March 5 - 19, 2005

 

Interfaith Peace-Builders Delegation
arrives in Israel-Palestine

March 8, 2005

The Fellowship of Reconciliation is pleased to report that its Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation crossed the Allenby Bridge from Jordan without incident early this morning and is safely in Jerusalem.

Eleven U.S. citizens and a Canadian from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds departed on Sunday, March 6 for two weeks in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine as part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation’s 14th Interfaith Peace-Builders delegation. The delegation is led by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb.

During their stay in the region, delegates are scheduled to meet with peace and human rights organizations, humanitarian assistance workers, artists and actors, community and religious leaders, suicide bombing victims, refugees, settlers, and government representatives from across the political spectrum. The purpose of their visit is to gain deeper insight into the issues surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, to examine the effects of United States foreign policy in the region, and to support the Israelis, Palestinians, and others who are working for a nonviolent and just peace.

The delegation includes the following people:

  • Hector Aristizabal, a psychotherapist and actor originally from Colombia, now living in Pasadena, CA
  • Debbie Blane, a Presbyterian minister from Sammanish, WA
  • Claudia Esslinger, an Art professor at Kenyon College, Gambier, OH
  • Jack Esslinger, a carpenter and builder from Gambier, OH
  • Lynn Gottlieb, a rabbi and director of Interfaith Inventions, Inc in Oxnard, CA
  • Ann Marie Johnson, recently moved to Phoenix, AZ
  • Gary Percesepe, the coordinating director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship
  • Lynn Pollack, a writer from Evanston, IL
  • Phil Randall, a childcare provider and coordinator of a local Amnesty International chapter in Bend, OR
  • Esther Sleep, a retired librarian from Burlington, Ontario
  • Jennifer Troobnick, a project manager at a negotiations firm and a graduate student in psychoanalysis in Winchester, MA
  • Bill Wolski, an engineering consultant from Tonawanda, NY

Upon their return to the United States on March 19, delegates will share their experiences with the public, the media, and their political representatives. Media interested in interviewing the participants when they return, and groups wanting information about speaking engagements, should contact one of the people listed below.

The delegates will be sending back regular reports during their trip, which we will forward to our email network and post on the FOR website. If you are not part of our email network and wish to receive delegation reports and updates on the work of FOR’s Interfaith Peace-Builders Program, please email middleeast@forusa.org or phone us at 202-244-0821.