Tree of Life Conference on Israel and Palestine
Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10-11, 2007
South Congregational Church
 The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (from the Revelation of John)
In this ‘Tree of Life Conference’ our focus will be on those who exemplify what it means to be a ‘leaf’ on the sacred Tree of Life – Muslims, Christians and Jews as well as other Citizens of the World who have been tireless in their efforts toward a just and peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. In addition to learning more about this conflict and the impediments to peace, in this conference we also hope to highlight; indeed, we hope to celebrate the goodness of the human spirit; those who by the courage of their convictions have demonstrated what it means to be a person of integrity; those who have been victimized by violence but refuse to engage in enmity; those who despite the harsh realities of the occupation, have exemplified through their songs and their dances the indomitable nature of the human spirit.
We will hear from one who speaks from the moral authority of being a survivor of Auschwitz; one deeply rooted in the Judaism in which he was raised, but also deeply concerned for the injustices of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and resources.
We will hear from a woman born in Greece, educated in the United States, who now lives in the West Bank community of Taybeh. As a member of the Greek Orthodox community, she has been a tireless witness for truth and reconciliation.
We will hear from a young Jewish woman who has recently returned from Nablus and other West Bank communities where she has been a courageous volunteer for the International Women’s Peace Service testifying to the human rights violations she has witnessed.
We will have the privilege of seeing a dance troupe from the Palestinian community of Beit Sahour, neighboring Bethlehem. In their Debbka dances, these young people will offer not only a portrait of their Palestinian culture and the difficulties and
challenges they face, but also in the exuberance of their dance, they will testify to the veracity of the words from an old Shaker hymn:
They cut me down but I leapt up high;
I am the life that’ll never, never die…
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
We will also hear the music of an English folksinger who, based upon his journeys in Israel and Palestine, has composed magnificent music, a tribute to all those – Israelis and Palestinians – who have been a voice for hope and peace,
truth and reconciliation.
Moving beyond “analysis paralysis”, in this Tree of Life Conference we hope to learn and be inspired by these “leaves on the Tree of Life”, so that we too might take our rightful place on that same Tree, doing do whatever we can “for the healing of the nations.” With the on-going wars in the Middle East, with more and more militancy, belligerence and violence throughout the world, more and more “leaves” are needed on the Tree of Life.
With this conference being held in the season of autumn, the season in which the beauty of the New England forest is seen in all of its glory, we should remember that the most magnificent of all trees is The Tree of Life. All of our cultures, all of our sacred traditions are branches on the same tree, all in a state of mutual interdependence, all drawing life and sustenance from the goodness of the earth.
565 Main Street, Centerville MA 02632
508-775-8332 sochurch@comcast.net
Tree of Life Conference Schedule
Sat., Nov. 10: A Middle East Festival of Music & Dance
7:00 – 9:00p.m. Martin John Nicholls and the Al- Ghad Folklore Dancing Group of Beit Sahour in the West Bank perform live.
Sunday, Nov. 11 Conference
10:00a.m. Worship - Our church service will include our guests and is open to the public
1:00 -1:30 Registration
1:30 -1:40 Welcome - Rev. Catherine Alder
Moderator’s Opening
Remarks - Lou Maloof
Song by Martin John Nicholls
1:40 -2:20 “An AmericanWitness in Palestine” - Anna Baltzer
2:20 -2:35 Discussion
2:35 -3:15 “Witness in the Holy Land” - Dr. Maria Khoury
3:15 -3:30 Discussion
3:30 -4:00 “Constructing Peace by Rebuilding Destroyed Palestinian Homes” - Dr. Hassan Fouda
4:00-4:15 Discussion
4:15 -4:20 Musical Meditation - Martin John Nicholls
4:20 -4:35 Break
4:35-5:00 “The Israeli Occupation: How It Is A Violation of The Judaism I Love and In Which I Was Educated” - Dr. Hajo Meyer
5:00-5:05 Cello Solo by Pastor Christian Holleck in honor of Hajo Meyer and in memory for all those who have died in this conflict.
