DOCSLIB.ORG

Give Peace a Chance Jewish Community - Uniting Church Study Tour January 15-26, 2017

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Give Peace a Chance Jewish Community - Uniting Church Study Tour January 15-26, 2017 23/03/2017 Give Peace a Chance Jewish community - Uniting Church study tour January 15-26, 2017 The tour group 1 23/03/2017 Palestine and Israel January 15, 2017 2 23/03/2017 Jerusalem municipal boundary, inclusive of occupied territory since 1967 West Bank East Jerusalem Old City Talpiot Gilo Har Homa Bethlehem Yellow line: Israel’s annexed municipal boundary of Jerusalem 3 23/03/2017 Our first briefing Hitting the road 4 23/03/2017 Haas Promenade – view of Jerusalem Man at work – Israeli guide Yogev Ozeri 5 23/03/2017 Jaffa Gate – Jerusalem Old City Looking towards the Jaffa Gate 6 23/03/2017 Dr David Koren Advisor to Jerusalem Mayor Arab and Christian Affairs Breaking bread – sharing food and thoughts 7 23/03/2017 January 16, 2017 Bar Mitvot at the Western Wall (Heb. Kotel) 8 23/03/2017 Queueing at ramp to enter Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef 9 23/03/2017 Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef View form Waqf Office steps Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef 10 23/03/2017 Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef 11 23/03/2017 Temple Mount/ Haram Al- Shareef Streets of Jerusalem’s Old City 12 23/03/2017 Streets of Jerusalem’s Old City Streets of Jerusalem’s Old City 13 23/03/2017 Rooftop – Austrian Mission Jerusalem’s Old City Little Sisters of Jesus Convent, Station 6,Via Dolorosa 14 23/03/2017 Church of the Holy Sepulchre and St Anne’s Church, Old City, Jerusalem Via Dolorosa, Old City, Jerusalem 15 23/03/2017 Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Old City, Jerusalem Mrs Nora Kort, Wujoud Centre Chairwoman, Arab Orthodox Society 16 23/03/2017 Mrs Nora Kort, Wujoud Cente Mrs Nora Kort, Wujoud Centre 17 23/03/2017 Western Wall, Jewish quarter of Old City Temple Mount/Haram Al-Shareef 18 23/03/2017 The Western Walltunnel largest foundation stone (left) The Western Wall tunnel 19 23/03/2017 Interfaith Dinner at The Eucalyptus Peta Pellach-Jones (left) and Debbie Weissman (right) Interfaith Dinner at The Eucalyptus 20 23/03/2017 January 17, 2017 Yad Vashem – Rachel Korazim and guide 21 23/03/2017 Christian Friends of Yad Vashem Rabbi Binny Freedman Rosh Yeshiva Oryata 22 23/03/2017 Rabbi Binny Freedman tour of old city Travelling along the seam-line Colonel Miri Eisen 23 23/03/2017 Religion and State in Israel Dr Shuki Friedman, Israel Democracy Institute Parents Circle Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin 24 23/03/2017 January 18, 2017 West Bank Ramallah Jericho Dead Sea East Jerusalem Bethlehem Efrat Hebron 25 23/03/2017 On the road … to Ramallah 26 23/03/2017 On the road … to Ramallah Illicit entry is still possible? 27 23/03/2017 Checkpoint Qalandiya … on way to Ramallah Palestinian Prime Minister Dr Rami Hamdallah 28 23/03/2017 Palestinian Prime Minister Dr Rami Hamdallah Dr Tal Becker, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs peace negotiating team 29 23/03/2017 West Bank East Jerusalem Old City Gilo Har Homa Bethlehem Yellow line: Israel’s annexed municipal boundary of Jerusalem Rev. Dr Jack Sara (and colleagues) President, Bethlehem Bible College 30 23/03/2017 Bethlehem - Armenian scouts celebrating Christmas Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity 31 23/03/2017 Armenian Christmas service, Church of the Nativity Images from Bethlehem 32 23/03/2017 Images from Bethlehem Images from Bethlehem 33 23/03/2017 Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem 34 23/03/2017 Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh Al-Rowwad Centre for Culture and Arts Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem 35 23/03/2017 Aida Refugee Camp Combatants for Peace Sulaiman Khatib and Raphael Nabholz 36 23/03/2017 January 19, 2017 Yasser Arafat Tomb, Ramallah 37 23/03/2017 Dr Mustafa Barghouti Palestinian Relief Society, Ramallah President, Palestine National Initiative Rabbis for Human