NewGround believes in the power of personal relationships as a critical tool for withstanding international events and remaining committed to local results. We create an environment where all people are valued for sharing their perspective. That’s why we ask questions rather than jump to conclusions.
We engage with Muslim and Jewish groups across political, ethnic and religious spectrums, affirming the right of communities to articulate their own definitions.
Fellows face the Israeli-Palestinian conflict head-on, while understanding that their greatest impact is local rather than international.
We select emerging leaders with growing influence to maximize transformation in both Muslim and Jewish communities.
NewGround encourages creativity and innovation as a response to challenge and conflict.
NewGround Values:
All Life is Sacred
Human life is precious and sacred, and each individual, no matter who they are, should be able to live in dignity and safety. This value is affirmed in both Muslim and Jewish traditions: as the Quran (5:32) and the Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5) remind us: To take a life is as if destroying all of humanity. To save a life is as if saving all of humanity. Recognizing the inherent sacredness of every individual, we also understand that people are more than the sum of their identities, ideologies and positions. We want to dive deeper into each of those pieces, as well as their experiences, core stories and beloved relationships. We seek to create space and a world in which everyone belongs, and everyone recognizes that we belong to one another.
Courageous and Compassionate Truth-Telling and Listening
We believe that the most powerful learning spaces are those in which people are safe and affirmed in their curiosity about each other’s narratives. Change only happens when we don’t shy away from challenging perspectives – instead, we go deeper. In our programs, we ask participants to share what is most important and most at stake for them, choosing the language and meanings that they want to use. We encourage participants to listen in a way that reflects that they understand, to hold grace when they hear something that may be hurtful, and to reflect their own differing understandings of language and meanings. By doing so, we gain a greater understanding of complex issues, and gain the power to make more effective change.
Kindness and Justice
Walk the Same Path
NewGround is composed of people who hold both deep conviction for their values and deep care for others’ well-being. The community and world we seek to build should hold kindness and justice in equal parts. We empower participants to be courageous as they tell their truths, stories and experiences. And we help them be compassionate as they listen to the truths, stories and experiences of others. This also applies to ourselves: we need to be kind to ourselves as we grow and change; we need to hold ourselves accountable to the standards of justice we expect others to meet.
Navigating through Conflict
is a Choice
In any relationship or community, conflict is inevitable. Being stuck in conflict is a choice. We acknowledge that in all of the subjects we discuss – in the many ways that Muslims and Jews have connected, especially Israel and Palestine – there are inherent dynamics and histories of power, trauma, victimhood and bias that sometimes prevent us from moving in constructive directions. We need to directly confront and understand these dynamics to alter the cycles of ineffective engagement. By uplifting responsibility and accountability to ourselves and each other rather than placing blame, we can interrupt harmful feedback loops of “you hurt me, now I have to hurt you to keep myself safe” and instead develop relationships that encourage more care and compassion, where we do our best to turn to curiosity instead of assumptions and to engage in mutual recognition and support. We also acknowledge that our power, expertise and potential impact develop in navigating interpersonal, intra-communal, and inter-communal conflicts. However, we also recognize that resolving geo-political conflicts is beyond the scope of our impact.
OUR VALUES IN ACTION
- So proud of our change-maker project organized by Deanna Neil who partnered with Hadir Elsayad to bring together children from the SIJCC – Silverlake Independent Jewish […]
- Muslim and Jewish Youth Inspiring Change (MAJIC) is a high school leadership program created by NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change. MAJIC decided it was time […]
- The Day School Exchange Program is one of our change-maker projects. This project will be honored at the 2017 Suzy & Wally Marks, Jr. z"l Trailblazer Award Luncheon.
- Two Faiths One Prayer was borne out of our experience as fellows of NewGround: A Muslim/Jewish Partnership for Change. As part of the fellowship — an […]
- Muslims and Jews Organized Relief -- The MAJOR Fund The founding members of MAJOR came together through their participation in NewGround. A partnership of Jews and Muslims, their goal is to assist people in need, regardless of their faith, in the critical areas of clean water, education and healthcare. The MAJOR Fund's two-fold mission is to increase a sense of community locally and share that community through global humanitarian projects. To get involved, click here.
- Alumni have built houses through Habitat for Humanity, served the needy through the Humanitarian Day program in downtown Los Angeles, and participated in Big Sunday. Our […]
- Global Youth Service Day MAJIC High School Leadership Council Carnival Against Hunger 2012
