‘We must keep on trying, failing a little better.’
Classroom of peace: Jonathan Doering visits the Jewish-Christian-Muslim Conference
‘There is an energising range of cultures, faiths, and experiences.’
‘Where are the schools in which we learn how to wage peace?’
This question was posed repeatedly by Lionel Blue, the much-loved rabbi, spiritual leader, and broadcaster. Over fifty years ago, Blue made contact with Winfried Maechler, a pastor at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Church in London. They soon made common cause with Islamic reference scholar Eid Salah and Roman Catholic theologian Anneliese Debray to create the Jewish-Christian-Muslim (JCM) interfaith conference. JCM offers the chance for members of the three Abrahamic faiths to live and learn together for a week each February. Originally based in Bendorf, near the Rhine, the conference has migrated around Germany, and is now convened in Vallendar.
