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WINTER 2010
A newsletter of the
Fellowship of Reconciliation Volume 2010 Summer Edition
Building a Culture of Peace By Paul R. Dekar
Inside This Issue NC Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 News from Shadowcliff . . . . . 2, 12-13 2010 Peace Awards . . . . . . . 3, 8-9 TFLAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Iran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Youth & Militarism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 National Council. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Our Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 In Memoriam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Printed copies of Witness are available for mailing. Please contact development@forusa.org.
Fellowship of Reconciliation 521 N. Broadway, P.O. Box 271 Nyack, NY 10960 Telephone: 845.358.4601 Fax: 845.358.4924 Web site: www.forusa.org Blog: www.FORpeace.net e-mail: for@forusa.org
I understand the Fellowship of Reconciliation to be a grassroots movement of people who imagine and work actively to build a culture of peace rooted in justice. A culture of peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior, and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes and by solving problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups, and nations. The phrase has been widely used since 2000, which the United Nations designated the “International Year for the Culture of Peace.” A number of Nobel Peace Prize laureates helped shape the goals of the decade. The principal elements are: 1. Respect all life 2. Reject violence 3. Share with others 4. Listen to understand 5. Preserve the planet 6. Rediscover solidarity Anticipating the “Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence” (2001-2010), Richard Deats wrote, “If this Decade reaches its potential it will be because enough people and groups took it seriously and developed creative programs and initiatives all across the globe. Even while we continue to oppose US bombings in Yugoslavia and Iraq and work for a peaceful society at home, we need to promote this great vision of nonviolence. Our steadfast work to uphold this ideal will surely one day bear fruit.” (Fellowship May/June 1999, p. 3) On September 20, 2000, designated as the “International Day for Peace,” I organized a time of prayer in Memphis, Tennessee. With words shared by colleagues elsewhere, I asked participants to imagine peace, as follows: “Imagine being peace. Imagine being peaceful as a member of nurturing families
where feelings are shared honestly, anger can be expressed safely, and everyone works at solving problems peacefully; of places of worship in which conflict is understood to be a natural and normal opportunity to search together for resourceful solutions; of schools where no one bullies anyone and everyone feels safe; of communities which respond to crime by working to find ways creatively and appropriately to restore what has been damaged or destroyed; of nations in which everyone has enough; of societies in which it has become second nature to consider the impact our lifestyles and decisions will have on the earth. Imagine living in a world in which all people are respected and loved and all realize their identity as children of God. Imagine being part of a culture of peace.” Sadly, events on September 11, 2001 ensured that others marched to a different drumbeat. Violence has been tragically a dominant feature of the first decade of a new millennium. Nonetheless, members of FOR and our affiliates around the world, as well as many who might not think of their peaceful and cooperative life ways as contributing to building a culture of peace, have seen their steadfast work to uphold the culture of peace ideal bear fruit. FOR members have produced excellent resources. We have facilitated culture of peace events around the United States and culture of peace programs around the world. We have sought to make real in our lives the vision of a movement that has grown over the past hundred years from a relatively inauspicious start to an international movement. Communities around the world, my own included, have created culture of peace networks. By applying the six principles of the U.N. Culture of Peace manifesto in every level of our lives, we can ensure that the next decade allows us to see the vision become ever more real.
WATCH FOR THIS NUMBER: #12436 The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has chosen FOR as one of 27 organizations to participate in its 2010 Peace and Reconciliation Charities Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The 2010 campaign starts this September --
SPREAD THE WORD: When you make your charitable contribution this year, if you are a federal employee, please choose FOR - CFC 12436! http://www.peaceandreconciliation.org. Donations are Tax-Deductible.
