Breaking the Barriers to a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine is a conference about barriers: physical, economic, political, ideological, informational, and legal. It’s about barriers that hinder peace, and in particular, to peace in the Holy Land. It’s about discovering what barriers exist, what are the consequences of those barriers, who is challenging them to remove them, and what else can be done.

Many barriers help us to avoid critical thinking. Listening to our politicians and media can lull us into believing sound bites without challenging us to dig deeper, to find another story, to find truth. Have you said or heard others say - “They have been fighting there for millennia - this is nothing new” “Israel needs security from Palestinians” “Palestinians are terrorists” “A land without people for a people without a land” “The Palestinians don’t want peace” “Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East” “The issue is about religion” Believing these sound bites is easy and affords us the luxury of believing what we think. It is a luxury that lets us look away, not care.

But - why bother about Palestine? Why not pay attention to the myriad other regions in need?

First - social justice is an equal opportunity issue, and people of all races, creeds, age and gender deserve healthy lives and freedom from oppression. Learning about and supporting Palestine does not obviate one from helping others.

Second - The region is at the heart of American government, politics, foreign policy, and domestic policy. When a political leader visits a joint session of congress and receives more bi-partisan standing ovations than the US President, the situation is significant and demands we understand what is truly going on. Why would our own representatives and senators be so devoted to another country’s leader? Who is paying for such devotion? Who controls our government officials?

Third - it is a human rights issue. Oppression needs to be ended everywhere.

This conference offers an educational experience not to be missed. It promises to enlighten with energy and fun.