Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Initiative Launched in Rahat with Groundbreaking Visit

In a milestone for grassroots coexistence efforts, Tom Wegner—founder of Israel’s Middle East Center, bestselling author of Cannabis Wars, and Global Books Award gold medalist—announced the successful pilot of a historic initiative: the first Jewish-Muslim Beit Midrash (House of Study) visit to Rahat, Israel’s largest Bedouin city.

“A great success!” Wegner shared in a statement. “Quietly, over the past few weeks, we have been working on the first visit to Rahat of the Jewish-Muslim Beit Midrash of the Center for Middle East Normalization.”

Organized by Amir Tadmor of the Center, the visit featured a delegation of Jewish participants including social activists, high-tech professionals, and even a rabbi. The group was warmly welcomed at Rahat’s Great Mosque by Imam Sheikh Jamal Al-Ubra, a leading voice of moderate Abrahamic Islam.

The delegation also met Mayor Talal Al-Krenawi, prominent city dignitaries, and enjoyed a traditional Bedouin meal at a local restaurant—part of a broader vision to foster deep, personal, cross-cultural connections between Jewish and Arab communities within Israel.

“This isn’t just a whim,” Wegner explained. “From the ground in the Arab sector inside Israel, we are hearing a great outcry. The moderate elders are deeply concerned—not only about the war, but also about internal consequences for the younger generation.”

Since October 7, interactions between Jewish and Arab citizens have sharply declined. Once frequent encounters—through shopping or dining—have diminished, especially impacting younger Arabs who now often consume antisemitic content on Arabic social media without real-world interaction with Jews.

The Jewish-Muslim Beit Midrash project, previously operating through interfaith discussions on YouTube, is now evolving into real-world meetings. These physical encounters aim to counter social division and offer alternative narratives rooted in shared humanity.

“We are working to create a nationwide program of encounters and media content in Arabic and Hebrew,” said Wegner, “to show that coexistence and friendship are not only possible—they’re already happening.”

With momentum from this successful pilot, the Middle East Center plans to expand its outreach across Israel, building a coalition of moderate voices committed to an inclusive, Abrahamic vision of shared society.

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