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WITNESS
NEWS FROM SHADOWCLIFF
Seamlessness By Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D The boys of Bamiyan in Afghanistan were up early, but not for school on this particular morning. It was 7:30 a.m. in their village but 9:30at night at the Busboys & Poets Café in Washington, D.C. where a group was gathered for a conversation by telephone with the Afghan Youth Volunteer Peace Project participants. The D.C. participants were being sewn into the conversation through Olympia, Washington where an FOR Chapter initiated the program and event at a downtown movie theatre. Shane Claiborne and friends from The Simple Way in Philadelphia were on the call. The other groups that joined the conversation were from Hartford, Connecticut and St. Petersburg, Florida; and I was on my laptop at home in Stony Point, N.Y. We watched clips of interviews and messages from the youth on YouTube, and then paused to ask questions that were answered live. http:// ourjourneytosmile.com/blog/ The program went for two hours, though the conversation has been going on for more than a year and has been woven seamlessly into the fabric of FOR programs locally, nationally and internationally. Doug Mackey, a member of the FOR Olympia Chapter, arranged the global video teleconference. Over a year ago Doug visited a gathering of Christian Peace Witness in Washington, D.C. with Salam Taleb, an Iraqi ex-patriot who had served as a press translator early in the Iraq War, to ask for support of the Iraq Memorial to Life installation, a visual reminder of the tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed in the on-going conflict in Iraq. FOR agreed to become the fiscal sponsor and the project culminated in 5000 markers, names of people from the estimated 100,000 civilian lives lost, displayed on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument. Next to that installation, 5500 markers were set in the ground for U.S. military who had lost their lives as a consequence of the Iraq war. It was a striking installation that drew thousands for quiet reflection on the cost of these wars in the Middle East. http://www.oly-wa.us/iraqmemorial/Home.php Nearly a year ago, Bob Cooke of the Pax Christi Chapter in Baltimore, called to introduce us to Josh Stieber, a young Iraqi War Veteran who became a conscientious objector in the course of service in Iraq. Josh and
friend Connor Cruise walked and bicycled across the United States last summer and fall to look for answers to the question, “If war is not the answer, what is?” We housed Josh at FOR in Nyack as a part of his journey and introduced him to Doug Mackey, whom he later met in Olympia, Washington near the end of his tour. Since then Josh has brought an intelligent, touching, searching presence to the conversation with the Afghan Youth, he has linked in a developing relationship with Combatants for Peace from Israel/Palestine, and he has knit his current internship with Peace Action in Montgomery County into the network. Josh organized the gathering at Busboys and Poets and is helping to plan a national speaking tour of the United States this coming summer with the Afghan Youth. It was the inspiration of Josh Stieber and the long history of conscientious objectors that brought us to the Truth Commission on Selective Conscientious Objection the day after the DC installation of the Iraq Memorial to Life. Rev. Rita Nakashima Brock, former FOR National Council Member, worked through her Faith Voices for the Common Good http://www.faithvoices.org/ to convene the Truth Commission. Eight FOR staff and National Council members attended, three of us as Commissioners, and the rest as observers and participants in the conversation. It was a powerful exchange with conscientious objectors, faith leaders from across the country, doctors and lawyers and academics that will result in proposed legislative expansion of the right to conscientious objection in American Law. http://www.conscienceinwar.org/ It was my proceeding into the sanctuary with Shane Claiborne http://www.thesimpleway.org/ that opened a conversation about the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and led to the Philadelphia site on the video teleconfer-
ence. I shared with Shane that in preparation for the program we had a call between a dozen members of Christian Peace Witness http://christianpeacewitness. org/ and the Afghan Youth in which they asked “Why do American Christians hate us?” It was the kind of question that sends a chill up your spine, brings tears to your eyes, and insists that you engage as a person with the young teen asking that question from Bamiyan. A related question was raised in conversation with Red Juvenal, a youth collective in Colombia that FOR serves with protective accompaniment via FOR Colombia. http:// forcolombia.org/. There young adults are seeking to secure a right to conscientious objection to service in a military which is heavily funded by U.S. foreign military aid and which continues to result in murders by members of the military and paramilitary of pacifists civilians. The FOR-sponsored tour that brought these issues to U.S. college campuses last spring is also a part of the seamless cloak that wraps around communities and members across this country. As I finish this message I have just returned from the Interfaith Understanding Conference at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York where as many as 500 people from more than a dozen faith traditions, including 100 Next Generation interfaith leaders, gathered for three days to explore the values and methods of interfaith dialogue and interfaith action in this deeply pluralist nation, embedded as it is in a world where faith too often seems to rent the world in conflict. The clear message was that when love is understood as the message common to all faiths, it will mend the world. Afghan youth must hear that they are loved; and we should know in our hearts that they love us. It is woven through everything that we do and that we are.
