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Israeli, Asian religious leaders discuss global issues in Jerusalem

Israeli religious leaders met with a delegation of East Asian religious leaders at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Tuesday to exchange ideas on global issues ranging from the advancement of peace to the protection of the environment.

The delegation of East Asian religious leaders included representatives of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Shinto, Sikh, Taoist and Zoroastrian faiths, from countries including China, India, Japan, Myanmar, South Korea and Taiwan.

The meeting opened with a prayer and meditation session, followed by discussions about safeguarding the ecology of planet earth in the industrial age, and the role of religious leadership in peacemaking.

“Participants in this conference are leaders of forty percent of the world’s population, with over three billion followers. That this day took place, and at the Truman Institute, is natural because the Institute is a meeting place where politics, religion and culture come together,” Bawa Jain, Secretary General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, said

The meeting was part of “Ancient Traditions, Contemporary Realities: A Meeting of Israel-Asia Faith Leaders,” a first-of-its kind conference organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the American Jewish Committee and the World Council of Religious Leaders.

The delegation of Eastern spiritual leaders, the first ever to come to Israel, met with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

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They will meet with the Jewish, Muslim, Druze and Christian leadership of Israel, and will visit the sites holy to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News