Rights Zacharia Sada, Palestinian Field Officer 38 23/03/2017 Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh Minister, Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction Rawabi City 39 23/03/2017 Rawabi City Rawabi City 40 23/03/2017 Guided tour of Rawabi Mr Bashar Masri Founder, Rawabi City 41 23/03/2017 Breaking the Silence Yehuda Shaul, Kate Rosenberg My Truth Shachal Liran-Hanan 42 23/03/2017 January 20, 2017 Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam 43 23/03/2017 The Tent Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam community ‘hall’ Neve Shalom/Wahat Al Salam 44 23/03/2017 On the road … again On the road … pit stop 45 23/03/2017 Amna Canaan Barta’a Green Line, where Israel meets Palestine Barta’a shopping strip 46 23/03/2017 Barta’a shopping strip Amna Canaan Founder Awareness4U, Kfar Qar’ea welcomes us into her home 47 23/03/2017 Through the kitchen cupboard … a learning centre Amna Canaan, a welcoming prayer 48 23/03/2017 Amna Canaan, community organiser arrow: ‘Arabs and Jews want Peace’ t-shirt: ‘Neighbours for Peace’ Protests ongoing every Friday 3-4 pm Bottom: joined by Myung Hwa Park (right) 49 23/03/2017 Shabbat January 21, 2017 January 22, 2017 50 23/03/2017 West Bank Ramallah Jericho Dead Sea East Jerusalem Bethlehem Efrat Hebron EcoPeace (ME) – saving the Jordan River Qasr El Yahud Baptismal site Left: Water Ambassadors, Jericho Right: Gidon Bromberg, Israeli Director 51 23/03/2017 Jordan River – then and now left: width - 18 horses of Light Horse Brigade Baptisms at Qasr El Yahud, Jordan River 52 23/03/2017 EcoPeace Palestinian field school, Auja EcoPeace lunch! Auja 53 23/03/2017 Lunchtime briefing Gidon Bromberg EcoPeace Auja Field School 54 23/03/2017 Lido Hotel – Dead Sea in retreat Jordan Valley 55 23/03/2017 Frolicking in the Dead Sea Bathing in the Dead Sea 56 23/03/2017 Hagai El-Ad, Executive Director, B’Tselem David Keyes Spokesman to foreign media, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office 57 23/03/2017 January 23, 2017 58 23/03/2017 Hebron Briefing: Ecumenical Accompaniment Monitors Left: Aletia (Australia), Right: Nick (Alaska) 59 23/03/2017 Al-Shuhada Street, Hebron (H2) Checkpoint 56 60 23/03/2017 Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) Monitors Hebron (Palestinian) markets (H1) 61 23/03/2017 Tomb of the Patriarchs - Ma'arat HaMachpelah Tomb of the Patriarchs - Ma'arat HaMachpelah 62 23/03/2017 David Wilder Former spokesman, Hebron settlers David Wilder Former spokesman, Hebron settlers 63 23/03/2017 Al Tariq (The Way) non-violent movement Ali Abu Awad (centre), Riyad Al Hales (left), Stephen Stern (right) 64 23/03/2017 Al Tariq (The Way) Centre hothouse in summer, meeting room in winter Captain Ben Wahlhaus International Law Department, IDF 65 23/03/2017 Leaving Jerusalem View from Dan Boutique Hotel Janet Kossy January 24, 2017 66 23/03/2017 ANZAC Memorial, Kibbutz Be’eri Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service 67 23/03/2017 Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service 68 23/03/2017 Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service 69 23/03/2017 Give Peace a Chance Memorial Service Sderot 70 23/03/2017 Tour of Sderot by Dar right: remnants of missiles directed at Sderot Communication Hill, overlooking Gaza 71 23/03/2017 The Art of War left: playground doubles as bomb shelter right: sculpture made from missile remnants Gaza Netiv HaAsara, Sderot, Erez 72 23/03/2017 Moshav Netiv Ha’Asara, Gaza border Hila Fenlon, resident, briefing our group right: sample missile fired at moshav 73 23/03/2017 Netiv Ha’Asara – Path to Peace Wall Give Peace a Chance – adding to Wall of Peace 74 23/03/2017 Path to Peace, Netiv Ha’Asara Shlomo Tsaban, Manager, Eretz Crossing (between Gaza and Israel) 75 23/03/2017 Road to Recovery Yuval Roth (centre), Iri Kassel (left) Eli Sahar (right) Yossi Beilin Former Minister in Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Ehud Barak governments, founder Geneva Initiative 76 23/03/2017 January 25, 2017 James McGarry Australian Deputy Ambassador to Israel 77 23/03/2017 Magdala Stone, Magdala, Galilee