As Witness is now published online, you may have noticed something missing: our donation envelope featuring a photo of Shadowcliff on the back flap! We’re committed to decreasing our impact on the environment by decreasing our use of paper; however, to continue our work for peace and social justice, we hope you’re committed to supporting us! Please take time to make a gift of $50, $100, $250, $500, or more. Checks should be made out and sent to: Fellowship of Reconciliation, P.O. Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960. Occasionally, we acknowledge our donors’ names. If you prefer not to have your name published, please let us know.
SUPPORT FOR
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summer 2010
FOR Announces Peace Prize Winners for 2010: Peace of the Action! Each year the Fellowship of Reconciliation awards an international, a national and a local peace prize to individuals or organizations whose work for to peace, justice, and reconciliation is recognized as a life-long commitment. This year the International Pfeffer Peace Prize established in 1989 to honor those around the world working for peace and nonviolent justice will be awarded to Scott Kennedy. Currently a board member of the Interfaith Peace Builders, and a treasurer of the Refuser Solidarity Network, Kennedy is the cofounder of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, CA, and is coordinator of their Middle East Program. His long and varied contribution to the peace movement includes serving several terms on the National Council of the FOR, establishing the national steering committee of Witness for Peace in Nicaragua, and helping to found the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonviolence in Jerusalem. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Award created in 1979 to recognize unheralded persons or groups working in the United States in the tradition of Dr. King, will be presented this year to Medea Benjamin. Ms. Benjamin is cofounder of both CODEPINK, a women-initiated grassroots peace and justice movement, and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. She has been described as “one of America’s most committed – and effective – fighters for
Drs. Tashi Dolma and Tashi Rabten
human rights” by New York Newsday. A former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization, Ms. Benjamin is the author/editor of eight books, and lives in San Francisco with her husband and two daughters. Finally, the 2010 recipients of the Nyack Area Peace Prize which was started in 2006 to honor an organization or individual involved in significant peace and justice work in the local community of FOR’s national headquarters are Tashi Dolma and Tashi Rabten, founders of the Tibetan Home of Hope, a home and school for abandoned children in Tibet. “The Tashis” are trained medical doctors who were forced to flee their homeland of Tibet in the 1990’s. Fortunately for Rockland County, they rebuilt their lives in the area and developed Health Centers and Tibetan Healing Clinics that offer massage therapy and herbal medicine. The income from their medical practices provided the seed
money for the orphanage they have founded in their homeland. All the Peace Prize winners will be honored at an award presentation that will take place during FOR’s Annual Peace Banquet on Saturday afternoon, October 2, 2010 at the historic Riverside Church in New York City. Contact for@ forusa.org for more details.
Medea Benjamin
Scott Kennedy
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WITNESS
TASK FORCE ON LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
First Ruling Against Army for San José Massacre Attorney General not interested in top commander’s responsibility Article reprinted from http://www.forcolombia.org/monthlyupdate, April 6, 2010
Twenty months after Capitan Guillermo Gordillo pled guilty in the February 2005 massacre of eight people in the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, a judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison. This is the first ruling against an army officer for the massacre. Unfortunately, despite copious evidence linking higher ranking army officers, particularly Generals Mario Montoya and Héctor Fandiño, to the planning (Montoya) and the execution and cover-up (Fandiño), acting Colombian Attorney General Guillermo Men-
doza seems determined not to advance investigations of their involvement. In July 2008, Capitan Gordillo confessed that he and his troops had taken part in a joint paramilitary-military operation that resulted in the grisly massacre. He admitted that Phoenix military operation had been planned and carried out with the participation of paramilitary death squads. And he testified to General Montoya’s participation in the planning of the operation. In his ruling against Gordillo, the judge also used as evidence the testimony of paramilitary leader Diego Fernando Murillo, known as Don Berna “in which [he] accepts the participation of the Heroes of Tolova Self Defense Bloc under his command in the acts being judged.” Capt. Gordillo is not the only officer implicating General Montoya. According to Coro-
nel Acosta Celi and Lt. Jose Fernando Castro (also suspects in a separate investigation), General Montoya participated in the design of the military operation demanding participation of guides – widely understood to mean death squad members – as it was revealed in the trial for 10 additional army officers. General Fandiño, was the head of the 17th Brigade, units from which participated in the massacre, and he allegedly took an active role in the subsequent cover-up operation. An investigation of Fandiño’s role that was opened in September 2008 has only been collecting dust on the Attorney General’s desk. Last month, the victims’ legal representative filed a petition requesting the arrest of both generals, so they can be heard in the investigation. But acting Prosecutor General Mendoza recently told a Global Post reporter that “we have to be careful not to call on every single general.”
