Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), prolific writer and Holocaust survivor famously said: “the opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference”

Indifference can lead to polarization, tearing the social fabric of families and societies. 

Faith communities can help bridge our differences and heal social polarization.
Image credit: Dave Cutler (artist).

We invite all faith traditions with love at the heart of your practice to a virtual event:  “How do we bridge social, religious, and political divides in our communities?”

Come share ideas, insights and actions to bridge our differences. 

These Online Empathy Cafes are open to all faith-based communities (or no faith tradition)

Everyone is welcome to participate!

TIME: (2 hours) starting at: 1:00 pm PT (4:00 pm ET) 

DATES:  (Choose any calendar date(s) that work for you)

* Saturday, April 9
* Sunday, April 24: Part of National Week of Conversation https://tinyurl.com/bddbtc6k
* Saturday, April 30 (Part of National Week of Conversation)
* Saturday, May 7
* TBA

LOCATION: Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/9896109339

RSVP: https://bit.ly/RSVPInterFaithCafe
DROP-IN: No RSVP needed but recommended, just drop in as you can. Do come on time since the room will be locked after the circles start.
RECORDING: the cafes will be recorded for documentation, education and promotional purposes.
INTERFAITH CAFÉ WEBSITE: https://sites.google.com/view/interfaithcafe/

THE PROBLEM
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* Personal, social, religious and political conflict and polarization are tearing apart our families and communities.

* Diversity and differences are constructive, unless we normalize not listening to “the other side.”

BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS
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1). Learn constructive dialogue practices that your faith-based community can use for personal support, conflict resolution and community building.

2). Learn how faith communities and families can create sacred space to share whatever is alive for you (i.e, what is on your mind and heart.)

3). Share best practices for supporting families in your communities.

4). Share resources for interfaith contribution to civic cohesion, harmony and well being.

HOW
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1. We will use the Empathy Circle process to dialogue in small break-out groups. An Empathy Circle is a structured listening process that effectively supports meaningful and constructive dialogue.

2. We will document our dialogues to collect group wisdom.

     A. Some sessions are recorded and transcribed.
     B. Participants may submit and edit notes in a shared google doc.

     C. Cumulative notes are synthesized in reports to share with the wider world as we help create a culture of empathy.

PREPARATION
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1. Review the HOW TO EMPATHY CIRCLE process http://bit.ly/EC-How

2. Explore Empathy Circle website. https://EmpathyCircle.com
     A. What is an Empathy Circle? http://bit.ly/EC-WhatIs
     B. Why Participate? http://bit.ly/EC-Benefits

Here Are Some Different Versions of the “How To Empathy Circle” Instructions.

Video: How To Take Part in a Basic Empathy Circle (9 min)
(View On Facebook or On YouTube)

Short instructions for how to take part in an Empathy Circle. Add 3 minutes of benefits of the Empathy Circle:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wyKW7Jebgck

More info at: https://www.empathycircle.com/how-to-empathy-circle