The Magdala Synagogue 78 23/03/2017 Fr Eamon Kelly, vice director, Magdala Centre Fr Gabriel Naddaf Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth 79 23/03/2017 Fr Gabriel Naddaf Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth St Peter’s fish 80 23/03/2017 Ziv Hospital, Tsfat Dr Michael Harari Australian pediatric intensive care specialist 81 23/03/2017 Reflections on the shores of the Galilee Galilee 82 23/03/2017 Tiberius, Galilee January 26, 2017 83 23/03/2017 Tal Hermelin Mind Innovation Centre, Tel Aviv Taglit Birthright high tech display 84 23/03/2017 Jaffa Theatre – Al-Saraya Theatre One Stage, Two Theatres Igal Ezraty, Gabi Aldor Co-Artistic Directors Jaffa Theatre 85 23/03/2017 Jaffa street walk Jaffa street walk 86 23/03/2017 Jesse Divon, Palestine Internship Program Natalie, former intern plus some technology transfer? Hani Alami, CEO Coolnet 87 23/03/2017 Farewell Dinner Showing our appreciation to Yogev, Christina and Elisa 88 23/03/2017 And speeches, of course Reflection of speakers • Dr Rami Hamdallah, the Prime Minister of Palestine – power disparity • David Keyes, Spokesperson for the Prime Minister of Israel • Dr Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian political leader and presidential candidate – power disparity • Dr Yossi Beilin, one of the architects of the Oslo Accords and a former minister in the governments of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak. - multiple narratives • Track 1 Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators Tal Becker and Mohammad Shtayyeh - multiple narratives, victim-villain • The co-founder and co-director of Combatants for Peace, Suleiman Khatib • The co-founder of EcoPeace, Gidon Bromberg – Cooperation and humanising the other • Ali Abu Awwad, the founder of Al Tariq (The Way), which promote strategies for non-violent resistance and empowerment to Palestinians and Roots (a dialogue group between Palestinians and Israelis including settlers) – support grass root projects • A mother from the Israeli town bordering Gaza who advocates for peace and co-existence • Palestinian and Israeli fathers from The Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) – power disparity – cooperate and humanise • Israeli volunteers from Road to Recovery, who provide daily transport for sick Palestinians from Gaza to hospitals in Israel - – support grass root projects 89.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Palestinian Dilemma
    EVALUATING PEACE EDUCATION IN THE OSLO/INTIFADA GENERATION: AN IMPACT STUDY OF SEEDS OF PEACE 1993-2010 BY Ned Lazarus ABSTRACT Since 1993, several thousand Israeli and Palestinian youth have participated in 12 summer “coexistence” programs in North America. The programs espouse a common theory of change: that an experience of dialogue in an idyllic American setting will inspire youth to return to the Middle East as aspiring peacemakers. This dissertation provides the first large-scale, long-term empirical assessment of that theory, by tracking the peacebuilding activity of all 824 Israeli and Palestinian graduates of SOP's first decade of operation (1993- 2003), and complementing this with qualitative research on more than 100 adult graduates (ages 21-30). The longitudinal framework assesses fluctuations in activity over time, highlighting the influence of changing personal, organizational, and political contexts. Key findings include that more than half of alumni engaged in peacebuilding during high school; that compulsory Israeli military service discouraged activity among both Israeli and Palestinian graduates; that nearly one-fifth of alumni engaged in peacebuilding as adults; and that extensive follow-up programming was essential for sustaining long-term commitments to peacebuilding. The study concludes that the international intervention structure embeds an effective educational model in a problematic organizational model. While providing an unprecedented evaluation of a popular peace education approach, this study tells the stories of a pivotal generation: Palestinians and Israelis who entered adolescence at the hopeful dawn of the Oslo peace process, to emerge as adults in an era of intifada and “separation.” 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation is the culmination of a journey of eight years of practice, and seven years of research, study and writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Facilitators' Manual