Delegation TO Colombia: July 24 – August 2, 2010 “Colombia: Military Bases, Human Rights, and Free Trade” – co-sponsored by Fellowship of Reconciliation and Witness for Peace
militarization of Colombia affect grassroots politics in the Andean region, the Caribbean, and Central America? What is the impact of the bases on the lives and livelihoods of the people living near them?
Last fall, the governments of Colombia and the United States signed an agreement to grant the Pentagon use of seven military bases on Colombian soil. The agreement bolstered the United States’ military presence in the Andean region at a time when progressive movements in Ecuador, Venezuela and Bolivia struggle to reorganize their societies more equally, and victims of Colombia’s dirty war demand accountability. It also intensified the contentious mix of militarism and free trade that has characterized U.S. Latin American policy. What role do the bases play in upholding free trade orthodoxy and advancing the counterinsurgency/anti-narcotics program known as Plan Colombia? How does the increasing
• Visit several U.S. military bases • Talk with Colombians who live and work near the bases • Meet with human rights, labor, peasant, and community groups • Meet with U.S. and Colombian government and military personnel
JOIN US AS WE EXPLORE THESE ISSUES IN COLOMBIA, ON THIS DELEGATION WE WILL:
Delegation Leaders: Lesley Gill, Ph.D. and Susana Pimiento Chamorro. Dr. Gill’s research in Latin America focuses on political violence, human rights, global economic restructuring, the state and transformations in class, gender, and ethnic relations. She has conducted research in Bolivia, Colombia and the U.S.
Susana Pimiento Chamorro, a ColombianAmerican attorney, co-directs FOR’s Colombia Program. Based in Bogotá, she has undertaken research on military bases and played an active role in the formation of the Colombia No Bases Coalition. Witness for Peace is a politically independent, nationwide grassroots organization of people committed to nonviolence and to changing U.S. policies that contribute to poverty in Latin America. Witness for Peace’s mission is to support peace, justice and sustainable economies in the Americas.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: FOR Colombia: 510.763.1403, forcolombia@igc.org Lesley Gill: 615.322.2851; Lesley.gill@att.net Ken Crowely: 202.423.3402; ken@witnessforpeace.org
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SUMMER 2010
IRAN
Iran: Sanctions Bills in Congress Threaten U.S. Diplomacy as Iran Appears to Accept Uranium Deal By Jim Fine of FCNL Article reprinted from www.FORpeace.net, February 5, 2010
The Senate’s approval by voice vote January 28 of a new Iran sanctions bill (S. 2799) poses a serious challenge to the Obama administration’s policy of diplomatic engagement with Iran in both the immediate and long-term future. The bill now goes to conference where Senate and House leaders will negotiate to reconcile differences with a bill passed by the House in December. The administration must decide how strongly to press lawmakers to change provisions in the bills that would prevent the U.S. from gradually easing sanctions in the future in response to positive actions by Iran. The importance of avoiding crippling restrictions on U.S. diplomacy was underscored this week by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s announcement that Iran was prepared to accept a deal to ship most of its enriched uranium out of the country in return for the future delivery of fuel rods for a Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes. Iran agreed to the U.S.-proposed plan last October but later backed away after the deal was caught up in Iran’s domestic turmoil, with reformers opposing the plan and others, in-
In early February, I met with a labor union organizer from Iran who was seeking support for the rights of workers in Iran. One of his biggest fears was that the implementation of additional sanctions would serve the interest of Iranian leadership making the case for foreign intervention as the reason for solidarity across all sectors in Iran. While it may appear that factions in Iran are sharp and irreconcilable there is a clear warning that movements in the direction of reform, and the well being of the Iranian public, would be severely affected by new sanctions. Jim Fine’s assessment below extends that analysis and provides background we should have in hand on the state of the sanctions legislation in Congress. – mcj
cluding President Ahmadinejad and the chief of the Iranian armed forces, supporting it. If Ahmadinejad’s Feb. 2 announcement leads to implementing the deal, it could set U.S.-Iran relations on a course to resolve concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and achieve increased cooperation between the U.S. and Iran, including on Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the most restrictive provisions of the Iran sanctions legislation moving through Congress is a measure in the House version that would prevent the president from eas-
ing economic sanctions until he can certify that Iran has ceased “nuclear-related activities, including uranium enrichment.” Iran has a right under the non-proliferation treaty to enrich uranium and most analysts say that a realistic agreement with Iran would include continued Iranian enrichment in return for intrusive international inspections. Legislation making it impossible to lift sanctions as long as Iran enriches uranium could prevent future agreement with Iran. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he would consider changes sought by the administration, and a State Department official has pledged to “work constructively with conferees as they work on the final version of this legislation,” but the administration has so far not made clear how hard it will press for changes. New questions about the direction of the Obama administration’s Iran policy were raised, moreover, by its announcement last week that it was deploying anti-missile defenses in the Persian Gulf and neighboring Arab states. Some observers have seen the move as a reversion to the policy of the Bush administration, and express fear that it could provide Iranian hard-lines with a pretext to move decisively to crush the Iranian reform movement.
