
So we have to work a lot.
About building.
Trusting the people.
Creating meaningful relationship with the people.
And.
Continue.
Keep trying.
That's the most important thing.
I'm happy that you come here.
To Jerusalem.
I think it's a good idea that you come.
And.
Be part of.
The big program that we try to launch.
In Israel.
Israel could be normally a light for the nation.
We should.
We could have very.
Much better relation.
In the Middle East.
If people go.
And.
Try to.
Keep from the.
Other people.
The good things.
Instead of fighting.
All the time.
And identity.
We have to go.
Get rid of.
Of.
The fear.
We have to get rid of.
All what we have.
It's a lot of work to be done.
To be done.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.