Conflict resolution and The 9 Adar Project

The Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict, organized by an Israel-based initiative called The 9 Adar Project, is fast approaching, and there is no shortage of ways to participate.

“The Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict is dedicated to increasing public awareness around the values and skills of constructive conflict as well as awareness of organizations that work to promote these values and skills year round. It is commemorated annually the week of the 9th of the Hebrew month of Adar which marks the day that two thousand years ago healthy disagreements ‘for the sake of Heaven’ turned destructive,” according to 9 Adar’s website.

These healthy-turned-destructive disagreements refer to an ideological warfare that broke out between two important schools of Jewish thought. Ideological turned to physical when some 3,000 students died, and the day was declared a fast day – though it was never truly observed.

However, the events of that day 2,000 years ago were only the beginning. Fast forward to 1992, when alternate dispute resolution tactics were incorporated into Israeli law on 9 Adar. Another 25 years passed, and in 2013 the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution declared the 9th of the Hebrew month of Adar the Jewish Day of Constructive Conflict. Its repeated appearance throughout history as a day of war and peace had made 9 Adar a significant day for the development of Jewish peacemaking; thus The 9 Adar Project was born.

According to its website, The 9 Adar Project “seeks to cultivate the culture of constructive conflict and healthy disagreement across personal, political and religious divides. The project does this through promoting public awareness around the annual Jewish Week of Constructive Conflict as well as facilitating institutional collaboration through the new 9 Adar Forum of conflict resolution organizations committed to cultivating such a culture within Israel and the Jewish world.”

The 9 Adar Project is one of several programs developed by the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, which is part of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Israel.

On the 9 Adar website there are several different kits as well as information on their social media campaign that can help you facilitate ways to engage in constructive conflict. Check it out for further information on how your school, synagogue, organization, or even you as an individual can participate: 9adar.org.