Lake Erie Yearly Meeting 6/09

Bluffton, Ohio

Israel-Palestine Workshops and Mideast Peace Plenary

Plenary: Peacemaking Lessons from Quaker Work in the Midwest and the Middle East, Max Carter

Workshop: Dueling Narratives: Navigating the Differing Stories in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict and Looking for a Just Peace: Max Carter

Max Carter's plenary compares Friends' Mideast peacemaking efforts with their work 200 years ago in Ohio, with the Shawnee and other native inhabitants. Max's work in the Middle East spans 35 years, commencing with service in Ramallah Friends Schools as a C.O. during the Vietnam War. With his wife Jane, Max leads regular work-study trips to Israel/Palestine. He is a member of New Garden Friends Meeting in Greensboro, NC (FUM) and Director of the Friends Center at Guilford College.

Workshop: A Friend's Experience Assisting with the Olive Harvest in Israel/Palestine: Catherine Deyo, Grand Rapids Friends Meeting

Catherine shares stories of the people she met and insights she developed during two visits to Israel/Palestine, where she witnessed the effect of the occupation and met a diverse array of Palestinians and Israelis working for peace. She recently participated in the annual olive harvest near Bethlehem.