OUR PAST PRESENTATIONS

2008

* a showing of the film “Bridge over the Wadi,” about a school in Israel with a Jewish-Arab student body, a Jewish and an Arab teacher in each classroom, and an outcome whereby graduating students are fluent in both Hebrew and Arabic ( ;

* a showing of the 2006 films from Peace it Together;

* an evening of storytelling with enchanting storyteller Naomi Steinberg (

* a showing of the new short films (2008) from Peace it Together; and

* a playing of the video game “PeaceMaker” () with audience participation, facilitated by high school teacher Dave Chang.

2009

* the Olive Tree Circus, with Sara Jennings: a circus troupe which produced skits with local meaning on the West Bank

* the Peace Quilt Project, with Elizabeth Shefrin: quilts to give voice to Palestinian teens

* the Compassionate Listening Project, with Bonnie and Michael Klein and Maggy Kaplan: a dramatic presentation of their time in Israel and Palestine in November 2009 ()

* PlaygroundBuilders, an organization which—surprise!—builds playgrounds in war-affected areas ()

* Daniel Barenboim, Edward Said, and the West-East Divan Orchestra (via DVD): an orchestra made up of Israeli young folk and their peers from a number of Arab countries

* Debbie Vanden Dungen, lecturing on “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: why?”

* The Terra Sancta Education Trust:
education for girls of the Holy Land's Christian minority
Speaker: Dr Jordan Lancaster

In 1219, during the Crusades, Francis of Assisi travelled to the Holy Land to meet the Sultan in order to seek peace between Muslims and Christians. This prophetic gesture of love and respect is the inspiration for the work of the Terra Sancta Trust, which supports education and the relief of poverty among families of the Holy Land's Christian minority, and which also promotes respect and dialogue between the Abrahamic faith-communities of the region.

Jordan Lancaster holds a Ph.D. in Italian from the University of Toronto. She taught in Canada and the US before moving to Naples where she did a post-doc at the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Storici. She now works as a translator/interpreter in London.

2010

PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: What Happens When Two Entire Peoples are Traumatized?
Presenter: Jennifer Shifrin, Registered Clinical Counsellor

Trauma can occur when one’s life or physical well-being are threatened. The Israelis and the Palestinians, two traumatized peoples, continue to inflict brutal trauma upon each other.

In this presentation, we will discuss the physiological, emotional, cognitive and behavioural effects of trauma. We’ll also explore the wide range of emotions that inhabit the complex landscape of trauma (i.e. terror, powerlessness, revenge) and the actions born of them.

About the presenter: Jennifer Shifrin lived in Israel for 15 years and started her training at Tel Aviv Medical School (Treatment of Communication Disorders). At age 27 she moved to Canada and completed her studies in counselling. She has been working as a psychotherapist with traumatized people for 25 years in her private practice in Vancouver.