    Israel/Palestine: Is There a Samaritan on the Road? Facilitators’ Manual This booklet describes a four-session course offered at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C., November-December, 2010. It has been published as an aid to parishes developing their own courses on the subject. The manual and all its appendices can be found on the St. Mark’s web site. For its encouragement of this project, the authors wish to thank the Companion Diocese Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Acknowledgments As the team that planned and implemented the course, we are deeply grateful for the encouragement and assistance that we received from the following people: • The clergy and wardens of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, who supported the establishment of the Mid- East Working Group in 2009 and encouraged the array of educational events we undertook in our first two years. • Our Working Group colleagues, who offered helpful advice and assisted in many ways. • The lay leaders of St. Mark’s Christian Education Program who supported our proposal for this unique course and gave us much wise guidance as we shaped it. • The guest presenters who gave generously of their time and insights. • The 34 members of the congregation who enthusiastically participated in the course and gave us constructive evaluations of it. • Business Research Services, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, for donating its services to publish the manual. • The Companion Diocese Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington for sponsoring the distribution of the manual. Whatever use you make of the manual and appendices, may they help you and those you reach respond faithfully to work for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the Holy Land.
    [Show full text]
  • The Importance of Remembering Below Is a Speech by Michael Cohen That He Delivered at Yom Hashoah Vehagevurah at Pinelands Cemetery on 16 April
    PAM GOLDING ON MAIN NOW LETTING Locate your office in Kenilworth. Peter Golding 082 825 5561 | Mike Morey 082 820 0429 Office: 021 426 4440 VOLUME 32 No 4 MAY 2015 www.cjc.org.za www.pamgolding.co.za/on-main The importance of remembering Below is a speech by Michael Cohen that he delivered at Yom Hashoah Vehagevurah at Pinelands Cemetery on 16 April. Michael is head student at Herzlia. ave you ever come across something returned home safely to loving families, actions. What struck me with devastating as young Jews in the knowledge and Hso horrific that it leaves you silent? after giving up five years of their lives. This impact is that the Holocaust did not start living proof that Hitler and the Nazis did All you feel is something you cannot was a privilege not shared by survivors with murder but with racist attitudes and not succeed in their mission — to murder explain…..total numbness. in Europe whose families, homes and prejudice. Attitudes became laws which the Jewish Nation. I felt a deep connection This time last year I participated in the livelihoods were broken and destroyed. led to concentration camps, and ultimately with everyone marching, an overwhelming March of the Living in Poland. As a regular My grandfathers were not much older to the final solution — death camps and sense of grief, but also of unity and pride 17 year old Capetonian, nothing could fully than I am now when they went to war in genocide. — of being Jewish. prepare me, absolutely nothing, for being 1940 and I realise with a sense of pride that Jews and many other groups of people We are the link between that generation at the sites of such inconceivable horror in they felt the responsibility to stand up and were murdered by the Nazis and it is our which experienced the horrors of the the history of our people.