2010 Iran Delegations August 20 to September 5, 2010 (Application deadline has passed) November 5 to 20, 2010 (Application deadline: August 1, 2010) February 15 to March 1, 2011 (Application deadline: November 15, 2010) May 1 to 15, 2011 (Application deadline: January 15, 2011) For more information: iran@forusa.org
Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not find peace. ~Albert Schweitzer
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WITNESS
YOUTH & MILITARISM
Action Alert: Afghan youth denied U.S. visa By Ethan Vesely-Flad Article reprinted from http://forpeace.mayfirst.org, May 4, 2010
The Fellowship of Reconciliation was deeply saddened to receive the following information from peace colleagues in Afghanistan. We ask our supporters to take action to respond to a visa denial just issued by the U.S. State Department.
Abdulai, Photo courtesy of: Journey to a Smile
Abdulai recently applied for a U.S. visa, having received an invitation by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (USA) for a peace tour of the United States this summer. He was hoping to meet his new friends face-toface, as human beings do. Sadly, the most “powerful” nation on earth rejected him, for fear that he might not return to his widowed Afghan mother and to the only home he’s known -- in a mountain village in Bamiyan, Afghanistan. “I know that others would have you think that my mother, my brothers, and I are bad people, but you should know that we’re just as sick of narrow-minded violence and corrupt, lying officials as you are.” Abdulai wants to talk about all these things, but he has not been given the space. No space
on earth? Since the U.S. government has not allowed Abdulai to meet his friends in the United States, is there any country on earth in 2010 that is prepared to host Abdulai and the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers together with Palestinian, Israeli Jewish, Iraqi, American, and other international peacemakers? If you could help in any way to make this journey possible for these ordinary people, please contact us at journeytosmile@gmail. com or Mark Johnson at FOR, mjohnson@ forusa.org; or by requesting your peaceseeking government to host Abdulai and his international friends, so we can have those warm conversations that give life meaning and love. Abdulai will be journeying with other Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and other peacemaker friends from the United States: the Fellowship of Reconciliation, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and the Contagious Love Experiment and the Middle East (Combatants for Peace) to give voice to those everyday hopes of ordinary people everywhere, as he discovers his voice to say : “I am capable of speaking the plain truths, even if I tremble before the elders.” “I believe we have enough space to explore creative alternatives, especially in the face of death.” But where, and among whom, can he find the peace which we all yearn for? He wants to explain that in his young soul is a developing picture of how the love he finds among friends can bring peace, even to Afghanistan. This inner voice in Abdulai is now an urgent rumble, and if you would join him in speaking to the world, we and Abdulai may just hear the growing thunder, the thunder of humankind’s conscience. Love is how Abdulai will ask for peace!
Fellowship
Fellowship, a quarterly journal published by FOR, is the oldest continuously-published peace and justice journal in the nation. Your one-year subscription to the magazine is $40. Make checks payable to Fellowship of Reconciliation.
