

	In September 2002, during the intermediate days of the festival of Sukkot, an important event took place in Kfar Vradim, Israel, a beautiful mountain village in the Western Galilee. During these days, Jewish and Arab children, youth and adults from various towns and villages in the region, as well as vacationers from other parts of Israel, gathered together in Kfar Vradim to participate in and experience the Sukkat Shalom ("Peace Tent"). The events were organized by HaMinyan HaMishpachti HaMasorti (The Traditional Family Minyan), the Masorti (Conservative) congregation in Kfar Vradim. In every year since, a variety of social action groups and political organizations have sponsored Sukkat Shalom, designed to foster contact and dialogue between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel. Religious communities, however, have not been in the forefront of such efforts. What led our Masorti congregation to take such an initiative? HaMinyan HaMishpachti HaMasorti has always been geared towards community outreach and service. When the members of our congregation decided to sponsor a large-scale tikkun olam project, it was natural for us to think beyond our own congregation, and even our own village. Suddenly, it all came together – here was our opportunity to include our non-Jewish, Israeli neighbors in a project that would directly impact all of us. Tragically, religion has all too often served to justify terrorism and bloodshed, particularly in this very difficult period in Israel. Here was a concrete project we as a Masorti community could initiate, in which religious teachings would serve as a positive force toward dialogue and understanding! From the outset, a number of other Kfar Vradim residents became active members of the planning committee. With the help of the Kfar Vradim Town Council, we built a large sukkah, which became the focal point for the Sukkat Shalom. It was decorated by children, not only from Kfar Vradim, but also from the surrounding Arab and Druze villages. The visible fruits of Jewish-Arab cooperation between neighbors provided a much-needed contrast and relief from the despair, violence, and terrorism, which has plagued the Middle East for the last two years. During the day, Arab and Jewish children and teenagers worked together on arts and crafts projects, including a "Graffiti Wall of Peace," learned to play darbukot (Middle Eastern drums), baked (and ate!) homemade pita bread, participated in a regional chess tournament and in a karate exhibition. Throughout the festival, games such as sheshbesh (backgammon), chess and checkers were on hand in the sukkah, providing natural and unstructured frameworks for Jewish and Arab children to mix and interact, simply by doing what they enjoy. The adults participated in morning tai chi and multi-cultural meditation sessions.