WHO ARE WE ?

In a few words

In August 2006, at the initiative of Sylvie Berkowitsch-Gassenbauer, sixteen Israeli and Palestinian girls from Jerusalem came to stay in Lausanne hosted by eight Lausanne families. They were accompanied by two adults responsible for leading and facilitating this group. The facilitators followed a dialogue guide created at the Jerusalem International YMCA (JIY) which used numerous joint activities and led to a rich and meaningful coexistence between two people of different cultures and three religions.
This stay led to the creation of Coexistences association in 2007.

The trip to Switzerland – a multi-cultural country, a federation, at peace for three centuries – was an important step in the consolidation of the identity of the group. It allowed the young Israelis and Palestinians to live together and to express themselves in a benevolent context of dialogue and friendship. This trip was deemed a success by both the moderators and the participants.

Coexistences’ main mission is to repeat such stays in Switzerland. We hope that any action, however modest, that supports the mutual understanding between people, believers or not, will help fill the gaps between them and their nations, and contribute to a mutual desire for peace.

Such vision can only be achieved through an increase of the association’s members and by raising enough funds to make the stays possible.

The committee

Laurent Enser

Carole Guinard

Céline Rozenblat

Halina Sandri Rabczynska

STATUTES