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Compassionate Listening Project
J
uly 2017 e-News:
Joanie Levine & Yehudah Winter
- Upcoming Workshops & a Journey
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The CL Power Couple:
Joanie Levine & Yehudah Winter
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After years of travel together, Joan Levine and Yehudah Winter believe that there is no better way to travel, to meet people more intimately, and to understand a culture deeply, than to engage in service in that country. This
globetrotting husband-wife team has merged their passion for travel with Compassionate Listening workshops, and are changing lives one person and one community at a time.
Through what seems like a sixth sense that attracts the right person at the right time in their lives, they find opportunity after opportunity to share their hearts all over the world. But when I listen deeply to the silence between their words, what I understand is that Joanie and Yehudah’s ability to engage and connect deeply is the very thing that leads to these remarkable opportunities.
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To describe this couple as adventurous would be an understatement. While planning a trip to Uganda, Joan looked at the map and realized how close Rwanda was and what an opportunity it would be to deepen the healing there. She reached out to facilitator Bill Jacobson who had taught CL extensively in Rwanda on three different trips. Bill connected them to six different villages with communities that wanted more CL training. And so six workshops in six different villages in Rwanda were added to Joan & Yehudah’s itinerary.
Knowing that the workshop participants had strong training in Compassionate Listening, the goal was to encourage attendees to develop
practice groups and empower them to continue the work regularly and long term with or without a workshop leader. Each group member received a copy of Practicing the Art of Compassionate Listening in Kinyarwanda, their native language, and there were translators on hand for every workshop. Joan also incorporated a folk dance she learned to the tune “Oh how good and lovely it is for brothers and sisters to live as one,” a biblical phrase that was coincidentally used by Rwanda’s leader to help unify its people after the genocide. Needless to say, this dance resonated deeply.
Next stop, Uganda. Imagine for a moment a tribal leader in East Africa who, in 1919 when faced with British colonizers threatening his tribe and his land, was given the Old and New Testament as a method of conversion. He read them both, promptly converted all of his followers, and started a Jewish community in the middle of East Africa. The Abayudaya, which means "People of Judah," a community of 1100 people in 9 different villages, is thriving to this day. And of course, Joanie and Yehudah found themselves in the middle of it all offering Compassionate Listening workshops to women’s groups, to the Rabbi’s study group, and to Rain Uganda
Counsellors who work with villagers to detect cervical cancer and AIDS.
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Then there’s the recent trip inspired by Joanie’s years of study in Dance Ethnology and fueled by her life long dream to witness authentic Balinese and Javanese dance in their places of origin. But no trip would be complete without a CL stopover. Yehudah, who also facilitates with AVP (Alternatives to Violence Project) got wind of an AVP training at Peace Place, a pre-school for predominantly Muslim children run on AVP principles. One conversation led to another and before you know it Joanie and Yehudah were holding Compassionate Listening workshops for staff and parents of the school as what felt to them like the perfect antecedent to their adventures and dream vacation in Bali. They completed their trip by holding a CL Intensive for Muslim and Chinese women in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
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Do not think for a second that their passion for culture and diversity in travel does not spark opportunity here at home. They are very active in their hometown of Portland, Oregon. Recently, the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral held an art exhibit called "The Bridge", with a display of contemporary art from Jewish, Muslim, and Christians of the Middle East. The church invited Joanie and Yehudah to facilitate an introductory class on Compassionate Listening and offer a Conversation Café after their presentation about their CL Journey to Israel and Palestine. It was such a success that they are now slated to lead a 3-day Introductory Intensive to Compassionate Listening called
Bridging the Divide,
for the church members as well as anyone in the Portland community and beyond.
There is not enough room on the page to relay the details of their adventures in Rwanda, Uganda, Bali, Java, Malaysia, Israel and Palestine among others. Each encounter leads to a journey and each journey to an adventure that opens up more global borders. With each and every workshop they offer, Joanie and Yehudah are inspiring participants to become Compassionate Listening mentees and facilitators. Their strong passion to mentor people, combined with their love of travel, is a recipe for a significant spread of Compassionate Listening and peace work all over the world. And for this, we are forever grateful.
~ Article by Liza Pascal
photo #1: :Training participants at Peace Place, Java
photo #2: CL workshop in Kibuye, Rwanda
photo #3: Workshop participants with Joanie and Yehudah in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
photo #4: Joanie Levine and Yehudah Winter
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CL Intro Intensive, Sally Wright, London, UK,
(fall, coming soon to our
calendar
)
CL Intro Intensive, Rose Swan, Maine, September (MidCoast location and details coming soon to our calendar)
CL Intro Intensive, Gil Bar Sela,
Poulsbo, WA
,
October 14-15
(coming soon
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CL Intro Intensive
, Yael Petretti,
Pendle Hill Retreat Center, PA,
(fall date coming soon to our calendar)
CL Intro Intensive
Phone Class
with Leah Green, fall dates TBA, (coming soon to our
calendar
)
May 16 - 27, 2018
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An Invitation to Support Compassionate Listening:
Can You Help?
Compassionate Listening continues to impact the lives of people around the world in deeply meaningful ways. We are looking for champions from our wonderful community to help sustain our non-profit. We welcome your donation today.
Thank you ~ Namaste.
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