What is a Bequest? Simply, a bequest is a gift you may contribute to your family and favorite charities through a will or a trust fund. A bequest can be set as a precise dollar amount, or, as a percentage of your estate. A gift can be specified as cash, appreciated stocks, or any other of your chosen assets. If you would like more information on how to include the Fellowship of Reconciliation in your estate plans, please contact Bill Winston, Director of Organizational Advancement and Communications: bwinston@forusa.org, 845.358.4601.
Selected excerpts are available online at www.forusa.org/fellowship.
Get your copy today!
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SUMMER 2010
NATIONAL COUNCIL
Reconciling my Recipes By Jennifer Newell Prior to being nominated to serve on FOR’s National Council in the summer of 2007, my husband and I downsized into a home on the Olympic Peninsula in order to give more of our time to others. In the escrow process we learned that our new house was originally a national guard building on a minuteman missile site, and determined to reform our home to a place of peace. Our first year was devoted to remodeling with green and repurposed materials. During the rigors of those first months we relied on processed foods for many of our meals. I began to feel ill that fall. Just after my first National Council meeting, I learned through a conversation with my friend Corbin that the methods used to process foods can create excitotoxins. I did some research about excitotoxins and discovered that John Olney, a medical doctor and neuropathologist known for his work on brain damage, coined the term excitotoxicity to describe when excessive amounts of glutamate stimulate nerve cells until they die. Through further research I learned that the food industry either adds Monosodium Glutamate to foods or, breaks down the amino acid chain to free the glutamates. I arrived early for the February National Council meeting and was introduced to Carol Hoernlein, a Nyack resident, who told me her story and how she came to know that glutamates can be damaging: http://www.msgtruth.org/
whatisit.htm. I stopped eating all sources of free glutamates and all my symptoms went away within a week. In the summer of 2008 I met Jeffrey Smith, the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and learned that GMOs are in at least 70% of our packaged and processed foods. GM soybean, corn, cottonseed, beets (for sugar) and canola, all have had foreign genes forced into their DNA. The inserted genes come from species, such as bacteria and viruses, which have never been in the human food supply. Last May the American Academy of Environmental Medicine stated, “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system. They asked physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods. In 1992, the Food and Drug Administration claimed they had no information proving that GM foods were substantially different from conventionally grown foods, and, therefore, claimed that Genetically Modified foods are safe to eat and that no safety studies were required. The FDA approval plus the fact that GM food appears to be the same on the surface as the food we’ve been accustomed to has made it difficult for people to be aware of the harmful changes in our dietary standards. Jeffrey M. Smith has presented documented evidence of the dangers
and is leading a campaign to heighten public awareness in order to remove GMOs from our food supply. I’ve been working on Jeffrey’s campaign for the last year and have recently been added to the staff at the Institute for Responsible Technology. http://www. responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/ index.cfm Please be sure to watch the video which presents shocking evidence about why genetically modified crops may lead to health and environmental catastrophes, and what we can do about it. The issues about the way our foods are grown are far reaching. Since food production has changed from a solar-based agriculture to a petroleum-based business endeavor, we use huge amounts of oil to grow and transport our foods. The meals we eat are connected to the issues of peak oil, global warming, health care, labor rights, international trade and farmers who go so deeply into debt that they become slaves to corporations. It can be overwhelming to consider our choices. Food choices are cultural and intimately personal. With informed hearts we can engage our creativity to find new paths in our kitchens as well as to engage in dialog with others as we explore our options. These options can lead us to deepen our fellowship at the table and in our communities. I invite you to reflect on reconciling your recipes and to take the journey along with me as we bring peace to our plates and blessings to all. Be the change you wish to see in the world. ~Gandhi
NC member and Development Committee chair Martha DiGiovanni in her classroom with four of her students and assistant Rich Calderone in front of Shawn Dell Joyce’s painting Encouragement.
