Founder-Chairman

   Michael Landon

Founder-Dean

   Rabbi Benjamin Herson

Chairman

   Dr. Stephen Sideroff

Board Members

   Philip Dichter

   Claudia Gvitzman

   Stephen Krashen

   Susan Rubin

   Roxane Seidner

   Evan Shapiro

   Miriam Stein

   Natalie Stone

Program Coordinator

   Cheryl Weiner

                      The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics

                                          Malibu, California

March 1, 2005

Dear Dialogue Participant,

The Wallenberg Institute of Ethics is inviting you to be a volunteer participant in an innovative program based on a five-week email dialogue between Jews and Muslims entitled “Finding our Common Humanity.” At the end of the five weeks, participants will be invited to share their experiences in a face-to-face meeting focused on how they can utilize this experience to work on local human rights issues. The goal of this exciting and challenging project is to establish a bridge of understanding and communication between two groups that are often polarized and divided, but were not always so. Jews and Muslims have lived together for centuries, sharing many aspects of a common culture, enriching each other.

The email dialogue is structured to promote consensus between groups with diverse viewpoints. The process motivates and inspires participants to discuss controversial issues related to human rights, justice and peace. Underlying the dialogue are the precepts of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a statement by the United Nations. (Go to: http://groupdialog.org/humanrights/links.htm)

We are seeking 100 or more dedicated participants, evenly split between Jews and Muslims, with a minimum of 50 from each faith. Each participant will have a significant role and a vote in a unique exchange between Jews and Muslims. Your participation will require a commitment to 2-3 hours per week for the 5-week span. We have enclosed an email dialogue card with your password to facilitate your access to the Internet site.

In addition, we will be hosting a face-to-face meeting for all participants on May 22^nd 2005 in West Los Angeles. At that time, we will meet each other and summarize, refine, and evaluate the dialogue process together. We will also have a dialogue, stimulated by a panel discussion with Jewish and Muslim leaders.

The Wallenberg Institute was established 17 years ago as a forum to address issues of peace and justice.  It is based on the principles espoused by Raoul Wallenberg, an internationally renowned human rights activist. Over the years, it has hosted numerous conferences with dialogues on human rights, conflict resolution, and peace.

Thank you for the generosity of giving your time and effort to help develop a process that we hope can lead to a greater engagement with human rights issues worldwide.

Yours in peace – salaam – shalom,

Dr. Stephen Sideroff