Brit Tzedek v'Shalom

Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2005

Brit Tzedek National Conference Tackles Today’s Most Controversial Issues

At the Brit Tzedek v’Shalom conference many of the current hot-button issues regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be addressed, including debate and dissent on campus, divestment and the security barrier. Brit Tzedek’s 3 rd national conference – From Gaza to Negotiations: The Role of American Jews – will take place February 19-21, 2005, in New York City. There participants will have an opportunity to hear distinguished speakers on these controversial subjects and many others.

The conference will take place at Temple Israel of the City of New York at 112 East 75 th Street (between Park and Lexington) and will begin on Saturday night, February 19 th at 8:00 pm. For a complete schedule for the conference, including descriptions of the over 40 workshops that will be offered, go to www.btvshalom.org .

“We are not hesitating to take on even the most controversial issues facing our community today,” said Brit Tzedek Vice President Diane Balser. “Brit Tzedek is committed to expand and elevate the level of discussion of the conflict in the American Jewish community.”

The keynote speakers will be Yasser Abed Rabbo and Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, architects of the Geneva Accord, which provides a model for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with a two-state solution.

In addition to the keynote addresses, however, will be workshops led by presenters such as Susannah Heschel and Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller (conflicts); Eric Alterman, Miriam Felton-Dansky and Alisa Solomon (media coverage); and Jennifer Butler, Ethan Felson, Steve Masters and Sara Norman (divestment). Other leading scholars and activists will present workshops that will cover everything from strategizing for peace, to the security barrier.

Brit Tzedek v'Shalom, the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, is a national organization of American Jews deeply committed to Israel's well being through the achievement of a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Brit Tzedek has a network of 24,000 members and supporters and 30 chapters in cities across the country. To learn more, go to: www.btvshalom.org