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WITNESS
“Peace of the Action” Awards Banquet – Peacemakers’ Memorial Day – Art Show & Sale The theme of this year’s Peace Awards Banquet is “Peace of the Action.” As a play on words, “Peace of the Action” speaks to being a “piece” or a part of an active flow, and refers to a state of wholeness or serenity within the action or movement for peace. This year’s peace prize recipients all reflect an active, strategic flow to peace in their lives and work. As we celebrate our peace prize winners in the historic Riverside Church in New York City on October 2, 2010, we will also take time to observe a Peacemakers’ Memorial Day by acknowledging and honoring a list of peacemakers who gave their lives, in the face of violence and mistrust, to birth a culture of peace in the human family and the environment. Join with us to inaugurate October 2nd (the birthday of Mohandas Karamachand
Gandhi by sculptor Muriel Farlow, (2008 Art Show and Sale)
Gandhi) by lifting up those peacemakers in the world and in your community that are close to your heart. In addition to our Awards Banquet, FOR National will be hosting a series of events at our Shadowcliff headquarters that will focus on this year’s theme including our 2nd Art Show and Sale. This year’s exhibit will run for two weeks, from September 25 to October 9, and will offer for sale paintings and sculptures from Hudson Valley artists. [Note: Please see the photo on page 6 which features Encouragement, a painting by Shawn Dell Joyce, purchased by NC member Martha DiGiovanni at our 1st art show in 2008.] The art sale is a 50/50 fundraiser to support FOR’s ongoing efforts to achieve a just and peaceful community. For more information about the Awards Banquet, the Art Show and Sale or other “Peace of the Action” events, please contact Jonette O’Kelley Miller at jmiller@forusa.org or 845.358.4601 x29.
SAVE THE
DATE!
MARK YOUR
CALENDARS October 2, 2010
Fellowship of Reconciliation’s 2010 Peace Awards Banquet
“PEACE OF THE ACTION” Visit FOR’s website: www.forusa.org for upcoming details
PhOtO COurtESy: DianE GrEEnE LEnt
2010 Guest Speaker: Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODE Pink and Global Exchange
Join FOR in honoring individuals and organizations working on the frontlines for peace and social justice.
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The Fellowship of Reconciliation Working for peace since 1914
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OUR COMMUNITY
Living in Community By Carolyn Klaasen My favorite Holy Week moment this year happened over the dinner table on a Friday night. It was right after sundown, which meant that in Christian time it was still Good Friday and in Jewish time it was the beginning of Shabbat. My housemate, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, and I were nibbling on matza and remarking on the fact that Easter coincided this year with the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Lynn said, “If I were preaching an Easter sermon, I’d preach about Martin.” “What would you say?” I asked. In response, she started preaching. She preached about Martin, and Jesus, and how Martin exemplified what it meant to take up your cross and follow Jesus. She talked about how he like Jesus finally lost his life confronting violent systems of racism with nonviolence. She argued that he might be the best Christian we’ve seen in the United States, and ended with a challenge to Christians to respond to the Easter story by acting like Martin. “Amen!” I said to my rabbi. Lynn and I live together at the Stony Point Center in the Community of Living Traditions, a multi-faith residential community dedicated to the study and practice of nonviolence. One day we will have three houses on campus — Dar Anwar al-Salaam, the Shomer Shalom house, and the Luke 6 Project house — that will ground Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities as we study and live out the best of our own faith traditions while in community and solidarity with people of other traditions. For now, however, we are still a community in formation. Dar Anwar al-Salaam is almost remodeled and ready for residents. This past January, with no other Jewish residents to keep the rabbi company, I moved into the Shomer Shalom house with Lynn. I am an umpteenth-generation Presbyterian with no experience keeping kosher or Shabbat; and so, living in a house of Jewish traditions has been a learning process that’s produced amusing emails for my family and friends back at home. In emails I’ve reported how I drove around with non-kosher Dove chocolates in my car for a month because they weren’t allowed in the house, how I donned a Tyrannosaurus Kvetch mask and an orange cape for Purim and tried to convince other goyim to wear fake wigs, how I’ve
grown pretty adept at six-stranded braiding for our weekly challah, that my macaroons have attended three seders, and that I can tell more bad Jewish jokes than I’ve ever cared to know. (i.e. How do we know Jesus was Jewish? He thought his mother was a virgin, and she thought he was the messiah.) These emails home have made life in the Shomer Shalom sound so enjoyable that my friends and family members ask repeatedly if I’m thinking about converting. The last time I told my mother that I was so glad it’s finally shabbes, she replied, “You do know you aren’t actually Jewish, don’t you?” Of course I know I’m not Jewish; and, no, I’m not converting. The richness of our experiences as housemates lies in the fact that we are each rooted in our traditions and able to stand solidly within them even as Lynn lives on a Presbyterian campus and I live in a Jewish house. Our everyday conversations — the kind that happen while we’re doing dishes, or lin-
