The Role of Religion in the Lands of Israel & Palestine

On Wednesday, February 26, Polytechnic senior and Global Scholar Mady Burke led a joint panel titled "The Role of Religion in the Lands of Israel & Palestine." Over one hundred people from the Poly community were in attendance. The three-person panel was comprised of an Episcopalian clergy member; Eliana Kaya, a Jewish-American with dual citizenship who had served in the Israeli army; and Marian, a first-generation Muslim American. All had close personal and emotional ties with the lands of Israel and Palestine. Although differing in religious viewpoints, common themes emerged, including that people deserve freedom, the right to vote, security and safety, and national determination. A wonderful illustration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre came up several times as an illustration of how people of different faiths could work together for the common good. In the end, all agreed that religion at its worst hurts and at its best can help, but through all religions, key beliefs show our common desire for harmony and relationship: forgiveness, repentance, self-sacrifice, love, and humility.