This week I was fortunate to attend the opening of the first US tour of the Peace Drums Project – an ensemble of Jewish, Arab and Christian student musicians from the Galilee region in Israel, introducing peacemaking and reconciliation through the shared activity of a dynamic steel drum band.
It is a remarkable project that involves Jewish and Arab schools and leaders of all faiths in Israel, and on the US side - the University of Delaware, the clergy of Delaware Churches for Middle East Peace and Northern Delaware Rabbis of all denominations.
The aim of the project, quite simply, is to set the beat for a better tomorrow, one in which peace and harmony prevail. It was a humbling and inspiring experience for me to literally hear the sound of peace through a musical dialogue between Jewish, Christian and Muslim children. While they didn’t exchange a single word between them, the music they created together spoke volumes and taught us all what peace can and should sound like.
It was an inspiration not only for me, but also for the many dignitaries who attended, such as Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia and Senator Tom Carper of Delaware. Senator Carper attended the ensemble’s first US concert, along with his wife Martha, who co - chairs the project. About 600 enthusiastic guests also attended, who, like me, I am sure, will cherish this wonderful experience and be guided by it for years to come.