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The Sharing Jerusalem project, with its emphasis on finding non- conflictual ways of living together in Jerusalem on the basis of equality and justice, is concerned both with the product of organizing a week - long series of events and with the process of developing a pattern of working together across traditional lines of conflict .

The Product

A variety of activities are planned for the last week of June, 1997, involving dozens f Israelis, Palestinians, artists, performers, scholars, politicians and clerics, at sites located throughout the city . Some of these activities will be designed jointly and others will be organized separately according to the needs of each community . The purpose of these activities is to highlight the geographic, religious, political, cultural, ethnic and political diversity of the city, as well, the prospects for cooperation inherent in this heterogeneous mosaic. The participation of varied sectors of the city's population together with a diverse group of performers and visitors, is in itself a powerful political statement intended to show that it is possible to existing psychological and physical barriers in the city .

• The Culture of Jerusalem A set of multi-media events is envisaged . In the performing arts, these include music, dance theater, film and video. In the visual arts, several art exhibitions are anticipated, as well as plastic arts and crafts workshop, In the creative arts, poetry reading and writing workshop and symposia are planned, All the cultural activities will be accompanied by discussions to maximize the amount of interaction among the participants .
• The Geography of Jerusalem Alternative tours of Jerusalem will be conducted during the course of the week . These tours will be target institutions, religious places, neighborhoods, outlying settlements and an overview of services in both sides of the city . Special efforts will be made to highlight the personal aspects of daily life in the different parts of the city from both Palestinian and Israeli perspectives.
• The spirit of Jerusalem The week of Sharing Jerusalem will be also include a limited number of symposia, lectures and academic workshops devoted to the history, culture and religion of the city a well as the status of human rights and social welfare . Bringing together leading local and international scholars and activist. These small gathering will enable an exchange of views on a variety of salient topics discussed in each community, but rarely debated across national and religious frontiers . Within this context, particular emphasizes will be placed on exploring proven modes of reconciliation, especially in the area of religion and evaluating their applicability for conflict resolution in the framework of Jerusalem .
• The Politics of Jerusalem Building on the momentum engendered by the various activities, the week will culminate in a political conference which will examine alternative scenarios for the future of Jerusalem and will recommend concrete mechanism for increasing coexistence in the city, and in women's march for peace, drawing on the example of the successful women's rally organized in Jerusalem in December 1990, as part of the " Hands around Jerusalem " demonstration . A framework for the continuation of cooperative activities will then be created.

To encourage participants in the week-long set activities , tickets will be sold to one or several events and a subscription will be offered for the entire week . Furthermore, a catalogue of the events will be produced profiling the geographic, cultural, political and academic facets of the program, a well as the vision underlying the project . The catalogue will be then used to create a fund to encourage future activities based on the concept of sharing Jerusalem .

The Process

The multi-faceted program of events necessities extensive cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, bolstered by substantial international backing. Given the technical and political complexities inherent in this undertaking, the process of production itself becomes an integral part of the project . The stages of preparation implementation and follow-up are therefore viewed a an intensive experience in themselves, designed to foster joint work and enhance bonding .

• Coordination. The decision to undertake this project was made jointly by the Israelis and Palestinian centers of the Jerusalem Link . The concept was elaborated together in a series of meetings and this proposal was prepared collaboratively. The core Jerusalem Link committee will continue to oversee the project . It has established a joint steering committee by agreement, which will recruit additional organizations as sponsors on each side, mobilize volunteers, help set-up professional sub-committees for each central theme, liaise with international organizations and decide on the hiring of the Palestinian and Israeli producers.
• Interaction. Some joint activities will take place during the course of 1997 to facilitate the preparation of the June events and to enhance communication . Starting in January 1997, a monthly event will take place to build up momentum for the June week and to further increase commitment and joint action . Moreover, all technical aspects of the preparations such as contacts with officials, requests for permit, location of sites, planning of tours, agreement on performers and publicity will be handled by joint teams . Finally, supervision of the ongoing projects will be administrated by a standing committee .

This project, then, constitutes an experiment in managing interaction in the politically-charged atmosphere of contemporary Jerusalem. The ability to maintain good working relations and to carry out the program can become a real demonstration of the prospects for peaceful coexistence in the city.