One year ago, we four religious leaders faced many questions from our respective communities: Why would WE go with THEM? What will it do to MY beliefs in MY religion? Now, after the extraordinary success of Pilgrimage 2005 when 45 of us lived, studied, prayed, and celebrated together, these answers are clear: Joining this pilgrimage gives you a precious gift and creates for - yes, the world - a priceless opportunity. Each and every time a Jew laughs with a Muslim, a Christian better understands Jesus's Jewish roots, or a Muslim speaks of the beauty of the Jewish Sabbath, this person adds just that much more toward the creation of a time when the whole world will be in harmony, at peace - not as one mass group of automatons, for as the late Rabbi Alexander Schindler taught, "Unity is not uniformity" - but as a collection of cultures and faiths, finally living together, in peace.

As with Pilgrimage 2005, we'll create community before the trip with informal learning sessions focused on the basics of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; sharing food, thought, hopes, dreams, and even fears together allows you to develop a sense of "belonging" even if you are not deeply observant in your faith or knowledgeable of the other traditions. By the time we depart next March, you will be amazed at the depth of frienship, the quality of learning, and the constant "WOW!" factor of your daily life on the pilgrimage.

We invite you to "step out" - to reach beyond what may seem ordinary, expected, normal - and be a part of a journey that surely will change your life and those of so many around you. Check out the many "blogs" (web logs) on this site from our February pilgrimage and imagine that unique experience - can be yours!

L'shalom, ma salame, towards peace -

Rabbi Stephen Julius Stein
Wilshire Boulevard Temple
Vice-President, WCIC