Israeli, Palestinian Teens Join ‘Disturbing the Peace’ Director for Screening, Community Discussion
Fifty years ago, in a series of lightening maneuvers, the Israeli Defense Force defeated Egypt, Syria and Jordan and seized East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. The 1967 Six Day War was brief, but the ensuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the resistance to it have since shaped the moral and political issues confronting both societies and thwarted attempts to resolve this knotty conflict.
On Thursday, July 27, at 6:00 PM, 118 Elliot, co-sponsored by Jerusalem Peacebuilders (JPB) and the Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC), will host a unique evening of film and dialogue bringing together Vermonters, Israelis and Palestinians to explore and develop their understanding of these issues.
On July 27, 118 Elliot, Jerusalem Peacebuilders and the Windham World Affairs Council will host a screening of ‘Disturbing the Peace’ and a dialogue with Vermonters, Israelis and Palestinians.
The evening begins with film director and producer Stephen Apkon presenting his acclaimed film “Disturbing the Peace” (2016, 87 minutes) which artfully plumbs the painful realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the personal challenges of former combatants working together to end the violence. The screening of this compelling film will be followed by small group discussions led by teams of Israeli and Palestinian teens who are in Brattleboro as part of JPB’s annual interfaith leadership program. Adding to the event, 50 Iraqi teens from the School For International Training (SIT) Young Iraqi Leadership Exchange Program plan to watch the film and share their views.
Founded in 2011 by two Brattleboro residents, the Rev. Nicholas and Dorothy Porter, Jerusalem Peacebuilders is an interfaith non-profit organization with the mission of creating a better future for humanity across religions, cultures, and nationalities. Its programs focus on uniting Israeli, Palestinian and American youth and adults and providing them with the opportunities and skills they need to become future leaders for peace in the global community.
Porter said, “JPB is excited about this local event at 118 Elliot. These 16 teens were selected from dozens of applicants from schools and youth programs in Jerusalem, central Israel and the Galilee. Leading the post-film discussions helps the teens to develop peacebuilding skills and resiliency as they prepare to return to their home communities and become agents for peace.”
Celebrated Director/Producer/Writer Stephen Apkon is “one of the leading visualists and educators of the day,” Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme has said.
Apkon wrote the acclaimed The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens (with a foreword by Martin Scorsese) and founded the renowned Jacob Burns Film Center, a non-profit film and education organization in Pleasantville, NY.
“It is a real privilege to have Jerusalem Peacebuilders offer the community a chance to dialogue with these teens at 118 Elliot. They are the world’s hope for a solution to a problem that has destabilized the region and hamstrung the United Nations for half a century,” said Lissa Weinmann, co-director of 118 Elliot and WWAC board member who leads United Nations programming for area high school students.
Eshagh Shaoul, WWAC Chair, believes that “Peace between nations, peace between religions and peoples is the only way forward. Showing this film and discussing it with Israelis and Palestinians advances peace and understanding both here in Brattleboro and in a region close to the hearts of many.” Shaoul and the WWAC board unanimously agreed to co-sponsor this community learning and dialogue event along with Jerusalem Peacebuilders.
This is a FREE event, but space is limited. To be guaranteed a seat, please register by e-mailing windhamworldaffairscouncil@gmail.com and arriving 10 minutes prior to the event.
See www.windhamworldaffairscouncil.org and www.jerusalempeacebuilders.org for more details about this unique opportunity to meet young Israeli and Palestinian leaders and to explore one of the most important and evocative international issues of our time.