It is precisely in the perspective of people praying that peace begins, not first of all on the stage of politicians and the military. Peace grows above all from the everyday life of people. There it can slowly but surely spread out, where people, who were previously enemies and in conflict, change and reach out to one another.
In order to strengthen and promote such efforts, Pastor Wilhelm Salberg (1925-1996) founded in 1986 the Mount Zion Foundation, which has its headquarters at the Institute for Jewish-Christian studies at the University of Lucerne. In collaboration with our Abbey, the Foundation grants every two years the Mount Zion Award, a now very prestigious peace prize, to Jews, Christians and Muslims, individuals or institutions that are at the level of grass roots work for reconciliation and peace between different peoples in the Holy Land . The Mount Zion Award aims less to reward past efforts than to encourage their continuation and imitation.