    [Show full text]
  • Victimization, Empathy, and Breaking the Cycles of Violence in Israel and Palestine
    International Relations and Diplomacy, February 2017, Vol. 5, No. 2, 61-77 D doi: 10.17265/2328-2134/2017.02.001 DAVID PUBLISHING Victimization, Empathy, and Breaking the Cycles of Violence in Israel and Palestine Franke Wilmer Montana State University, Bozeman, USA Victimization narratives arise out of the experience of historical and ongoing injury, and often intersect or, in part, constitute identity narratives. Unless transformed through reconciliation, these narratives can be used to mobilize violent behavior aimed at restoring justice or preventing further victimization. Victimization narratives arise from lived experiences, whether by contemporary generations, or through intergenerational narratives, charging the present generation with the task of ending present or preventing future injury. Those experiences, however, can be mythologized or distorted, particularly when appropriated in support of an ideological agenda. Cycles of violence, therefore, cannot be ended in a sustainable manner unless victimization narratives are transformed and cycles of violence disrupted. This is the work of conflict transformation and sustainable post-conflict democratic institution-building. Since the present global political landscape is made up of thousands of identity or communal groups living in just under two hundred states with complicated histories of intergroup conflict and historical injury, most, if not all states are to some degree post-conflict societies. This article examines both victimization experiences and narratives through the eyes of peace activists and leaders who work in a binational capacity with Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. Hundreds of peace organizations active in Israel and Palestine, this project focuses on those specifically directed toward opening and cultivating spaces for empathetic engagement across the lines of identity.
    [Show full text]
  • Dig Deep CBA 2
    Palestine-Israel: The Effects of Occupation CBA Lesson Packet CBA TOPIC: Dig Deep LEVEL: Middle/High School AUTHORED BY: Anna Simonton, The Evergreen State College ADAPTED BY: Linda Bevis, Palestine Information Project This document is intended to assist teachers who are implementing the Dig Deep CBA for high school students, but may be useful to anyone teaching about current world issues, international relations and related fields. WASHINGTON STATE CLASSROOM BASED ASSESSMENT: DIG DEEP The Dig Deep CBA states that, “a responsible citizen can use historical thinking to develop thoughtful participation in a democratic society. To develop your thinking skills you will develop and support a thesis on an historical question based on your analysis of primary and historical narratives.” What does the CBA require students to do? 1) Develop a historical question. 2) State a position on the question that outlines reasons in support of the position. 3) Support the position with evidence drawing on multiple social science perspectives* that includes primary and secondary resources. 4) State why studying the historical question helps in understanding current issues and events. 5) Prepare a presentation/paper explaining the position and the supporting evidence. * The social science perspectives are: geographic, cultural, political, economic, sociological, and psychological. Please see the following OSPI website for more information: http://www.k12.wa.us/ SocialStudies/Assessments/HighSchool/HSHistory-DigDeep-CBA.pdf The graphic organizer and scoring rubric for this CBA are available at the OSPI website. 1 OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this activity, students will be able to: 1) Explain how historical events have created or affected the current Palestinian- Israeli conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • The Limits of Militarized Citizenship Agency, Intersectionality and Marginality Among Israeli Draft Refusers
    THE LIMITS OF MILITARIZED CITIZENSHIP AGENCY, INTERSECTIONALITY AND MARGINALITY AMONG ISRAELI DRAFT REFUSERS Wetenschappelijke verhandeling Aantal woorden: 22506 Fien De Meyer Stamnummer: 01105499 Promotor: Prof. dr. Christopher Parker Copromotor: Prof. dr. Omar Suliman-Jabary Salamanca Wetenschappelijke verhandeling voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad Master-na-Master in de richting Conflict & Development Academiejaar: 2016 - 2017 ii Inzagerecht in de masterproef (*) Ondergetekende, ……………………………………………………. geeft hierbij toelating / geen toelating (**) aan derden, niet-behorend tot de examencommissie, om zijn/haar (**) proefschrift in te zien. Datum en handtekening ………………………….. …………………………. Deze toelating geeft aan derden tevens het recht om delen uit de scriptie/ masterproef te reproduceren of te citeren, uiteraard mits correcte bronvermelding. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (*) Deze ondertekende toelating wordt in zoveel exemplaren opgemaakt als het aantal exemplaren van de scriptie/masterproef die moet worden ingediend. Het blad moet ingebonden worden samen met de scriptie onmiddellijk na de kaft. (**) schrappen wat niet past iii ABSTRACT (NL) Deze masterproefanalyse gaat dieper in op legerdienstweigering in Israël als een complex en identitair gegeven. Hierbij wordt afgeweken van algemene theorievorming, berichtgeving en publieke opinie die legerdienstweigering louter benaderen als een verzetsvorm tegen de bezetting van de Palestijnen. De analyse benadrukt de
    [Show full text]
  • A Christian Guide to the Anti-Israel Boycott Movement (BDS) by Father Gabriel Naddaf
    June 2015 Dear brothers and sisters, It takes great wisdom to understand the heart of God, and the matters closest to him. God teaches us in his Word that Israel is the apple of his eye (Zechariah 2:8). Yet there is much confusion in the global church about Israel, and God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). Rather, God wants us to seek after his heart; to get wisdom and to get understanding (Proverbs 4:5). God does not want his church to be ignorant about such an important topic as Israel, yet there are many in the church today sowing confusion, spreading hatred of the Jewish state. We learn from James that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him (James 1:5). God’s wisdom is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:17-18). Yet God laments that "my people perish for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). We present this guide to you humbly, knowing that we will one day stand before God and give account of every word we utter (Matthew 12:36). As the spiritual leader of the Christian Empowerment Council here in Israel, it is my responsibility to encourage Christians across the world to think about Israel in Biblical and moral ways. As you consider personally your own spiritual towards Israel, it would be prudent to consider these points.
