October 23-24, 2009
“Building Peace through Faith & Dialogue”
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” Matthew 5:9
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
The HCEF conference will address faith and dialogue for peace and justice from a Christian perspective, as well as from the perspectives of Muslims and Jews. It will also continue to focus on the HCEF mission in support of the Christians of the Holy Land by strengthening bonds of solidarity between them and Christians elsewhere and by developing programs that provide spiritual, moral, and financial support to replace despair with hope, fear with security, and humiliation with human dignity.
| 8:00-8:30am | Registration, Refreshments, Exhibits Open | |
| 8:30-9:10am | Opening Prayer: Father George Rados, Pastor, Sts. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church | |
| Welcoming Remarks: Dr. Hugh Dempsey, COO,The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center | ||
| Introduction to the 11th International Conference | ||
| Moderators: | ||
| Dr. Saliba Sarsar, Secretary, HCEF Board of Directors, HCEF Conference Co-chair Professor of Political Science & Associate Vice President Monmouth University, NJ Hanna Hanania, D.D.S., HCEF Board of Director |
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| Opening Remarks: Sir Rateb Y. Rabie, KCHS, HCEF President/CEO |
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| 9:10 -10:20am | Panel: “Is there Hope for the Two-State Solution?” Jewish and Arab Perspectives on Peace in the Holy Land – Hope is a foundational impulse in human affairs. It is a prerequisite for confronting and solving conflicts among peoples and nations. Without hope, the alternatives are bleak. In this spirit the panel will discuss current developments in Israel and Palestine. |
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Moderator: |
Hussein Ibish, Ph.D. Senior Fellow, American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) |
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| Speakers: |
James Zogby, Ph.D., President, Arab American Institute, (AAI) Washington, DC. Paul L. Scham, J.D. , Visiting Assistant Professor , University of Maryland & Executive Director, Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies |
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| 10: 20 – 10:50am |
The Mother Church Needs Us: The Importance of Supporting the Mother Church to Promote Christians’ Well-being and Peace in the Holy Land |
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| Moderator: |
Carolyn Gochenour, Co-chair, NPC Middle East Mission Network/Committee |
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| Speaker: | Rev. Dr. Craig Barnes—Senior Pastor, Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA | |
| 10:50 – 11:00am | Break | |
| 11:00 – 12:15pm |
Panel: “Religious Faith as a Path to Peace” – A basic tenet of all three Abrahamic faiths is that human life is sacred and that God is proactive, blessing the peacemakers. The panelists will focus on how faith in God can be more effective in resolving conflicts, healing divisions and banishing hate.
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| Moderator: |
Father Dennis McManus, Assistant Director, JPIICC Intercultural Forum, Senior Consultant, USCCB, Washington, DC |
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| Speakers: |
Bishop Richard Graham, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Metropolitan Washington Synod Imam Yahya Hendi, Muslim Chaplain, Georgetown University Mark Braverman, Ph.D., Executive Director, Holy Land Education and Peace Building Project |
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| 12:15 -1:00pm | Lunch | |
| 1:00 – 1:50pm |
Keynote Speaker: His Eminence John Cardinal Foley, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, (Vatican) will share with conference participants the challenging situation in which the Christians find themselves as they struggle to remain in the Holy Land, and how, like HCEF, the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre is committed to maintaining a vibrant Christian presence in the Holy Land. |
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| 1:50 – 2:10pm |
Visual Presentation: HCEF Preserving the Christian Presence and Building Human Security and Hope in the Holy Land |
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| 2:10 – 3:40pm |
Concurrent Workshops on the Holy Land Issues 1. Human Security in the Holy Land: Health, Education, and Economic Well-being – This workshop will examine aspects of human security with a special focus on: (1) The Interfaith Health Initiative for the Holy Land as an important way to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of resources needed for ensuring a viable heath care system, (2) education and training for lifelong learning and capacity building, and (3) tourism for generating employment and income, in addition to promoting the rich cultural and religious heritage of the Holy Land.
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Moderator: |
Patty Parma, M.A., L.P.C., Member, HCEF Board of Directors Counselor / Associate Professor of Student Development |
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| Speakers: |
Robert A. Destro, Director, The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Interdisciplinary Program in Law & Religion and Co-Chair of the Interfaith Cooperation Health Initiative for the Holy Land (IFHI). Additional speakers will join us! |
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2. Media for Dialogue and Peace Knowledge can be an instrument for either wholeness or exclusion. What we do to promote accuracy in reporting and empathy will bring us closer to “the other” and enable us to work together in support of a just vision, dialogue, and peace. This workshop will examine the role that the media plays in advancing accurate coverage and analysis of events in Palestine/Israel and shed light on our individual and collective responsibility in sharing information and knowledge about the Holy Land. |
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| Moderator: |
Saliba Sarsar, Secretary, Ph.D.,HCEF Board of Directors |
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| Speakers: |
Fr. Drew Christiansen, S.J., Ph.D., HCEF Co-Founder, Advisory Board; Editor in Chief, America Magazine Ronit Avni, Executive Director/Founder, Just Vision & Director/Producer/Executive Producer, Encounter Point Mohamed Elshinnawi, Voice of America, Washington, DC |
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| 3:40 – 4:00pm | Break | |
| 4:00 – 5:00pm |
Three Women from Jerusalem – Christian, Muslim, Jewish- in Dialogue and Peace – Sponsored by Partners for Peace – Three women will share their personal and very poignant experiences. The panelists will shed light on the terrible continuing human toll of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Their perspective, as mothers, wives and daughters who have personally endured much tragedy and loss, is deeply moving. |
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| Moderator: |
Judith Mendelsohn Rood, Ph.D. Professor of History & Middle Eastern Studies, BIOLA University, La Mirada, CA. |
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| Speakers: |
Hekmat Besisso-Naji, A Muslim Palestinian, originally from Gaza, Palestine Jala Basil Andoni, A Christian Palestinian, living in Beit Sahour, Palestine Ruth El-Raz, A Jewish Woman, from Israel |
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| 5:00 pm | Closing Remarks & Prayer: |
Pastor Roy J. Enquist, Ph.D., Lutheran Theological. |
*** Speakers and viewpoints expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, but are intended solely for the purpose of providing a forum for balanced dialogue.