Emile Shoufani

His second revolutionary achievement was, turning the school into an institution of different religions, sexes and cultures: "St. Joseph's is not a Christian school that accepts Moslems and Druze but a school, where Christians, Moslems and Druze live together."
FROM THE WEB EDITOR:

I don’t know the author of this text, nor where I got it from, but it is certainly worth publishing and will of interest to our readers

Emile Shoufani was born in Nazareth in 1947. He grew up as part of the Arab minority that remains in the new State of Israel. After graduating form St. Joseph Seminary and High School he decided to become a priest.

Emile Shoufani

Whilst studying philosophy and theology in Paris between 1964 - 1971 he read "Treblinka" (by Jean-Francois Steiner). The work led him to learn more about the Shoah and to visit Dachau. He returned home having experienced a spiritual transformation and a completely new perspective.At his ordination as priest in the Greek Catholic Church in 1971 he declared during his first sermon: "I feel within me a life in Christ that cannot be vanquished and this life I want to share it with all... I want to be everyone's priest." Very early in his ministry as a pastor in different villages of Galilee, Abouna Emile became known as a mediator for the settlement of disputes between religious communities of Christians, Moslems and Druze and also as a strong advocate for true coexistence, not only in the sense of living side-by-side, but for truly sharing a common life.In 1976 the bishop entrusted him with the direction of St. Joseph Seminary and High School. His goal was to attract a vibrant body of qualified staff who would share his vision of a school, concerned not only with instruction, but with developing the whole person: "The pupil, as a person, comes first."His second revolutionary achievement was, turning the school into an institution of different religions, sexes and cultures: "St. Joseph's is not a Christian school that accepts Moslems and Druze but a school, where Christians, Moslems and Druze live together."He was ordained Archimandrite in 1989. In the same year, having established St. Joseph's academic strengths and reputation, Fr. Emile decided to pursue another goal: a pioneer project of dialogue with "Lyada", a leading Jewish school attached to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, in order "to give our youth the tools for full integration in the State of Israel while retaining their identity." A three year program of exchange between Arab and Jewish youth was introduced to teach the pupils "to meet the other, to erase prejudice, to learn to discuss their rights democratically and work together for peace."As an Arab Christian in the State of Israel, the life and work of Emile Shoufani is a testimony to the peaceful coexistence of Jews and Arabs (both Christians and Moslems) in a region which desperately needs a model of peace and reconciliation.