    [Show full text]
  • International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Hereinafter, the “Convention” Or “CERD”)
    United Nations CERD/C/ISR/17-19 International Convention on Distr.: General 14 March 2017 the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination Original: English English, French and Spanish only Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Consideration of reports submitted by States parties under article 9 of the Convention Seventeenth to nineteenth periodic reports of States parties due in 2016 , Israel* ** [Date received: 2 March 2017] * The present document is being issued without formal editing. ** The annexes are file with the Secretariat and are available for consultation. GE.17-04122(E) CERD/C/ISR/17-19 Introduction 1. The Government of Israel (GOI) welcomes the opportunity to present its 17-19th Periodic Report to the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Hereinafter the “Committee) in accordance with the requirements of Article 9, paragraph 1(b) of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (hereinafter, the “Convention” or “CERD”). 2. In accordance with the Committee’s Concluding Observation No. 38 of March 9, 2012, (CERD/C/ISR/CO/14-16), all GOI Ministries and institutions relevant to this Report were requested to supply data and information concerning their areas of operation. Additionally, in accordance with Concluding Observation No. 32 of March 9, 2012, Israeli Non-Governmental Organizations (“NGOs”) were also invited to submit information and comments prior to the compilation of this Report. 3. This Report was compiled by the Counseling and Legislation (International Law) Department at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), in cooperation with other Governmental Ministries and agencies. 4. Racial discrimination is prohibited in Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Deep in the Heart of the West Bank, a Group of Former
    T’S 1 P.M. ON A FRIDAY IN JANUARY IN BEIT JALA, ten kilometres south of Jerusalem, and several dozen men and a handful of women who have occupied the far-right outposts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are seated around the perimeter of a sunlit room. For the next few hours, the mostly greying Israelis and younger Palestinians sit shoulder to shoulder, drinking rounds of Nescafé or bitter Turkish coffee. As they have for the past three years, these former soldiers and militants engage in an act their politicians have Iabandoned: discussing the toughest subjects that divide their people, while trying to heal their own emotional wounds. There’s no talk of how the perennially stalled peace process might be restarted. For these men and women, members of a group called Wounded Crossing Borders, just being here and daring to participate is enough. “Breathe deeply,” Yuval Carni, a Jewish mediator with a holistic bent, tells the group in Hebrew, as another mediator translates his words into Arabic. He tries to draw them out, THE to put the hardened lot — from Kibbutzim in Jerusalem and refugee camps in Ramallah — in each other’s shoes. Pairing them off, Muslim to Jew, he urges the men and women to give each other a few minutes to say whatever they want, “…in order to release the pressure and anger.” They have been at this, most of them, for almost three years. The meetings, deliberately kept out of the spotlight, are an effort to build bridges between people who have borne the brunt of the decades-long conflict and to help heal their deep emotional wounds.
