Interfaith Devotion House
The interfaith Devotion House is the center for religious and cultural activities within the forest. Still under construction, this structure is to house a myriad of spiritual activities. It is much more than a synagogue, church or mosque, as it serves to bridge between spiritual groups, and serve artistic activities that connect to the spiritual and humanistic purpose of the House. The Devotion house, as well as being a center for interfaith activities, is also (until we have a designated educational and assembly hall) home to seminars and intercultural workshops for the wider community, including theatre, music, discussions and intercultural fairs.
Each year we host numerous seminars, festivals and events for the wider community, the largest of which is the bi-annual Peace Week seminar during the Shavuot holiday, in which we celebrate intercultural connections and interfaith encounters through shared conversation,meditation and spirituality. Whilst in the past these activities were held generally throughout the current forest structures, we are in the process of building a physical place to house activities connected to our vision of serving humanity within the wider community. The House will thus represent the spiritual center of the forest, where we aim to hold coexistence seminars, dialogue circles, workshops, language exchange, intercultural education for youth groups, music, and celebrations from cultures within Israel.
The overarching aim of the Devotion House is to facilitate activities concerned with the issues that occupy humanity in general, and Israeli society in our time, whether it be topics of religion, philosophy, culture, conflict, or peace for the wider community. The activities of the Devotion House aim to celebrate and facilitate the discourse on a truly human identity in a multi-cultural and multi-faith country. This facility will enable us to invite local Arab and Jewish residents, and involve them with our activities and with the questions which inspire our work.
The construction of the Devotion House is based on donations and volunteer work only! We thank all of our contributors, especially the friends of the German association "Tor zur Welt...e.V" for all the help we have received for the purpose of the spiritual center.