August 1-13, 2005

Interfaith Peace-Builder Delegation
arrives in Israel-Palestine

August 2, 2005

The Redemption Community is pleased to announce that a delegation of 13 interfaith peacekeepers landed at Ben Gurion Airport early on Monday morning and is now safely in Jerusalem. On the way to Tel Aviv, the delegates took a break from their trip to Amsterdam and took the opportunity to visit the Anne Frank house there.

Eleven US citizens and two Canadians from different religious and ethnic groups went to Israel and Palestine for two weeks on Sunday, July 31, 2005 as part of an interfaith delegation 16. building peace. The delegation is headed by Scott Kennedy and Kendra Froshman.

During their stay in the region, the delegates are expected to meet with peace and human rights organizations, humanitarian workers, community and religious leaders, refugees, settlers and representatives of the entire political spectrum. The purpose of their visit is to gain a deeper understanding of the problems related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, to study the impact of US foreign policy in the region and to support Israelis, Palestinians and others who work for a peaceful, nonviolent and just peace.

The delegation should consist of the following persons:

Tom Ellis, a math teacher from Albany, New York.

Sister Mary Ellen Francoeur, a psychologist from Ottawa, Ontario.

Kendra Froshman, current assistant to the Interfaith Peacemakers Program in Washington, DC.

Jean Gregory, a teacher from Oakland, California.

Khadija Khaffaji, retired teacher from Ottawa, Ontario

Sanam Georgani, a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Scott Kennedy, Middle East Coordinator at the Nonviolence Resource Center in Santa Cruz, California

Carolina Martinez, a teacher from Santa Cruz, California.

Dan Onorato, a teacher from Modesto, California

Sarah Todd, administrative assistant from Louisville, Kentucky.

David Verlin, a union organizer from Santa Cruz, California.

Shalva Wise, a recent graduate of Ohio State University and a future assistant in the Interfaith Peacemakers program.

Laura Zucker, a teacher from Santa Cruz, California.

After returning to the United States in the third week of August, delegates will share their experiences with the public, the media and political representatives. Media interested in conducting interviews with participants after their return, and groups wishing to receive information about the performances, should contact one of the persons listed below.

Delegates will regularly send reports during the trip, which we will send to our email and publish on the for website. If you are not part of our email network and would like to receive delegation reports and updates on the work of the Interfaith Program for Peace Builders, please send an email middleeast@forusa.org or call us at 202-244-0821.