    [Show full text]
  • Disturbing the Peace Discussion Guide
    www.influencefilmclub.com Disturbing The Peace Discussion Guide Director: Stephen Apkon, Andrew Young Year: 2016 Time: 86 min You might know this director from: This is the debut feature film from this directorial team. FILM SUMMARY The Israel-Palestine conflict has been been raging in one form or another since the early 20th century, with both Jews and Arab Muslims claiming rights to the land and bloody bouts of all-out war at various times in the wake of World War II. Despite recurring peace talks, the conflict continues today with the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, both territories inhabited primarily by Palestinian populations. And yet, the hope of peace is not yet lost. At the heart of Stephen Apkon and Andrew Young’s insightful, stirring DISTURBING THE PEACE is the ability of these long-standing enemies to simply empathize with one another, setting aside animosity for the sake of seeing from each other’s perspective. The film begins with a handful of firsthand accounts from both sides. Elite Israeli soldiers speak of times when they committed acts of violence that destroyed the lives of countless Palestinian families, while Palestinian fighters, many of whom served years in prison, discuss life under the occupation and the extremist measures that one might be brought to in the fight for freedom. But most revealing is when individuals share the moment when they began to empathize with the other side. Once the perspectives of both the Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian fighters are established, DISTURBING THE PEACE follows their journey as they confess their change of heart, make contact with one another, form an alliance under the banner of Combatants for Peace, and begin to publicly advocate for a nonviolent end to the occupation and peace between Israel and Palestine.
    [Show full text]
  • ISRAELIS and PALESTINIANS in DIALOGUE Hanan Schlesinger and Ali Abu Awwad
    ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS IN DIALOGUE Hanan Schlesinger and Ali Abu Awwad: “Seeing the Humanity in Your Enemy” Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 7:30 pm in Macmillan 117 Hanan Schlesinger is an Orthodox rabbi and a resident of the West Bank. He serves as the Director of International Relations of Roots/Shorashim/Judur, a local Israeli Palestinian initiative for understanding, nonviolence, and transformation. Ali Abu Awwad is a leading Palestinian activist and Co-Director of Roots/Shorashim, Judur. He teaches his fellow Palestinians non-violent resistance and reaches out to Jewish Israelis at the heart of the conflict. He tours the world to tell his riveting story of the personal impact of violence, imprisonment, bereavement, and discovery of the path of non-violent resistance. Roots/Shorashim/Judur is an initiative led by a joint Palestinian and Israeli committee based in the West Bank. The initiative works within the communities at the heart of the conflict shifting hatred and suspicion towards trust, empathy, and mutual support. Through their projects and workshops they endeavor to lay the groundwork for a reality in which future agreements between Israelis and Palestinians can be built. In just two years of rapid growth their work has reached nearly 10,000 people. http://www.friendsofroots.net/index.html Sami Adwan and Shifra Sagy: “The Search for Mutual Understanding” Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 7:30 pm in Smith-Buonanno 106 Professor Sami Adwan has served on the faculty of Bethlehem University. He is the Director of Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME), which has pioneered an educational model that enables both Palestinian and Israeli educators to create school history curricula that include both historical narratives in a single textbook http://www.vispo.com/PRIME/.
    [Show full text]
  • Rosh Hashanah
    the September 2018—Elul 5778/Tishrei 5779 Volume XXXI Number 7 “All of us - old, September Office Closures: young, married, September 3 – Labor Day September 10 – Rosh Hashanah single, gay, straight September 11 – Rosh Hashanah - a diverse group September 18 – Closed at Noon Days of Awe at Congregation Shomrei Torah in many ways, are September 19 – Yom Kippur This month, we gather together in sacred community to usher September 24 - Sukkot in the New Year. All of us - old, young, married, single, gay, joined together by straight - a diverse group in many ways, are joined together by our connection to Jewish heritage and our more universal our connection to longing for health, happiness and peace in the New Year. Jewish heritage... Again this year, all services will be in our home at 2600 Ben- nett Valley Road. Parking is limited so please consider carpooling. Please note that there will be no parking at Waterfall Towers this year. All overflow parking will be at Rite Aid, around the corner from our parking lot. STaRS Opening Day Check your mail for your High Holy Day packet, complete all of the appropriate forms Sunday, September 23 at 9:00 AM and send them back to the office as soon as possible. A schedule of services can be viewed on the inside cover of this issue or at www.shomreitorah.org/high-holy-days. K-7th graders register now for the 2018-2019 school year. Registration will take less than 5 minutes per Solidarity Shabbat with Free Dinner student. A deposit of $200 per student is due at the time of registration.
    [Show full text]