On February 16-17, 160 Jewish, Palestinian, and international women gathered in Jerusalem for Musalaha’s sixth annual Women’s Conference. We were overwhelmed and delighted by the response of so many women to the invitation to meet together with their Palestinian and Jewish sisters.

The women who attended were taking a risk, becoming open to others who may hold vastly different cultural, theological, political and social backgrounds. In light of recent political events, on all sides the pain and hurt is fresh, sensitivities heightened, distrust and dehumanization is growing.

As one participant said, “There is much pain and many issues on both sides. In the midst of this tense political situation 160 women, Arabs and Israelis [and ex-patriots], met. We met to share our hearts with one another. We met, united by our love for the Messiah and united by God’s love for us. We met as sisters very aware of the things that would separate us, very aware of how much easier it would be not to meet, but also very aware of the urgency of the work of reconciliation more now than at any other time.”

Together the women worshiped in one another’s languages, shared in times of fellowship and Bible study, and prayed together. As well, in order to get a glimpse of each other’s customs, some women shared cooking demonstrations of Arab and Jewish cuisine. As each woman has her own special recipe, this activity became an excellent conversation starter. “So how do you prepare this…” could be overheard during the coffee break.

The organizers felt it was also important to touch on the more difficult realities that women living in this land face. Therefore, three people (a Palestinian Arab living in Israel, a Messianic Israeli Jew, and a Palestinian Arab living in Palestinian areas) shared testimonies on how the situation has affected them personally, and how it has affected their family and faith community. Although these can be sensitive subjects, the women approached their audience with honesty and yet with continued emphasis on the Lord, how He has remained their strength and how the situation has challenged them to grow closer to Him. Following the conference, the woman from a Palestinian area told us that immediately prior to sharing her testimony, she had been so blessed by a Jewish believer who had prayed with and for her. This small exchange reflected an underlying theme of the conference: despite many difficult and divisive issues, we are united by a God who loves us and commands us to love each other. It was encouraging to see so many women who deeply desire to obey that command and to build bridges between believers.

“Our coming together was a commitment. We were committing ourselves to walk together in the midst of this extreme difficulty. Committing ourselves to press through these challenges to respond to the call of God and to receive what the Lord would have for us in blessing as we responded to Him.”