They milled about, intermingling in the pardo palace, a former Franco residence, but also simply now an imposing Spanish monument, on a hot July day just outside Madrid.

Monks in saffron robes, Armenian and Coptic men of the cloth in regal dress and hats, Saudis in their crisp white thobes, and red and white head-scarves, and an assortment of rabbis in suits and yarmulkes. This, just to name a few of the men and women of faith who had answered the Saudi King’s call to talk. Tony Blair and Jesse Jackson were a couple of the most recognizable in the group that was quite stunning in its diversity.

The aim of the world conference on dialogue was to focus on common ground, as opposed to differences between people, to find ways to try to get everyone closer, and ultimately work together, to seek solutions to some of the problems facing humanity at this particular moment in time.

That the event was called by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, custodian of the two holiest mosques, was what made it so significant.

You can’t practice religions other than Islam publicly in Saudi Arabia, and there are hard line elements in the kingdom who have no interest in interfacing with Christians or Jews. In spite of some domestic resistance, King Abdullah went ahead with his vision.

The Saudi king is seen as someone who wants to soften the image of Saudi, to reform his own society, to reconcile the different factions that exist in the birthplace of Wahabism.

I asked one of the New York rabbis there, given that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, and given some of the anti-semitic rhetoric that has come from parts of the kingdom, did his congregation have issues with him coming to the Saudi sponsored gathering. Were they suspicious, or uncomfortable with it? He said he did face some concern, but his feeling was this. “If the king of Saudi Arabia has extended his hand then we have the responsibility minimally to listen to what he has to say and hopefully we’ll translate that into accord and not conflict.”

Intentions appeared to be good and game faces dominated … but it was not all harmony.

The first moment of public discord at the event was when one of the Arabs said there could only be dialogue with Judaism as a religion and not Zionism. That offended the Jews in the room.

Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum of Temple Israel of Lawrence, New York said, “By making that statement this old man was spewing the venomous lie that we heard four decades ago.”

He went on.

“It’s an old anti-semitic canard that unfortunately is resonating in the new world of the 21st century. How dare a non-Jew define what Judaism is and tell us what we should believe and putting forward conditions fanor dialogue. His remarks were the antithesis of what dialogue is about. Accepting people for what they believe and who they are.”

Rabbi Rosenbaum pointed out that Jews by their religion believe the land that is the state of Israel is theirs. But there are many non-Jews who do not accept that.

Politics was supposed to be kept out of the meeting. No Israelis and no Palestinians were invited, though there were plenty of Jews and Arabs there. And politics couldn’t help but seep in.

There were people muttering that if the Saudis want to see mosques in Rome they should allow churches in Riyadh. And concern was expressed quietly about petrodollar wealth being diverted to extremist causes, or proselytizing. There are very many issues that exist but were not in the program for the world conference on dialogue.

But despite differences, those who traveled to Madrid were eager to make friendships. As more than one person told me, “Dialogue is better than boycott.”

And the 84-year-old (we think but no one knows his exact age) Saudi king was feted for having had the idea and follow-through to arrange to get everyone together. It will be important to see the effects. How it is spun back home. How it is accepted in Saudi.

Some of the rabbis at the conference are launching a public service campaign around Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah this Autumn, in which they will twin mosques and synagogues and try together to fight antisemitism and islamophobia.

The friendships made over dinners, coffees, in the corridors, on the sidelines of this event are bonds that may or may not last but as some people pointed out to me, they may open doors in the future, doors to ventures as yet unknown, ideas as yet unexplored, positive works.

The important thing both Jews and Muslims told me at the conference, was that it is important for the religious leaders who attended to go back to their flocks and discuss what they experienced meeting their counterparts from other faiths.

And then, only the one god everyone in Madrid claims to worship, knows where this will all end.