5:05-5:20 Seeking Hope: What can we do?
5: 20 -5:30 Short break
5: 30-6:00 Al-Ghad Folklore Dancers
interpret daily life and culture for Palestinians
6:00 Closing InterfaithWorship
6:15 Farewell Reception
Click here for a printable Tree of Life Conference Registration Form
Presenters for the Tree of Life Conference 2007
Al-Ghad Folklore Dancing Group of Beit Sahour: These Palestinian young people will share their culture and their frustrations from living under the Israeli occupation through their “Debbka” dances. They all come from the city of Beit
Sahour in the West Bank. “Beit Sahour” – which means “Place of Vigilance” – is a small community near Bethlehem
that prides itself on being the descendants of the shepherds who witnessed the birth of Jesus and heard the angelic vision
of “Peace on Earth. Good will to all.” Their wonderfully exuberant dances will show their hopes and dreams for the
future.
Dr. Maria Khoury, the author of Witness in the Holy Land, is a Harvard University graduate who lives in Taybeh outside the Holy City of Jerusalem. Dr. Khoury will share her personal experience of living under military occupation with her husband and three children. Dr. Khoury is a volunteer for the St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Taybeh, Palestine, helping to raise support for a housing project for families in need. She is currently helping to establish a Palestinian Art Academy in Ramallah. Maria is the author of a number of children’s books explaining Greek Orthodox traditions and values.
Anna Baltzer is a 27-year-old Jewish American Columbia graduate, Fulbright scholar and the granddaughter of
Holocaust survivors. She is a three-time volunteer with the International Women’s Peace Service, where she
documented human rights abuses in the West Bank and supported the nonviolent movement against the Occupation.
She has spent most of the past few years in Palestine or on tour with her book, Witness In Palestine: A Jewish American
Woman in the Occupied Territories.
Dr.Hajo G. Meyer was born in 1924 in Bielefeld, Germany.
In 1939, when Hajo was only 14 years old, he fled alone to Holland. He entered Wieringen, a refugee camp. In April of
1943, he was forced to go underground and was caught by the Gestapo in March of 1944. He survived 10 months in
Auschwitz. After the war, he got his Ph.D. in physics, and was employed as Lab Manager of Philips Research
Laboratories in Eindhoven. After his career at the lab, Hajo created over fifty violins and violas of which most were sold to professional musicians. Hajo now works as a publicist and writer of essays.
Martin John Nicholls is a prolific songwriter, recording artist, accomplished performer and musician from Exmouth,
England.His songs are drawn from his own personal, painful experience of working in some of the poorest communities in
the world with Christian Aid. He has 7 albums to his credit, including “Beyond Belief” which reflects his recent
experiences and encounters in Israel and Palestine. He has edited and published a new book of powerful songs for
churches called Hunger for Justice. His rich, warm voice and acoustic guitar skills unveil the truth about the world as it is,
and Martin’s vision of how it could be. He sings his deeply held faith and total respect for the sanctity and fragility of
every human life.
Dr. Hassan Fouda currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Israeli Committee Against House
Demolition. He was the Connecticut Chair of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Right to Return Coalition.
Hassan has been a Corporator of the Hartford Seminary and is active in several peace advocacy groups including the
Council for the National Interest, If Americans Knew, and the Connecticut group, We Refuse to be Enemies (Jews, Moslems and Christians in Coalition for Peace). In 2006, Dr. Fouda was a member of a delegation from the Council for the National Interest who were international observers to the recent Palestinian elections. That delegation included two
former U.S. ambassadors, and met with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, President Emile Lahoud of Lebanon, Amr
Mousa, Secretary General of the Arab League, and other officials, Islamist and other opposition leaders and opinion
makers in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine-Israel.
Endorsed by the Commission for Mission & Justice of the Massachusetts Conference UCC.
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