Muslim, Jewish and Christian high school students explore religious diversity before trip to Middle East

Sixteen students leave for Israel and West Bank May 29th

DENVER- Twenty-seven students from ten public and private high schools across Denver, including Douglas County, East, Denver School for International Studies, Catholic and Jewish high schools, spent the past eight months learning about one another's religions and cultural backgrounds. The students, an equal mix of Muslims, Jews and Christians, were part of the Student Interfaith Peace Project. Sixteen of those students will travel to Israel and the West Bank May 29th, to participate in two intensive retreats with groups of interfaith high school students in the Negev region and later in Galilee. The students will also visit the West Bank to interact with Palestinians living there and will have a chance to hear authentic voices from all sides.

"There is nothing more important we can do today with the unprecedented growing gaps in the world between East and West and between religions, than to educate students on the commonality between people," says Shaul Gabbay, director of the Institute for the Study of Israel (ISIME) at the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies that sponsors the interfaith project.

Deborah Schlueter, who directs the Student Interfaith Peace Project and is leading the trip, first conceived the program along with Shaul Gabbay two years ago.

"Our students are so diverse, and they often don't agree on political or religious issues. However, that was never the goal of the program," says Schlueter. "What we hope they have learned and will continue to practice is the ability to listen to individuals whose viewpoints they don't agree with, and to do so with grace and respect."

Funding for the program has been provided by donations from Dr. Paul Dragul, Georgia Imhoff, Mayor John Hickenlooper, Park Hill Presbyterian Church and scores of other supporters. Audio and visual stories from the trip, including interviews with Israeli and Palestinian students will be featured at www.sipptrip.com, a professional podcast site developed and donated by Burst Marketing.