Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics CC
October 29th, 2007
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics is newest Cooperation Circle member of the United Religions Initiative in North America. The Institute has been a leader in the Southern California interfaith and intercultural communities for a number of years. We are proud to welcome their strength and diversity into the global URI familiy.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethical Culture is committed to the promotion of a culture of peace and its foundational values of equality, justice, love, compassion, and mutual respect. Its humanitarian programs are aimed at the resolution of conflicts, the elimination of prejudice, and the broadening of perspectives. It encourages the study of faith-based sacred texts and heritages as part of the interfaith dynamic that is at the core of this endeavor. It also emphasizes the personal nature of this process by recognizing that what is created in the outside world is a reflection of one’s inner world.
The Institute takes the following approaches to achieve this mission:
- The creation of a Peace Academy with a faculty covering all disciplines that relate to the mission.
- Networking with positive forces in society — both secular and religious – to foster conflict resolution, improvement of the urban and natural environments and the well-being of all Peoples from all segments of our global community.
- The sponsorship of forums to examine the issues of the day in terms of ethical principles and actions.
- The initiation of cultural and educational programs that creatively use the latest technology
- The sponsorship of conferences that highlight and bring focus to the programs of the Institute.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is also linked with Raoul Wallenberg International, as at present, we are collaborating on a project to document the stories of WWII survivors across the globe who where saved by this remarkable, righteous man.
We are also sponsors and supporters of the Salaam/Shalom Educational Foundation headed up by Mrs. Vainstein a Wallenberg Board member who is also the President and Founder of the Salaam/Shalom Educational Foundation and has been instrumental in making real and lasting inroads at educating Arab and Jewish Children from Kindergarten age through High School on both the Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
A successful endeavor has been their cutting edge High School Peace Leadership Program where the students work intensively together in conflict resolution training and community building. After graduating from High School Jewish students defer their entrance into the military for one year, to continue to practically expand and apply their work on community building to assist Arab students with their matriculation exams in order so that they are able to gain entrance into the University of their choice.
This has all been professional coordinated with the Israeli Ministry of Education.
Some of their most important work is the The Jenin Early Childhood Education Program. This is a collaborative effort between Israeli teachers from the Galilee and Palestinian teachers from the West Bank. At present the nucleus of the program is comprised of dedicated educators, and is growing as we speak to include committed pediatricians and other health care professionals who see the intrinsic value of creating therapeutic educational environments for young children to develop effective coping skills as they grapple with the day to day realities of living under intensely violent and traumatizing conditions in the West Bank.