Witnesses of Mercy for Peace and Reconciliation

26 you ran away,” and he put the lamb on his shoulders and carried it back all the way to the rest of the flock. At this point a divine voice declared: “One who cares for the smallest of the lambs is the one to care for my children,” and Moses is thus designated for the leadership of the Children of Israel and the Exodus from Egypt.” This idea of compassion being the defining quality of the ideal leader recurs throughout Scripture. To conclude, the real challenge for all of us is one which Swamiji referred to. The problem is that we all feel that somebody should be merciful to us, especially when we bear a sense of injury – a common occurrence, especially where I live, in the Middle East. Perhaps it is particularly relevant to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. For what is often surprising for people to hear is that everybody in our part of the world thinks that they are the victim. Everybody thinks they are the ones that should be the recipients of mercy. Nobody thinks that they are responsible for the other’s suffering, because we see ourselves in different contexts and paradigms. Palestinians see themselves as vulnerable in the face of what they see as Israeli power; Israelis see themselves as surrounded by hostility and even threatened within by a world that denies their historical attachments; and of course, the Arab Muslim world as a whole sees itself as threatened by Western Imperialism, consumerism, glo- balization, colonialism, or whatever it may be. It’s very difficult if you really feel that you are a victim or in pain, to be persuaded otherwise; let alone to be compassionate towards those seen as the responsible party. This then is the challenge: how do we overcome our own sense of injury? More often than not, we are the victims of our own distress and as a result cannot get beyond our own pain. But if we cannot be merciful to one another, then alienation is reinforced and our suffering becomes com- pounded. Echoing the Secretary General’s words, this is why dialogue is so necessary. This is why it’s so important for us to encounter one another, because when we do so and recognise our fundamental humanity, we can be so much more compassionate towards one another. This is why inter- faith relations are so critical because, when we learn to respect the traditions of each person, we can also give the Other a sense of assurance that s/he is welcome and respected; and then through our own compassion, we can evoke compassion in the Other. Chief Rabbi David Rosen Rabbi David Rosen is International Director of Interreli- gious Affairs of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). He was Chief Rabbi of Ireland and Senior Rabbi of the largest Orthodox Jewish Congregation in South Africa. Today he is one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in the field of interreligious affairs. Career summary v International Director of Interreligious Affairs at AJC and its Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding v Past Chairman of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) v Honorary Adviser on Interfaith Relations to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel v International President of Religions for Peace v Honorary President of the International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) v Knighted by the Vatican in 2005 as Commander of the Order of Gregory the Great v Decorated Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010 by HM Queen Elizabeth II. THE FOUNDAT IONS OF MERCY