The preparatory phase: Living segregated according to religious affiliation
 
At first the young people lived separately for a week, each religious group in its own cabin. This was done to help the members of the group to get to know each other and to develop a “common self image”.

The organizers
 
“People who don't yet have a clear identity can easily become aggressive, when they are spoken to. They easily feel provoked.

Had we immediately brought together all three groups in a single cabin, the Jews, Christians and Muslims would not have had the opportunity to develop a group identity. The ability to engage in dialogue functions only when the participants are clear about their own identity. That was the goal of this first phase: each religious group should find its own self-image.”

David (a Jewish boy)

“In the evening of the first day we had a debate in the Jewish cabin about how to deal with food, for we wanted to eat kosher. “Kosher” (clean) means that milk and milk products (butter, cream etc) and meat products must be kept separate, for in the Torah it is forbidden to cook a young goat in the milk of its mother. Furthermore, certain animals, like pigs and shellfish, must not be eaten. We agreed, therefore, to stick to dairy products. Then we koshered the kitchen.”

Maria (a Christian girl)
 
“At first there were all sorts of discussions. Our group, one must point out, included Roman Catholics, Lutheran and Reformed Protestants, Baptists and Old Catholics from all over Germany.

The discussions brought some surprises to light. Not everybody agreed with the “official” positions of his or her confession. Thus one of the Lutherans among us defended vehemently the virgin birth in the face of a solid front of virgin birth opponents.”

Dilek (the Muslim girl)
 
“For me, it wasn't easy. As the only woman in the Muslim group, I frequently had to assert myself.
Very quickly, I recognized that we held different opinions about the Qur'an. For myself, I see the Qur'an as a religious source that must be interpreted scientifically by the scholars. From a modern point of view, I don't think everything can be handled the way things used to be.”