The tenth annual Tree of Life Conference on Israel and Palestine will take place on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, in Old Lyme, CT, at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme (FCCOL). Special emphasis this year will be on the children of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as children of warriors, and as tomorrow’s leaders and shapers.
Open to the public, the interfaith forum is organized by the Tree of Life Educational Fund (TOLEF) and supported by organizations and individuals committed to peace and justice.
In announcing the Conference, the Rev. David W. Good, Chairperson, TOLEF, and Minister Emeritus of the FCCOL, commented, “Both Palestinian and Israeli children are growing up assuming that the world is not safe, that violence is a way of life, that some lives are more valuable than others. As we are citizens of the world, they are children of the world, our children, whose safety, well-being and journeys into adulthood must concern us. This year’s Conference speakers will address those deep concerns.”
Opening concert, bazaar, exhibition and reception – Saturday, Oct. 18 – 6:30 p.m.
The Conference opens on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 p.m., with a bazaar featuring Palestinian crafts and olive oil, along with books and publications dealing with issues that will be addressed in the Sunday speaker program. A concert featuring Palestinian musicians Tamer Al-Sahouri on the oud, singer Nadine Shomali, and percussionist Alber Basil – along with members of the Lyme-based Silver Hammer Band – will be the evening’s main event. Following the concert, attendees will be welcomed at a reception featuring an exhibition of Palestinian children’s drawings from Gaza, and photographs by Robert Shook taken on his recent travels in the West Bank.
Speaker program – Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m.
The pressing question, “What will become of our children?” will be addressed on Sunday, Oct. 19, by speakers whose tireless efforts reflect their championship of a world free of prejudice and hatred.
Uri Gopher, an Israeli working to promote Arab-Palestinian-Jewish relations, will describe his work as executive director of Hagar, a non-profit organization in Be’er Sheva that runs a bi-lingual Arab-Jewish school there – recognizing that education is a springboard for social change and peaceful coexistence.
Ivan Karakashian, Advocacy Unit Coordinator at Defense for Children International-Palestine, will detail his efforts to defend and promote the rights of children living under Israeli military occupation.
Barbara Lubin, lifelong peace activist and Founder and Executive Director of the Middle East Children’s Alliance, will talk about the impact of Middle East politics on children in the region, with special emphasis on the plight of children in war-torn Gaza.
Sahar Vardi, coordinator of the Israel program for the American Friends Service Committee, and peace advocate since childhood, will describe her opposition to the militarization of Israeli society, her refusal to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces and resultant imprisonment.
Danielle Yaor, an active member of Shministim, an organization of young Israelis who refuse compulsory service in the Israeli military, will present the open letter the group sent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year.
Following the speaker program, a Middle Eastern dinner sponsored by the Islamic Center of New London and the Connecticut Council on American-Islamic Relations will be served.
The art/photography exhibit and the bazaar featuring Palestinian crafts and olive oil, books and information that opened on Saturday evening will be open on Sunday as well, and musical interludes on Sunday will be provided by the Palestinian performers featured in the Saturday program.
Admission, reservations, information
Both Saturday and Sunday programs are open to the public. Admission: $10 per person on Saturday; $35 per person on Sunday. Students and attendees under age 21 admitted free to the Sunday program. Advance registration and sponsorship commitments may be made online at www.tolef.org, or through the FCCOL office at 860-434-8686. The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme is located at the intersection of Ferry Road and Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.
Editor’s Note: The Tree of Life Educational Fund (TOLEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that strives to provide cross-cultural and transnational travel experiences, interfaith conferences and educational opportunities, helping participants to become more enlightened and engaged in make this a more just and peaceful world. Established by the FCCOL in 2002, TOLEF today operates independently. TOLEF is joined in partnership with Friends of Sabeel-North America (www.fosna.org) and Kairos USA (www.kairosusa.org) in support of the Conference. This year’s Conference speakers and musicians will also be appearing in TOLEF programs at several other locations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New York.
Treat children of all ages to family-friendly Halloween fun with Eastern CT Ballet’s “Ballet Spooktacular,” at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, “The Kate,” in Old Saybrook. Special effects and bewitching costumes set the stage for spirited performances of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Dancing Bones, and Halloween Waltz.
In honor of the Lyme Art Association’s (LAA) 100