hree women who have lived through the hard reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will share their varied experiences and their unified hope for peace in a free presentation on March 29.
Called “Jerusalem Women Speak,” the talk offers people a chance to hear a personal side of this long-lasting struggle from women who have had their lives shaped by the conflict.
“The conflict in the Middle-East is important for so many reasons, from a religious, political and human-rights perspective,” said G-CRO member Erin Burns. “People need to be educated about these issues, especially in light of the upcoming election.”
The three women come from diverse backgrounds, though all from the same city. Nahla Assali is a Palestinian Muslim and chair of Project Loving Care, a child sponsorship program. Nuha Khoury is a Palestinian Christian and Deputy Director of the Dar al-Kalima Academy in Jerusalem. She is actively involved with Checkpoint Watch, a women’s human rights monitoring group. Michal Sagi is an Israeli Jew.
Each woman has a unique story, but all believe in the necessity of peace.
“We hope people take away an understanding of the people behind the statistics and news bytes, an appreciation for the complexity of the issue, and a bursting of stereotypes,” said director of the Friends Center Max Carter. “The sponsors of the event hope that hearing from (people) who have lived the conflict and continue to strive for reconciliation will help inform and inspire.”
The tour is sponsored by Partners for Peace, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to bring about a lasting peace for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This is their seventh Jerusalem Women Speak tour throughout the United States since 1998.
“The Jerusalem Women Speak tours were designed from the very beginning to bring the voices of women from the Jerusalem area and from the two national communities and three religious groups directly to Americans in their own home towns,” says Partners for Peace.
The event will take place at 7:30pm on March 29 in the Founders Gallery . It is co-sponsored by the Greensboro Peace Coalition, campus ministry, G-CRO and the Peace and Conflict Ctudies department.
For more information, contact Max Carter at 316-2445 or [email protected].