If you value Dead Sea salts, water, or are Christian, Jewish or Muslim, you will appreciate this post. New York had the honor of having the 3 co-directors of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME) offer a presentation at a local place of worship, invited by a network of faith organizations.

I learned that the Jordan River, which runs between Palestine, Israel and Jordan, and which was where Jesus was baptized, is now suffering from heavy water pollution from sewage and has lost over 90% of its original water flow due to dams and diversions. It is the Dead Sea’s primary fresh water source, so as a result, the Dead Sea has lost 1/3 of its surface area.

FOEME works towards clean water solutions and education, and is unique in being the only organization known to enjoy cooperation among these 3 countries, so is a beacon of hope. They bring youth together on this shared water issue who are otherwise separated by the difficulties of the political situations going on in the region. FOEME doesn’t take funding from their governments so donations are welcome.