75 YEARS OF ENCOUNTERS IN CAUX

'My story is not special, or mine. It belongs to this conference centre. It is 75 years long and contains hundreds of thousands of train rides, walks, talks, teas, conversations, and quiet moments of giant transformation.'

- Yara Zgheib, Lebanon -

2021 marks the 75 anniversary of Caux as the European conference centre of the worldwide movement of Initiatives of Change (then called Moral Re-Armament.

Throughout the year, under the theme of '75 Years of Encounters', we will celebrate, take stock and look towards the future. A kaleidoscope of events, predominantly online, will recall the rich history of the centre and the impact of the reconciliation work, training programmes and conferences held here.

Look forward to 75 stories – one for each year – of people whose lives were changed by a visit to Caux. One of them is Yara Zgheib from Lebanon and as we launch our new series '75 Years of Stories' she reflects on the impact Caux has made on her life (scroll down for the full article).

This year will be an opportunity to (re)discover Caux and celebrate its rich past and potential from different angles: a festival of films from the archives, plenty of artistic input, another Caux Forum Online, and much, much more....

Stay tuned!

75 YEARS OF STORIES

Yara Zgheib:
75 Years - 75 Stories

'This place taught me to breathe, to see, others and myself.' - As we launch a series of 75 stories about individuals whose lives have been changed during their stay in Caux, Yara Zgheib reflects on her own experience at this special place high above Lake Geneva.

1946: Trudi Trüssel
'You can't build with only one class'

Trudi Trüssel from Switzerland was 28 when 100 Swiss individuals and families decided to buy the Caux Palace in 1946. The decision to be part of this adventure would change her life.

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1947: Peter Petersen
'All our defenses crumbled'

'At that time, even a dog would have refused a bit of bread from the hand of a German,’ remembered Peter Petersen, one of 150 Germans who the Alies allowed to come to Caux in 1947.

1948: Paul Misraki
Soundtrack for a new Germany

In 1948 Germany and Europe were in ruins. The French composer Paul Misraki was part of a a very particular musical revue, created in Caux to travel around Germany and help heal deep collective trauma after the Second World War.

1949: Max Bladeck
Beyond class war

Max Bladeck joined the Communist Party as a young German coal miner in the 1920s.His visit to Caux would change his vision of the world forever and he left Caux convinced that there was a better way to social justice than class war.

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1950: Yukika Sohma
'Japan can become reborn'

The Japanese flag was flying outside the conference centre as 64 Japanese arrived in Caux in 1950. It was a moving moment: back in Japan, still under American occupation, displaying the flag was forbidden. Yukika Shoma was part of the Japanese delegation, including the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

YOUR STORY COUNTS!

These stories are part of our series "75 Years of Stories" about inidividuals who found new direction and inspiration through Caux, one for each year from 1946 to 2021. If you know a story appropriate for this series, please do pass on your ideas by email.

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