gering over dinner, or collapsing on the couch at the end of the day — have an added depth to them because they happen at an interfaith level. A hunt for the week’s lectionary passages leads to conversation about what it’s like for her to visit a church and hear part of the Torah read out of its cycle. As I do homework for my Church History class, I end up discussing things like the Crusades with a rabbi. When Lynn and I gossip at home about the gossip in our community, she references rabbinic literature about lashon hara, or evil speech. For the first time I spent Holy Week discussing not just the crucifixion and resurrection, but also pogroms, persecution, and the goddess Inana. After three months of having these conversations woven into my daily life, I am not, much to my mother’s relief, converting. I’m still a Christian, albeit one who attends Torah study more faithfully than church at the moment. But because I live with Lynn, the ways in which I, as a Christian, understand my own tradition and engage with those from other traditions are changing. This summer, as I share a house with sixteen other young Muslims, Jews and Christians during our “Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit” internship, I expect that our experiences of living and learning together will continue to shape me. The families who join us at the end of July for our Multi-faith Family Camp will create another richly diverse community for the five days they are present at Stony Point Center. I’m sure that this summer will produce more funny stories to include in my emails home, as well as moments like Lynn’s Easter sermon, and that’s what excites me about being a part of the Community of Living Traditions. Our community discourse and understanding of nonviolence is continually enriched by our experiences of living together.
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb blowing the shofar at the opening of the Shomer Shalom House
Co-Director and NC member Rick Ufford-Chase speaking to guests and FOR Staff at Shomer Shalom
The Community Living Traditions (CLT) is one of two communities that grounds the study and practice of nonviolence at the Stony Point Conference Center located in Stony Point, NY. The brainchild of co-directors Rick and Kitty Ufford-Chase, CLT will comprise three residential communities: Shomer Shalom, Dar Anwar al-Salaam and the Luke 6 Project. Each community, Jewish, Muslim and Christian, respectively, will be home to young adults who are not only committed to their spiritual, religious and cultural practices; but, also to peace and reconciliation. As the Community develops, members will share their revelations in these pages. First, is an article by Carolyn Klaasen. –jom For more information on the Community Living Traditions, call 845.786.5674, www. stonypointcenter.org.
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Reconciliation: The choice of peacemakers By Safi Kaskas, President and CEO of Strategic Edge, a management consulting firm in Saudi Arabia The following article is excerpted from the author’s original essay written Jan. 20, 2010.
Since September 11, Western and Muslim scholarship has characterized the political relationship between the Muslim world and the West as one full of tension and conflict. Barack Obama acknowledged this in a recent speech at the heartland of Islamic scholarship, al-Azhar University in Cairo, in which he said “…a time of great tension [exists] between the United States and Muslims around the world – tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate.” In this environment of tension, working for reconciliation and peace is long overdue. In fact, if we are to prevent a much larger disaster from happening, we have no other alternative but to work for better understanding and reconciliation. It is no longer possible to depend solely on America’s long standing tradition of constitutional rights, tolerance and minority protection. My Islamic faith has taught me that it is my duty and I hope the duty of every American of goodwill to try to work towards peace and true reconciliation. Obviously, there are no guarantees for success, as the agenda is often dictated by fanatics. Perhaps however, it is not that the fanatics are in control, but that we have failed to respond with the love that our Creator has commanded. True reconciliation requires one to identify and establish common ground with the other that will enable both to live together in peace. I would think it fair to describe the people engaged in reconciliation as peacemakers. True reconciliation and peacemaking requires nothing less than sincerity of heart. The first requirement is that one clearly understands their own beliefs before trying to find common ground with others from another faith. If neither has a deep understanding of their own beliefs, the reconciliation will inevitably be based solely on cultural or humanitarian grounds which usually leads to an agreement on general human moral values. While this is good, it does not address the root of a problem that has become deadly in certain parts of the world. One has to realize that reconciliation is not
theological but relational. At the heart of any successful reconciliation is God’s love and not doctrinal issues. I am engaged with you to show you that I accept you as you are, while I need attention from you and respect. These relational needs, if placed at the foundation of the reconciliation effort, will put the discussion on the right track that will help both to gain appreciation for each other. Reconciliation, by definition, is a conscious effort based on common sense. If both messages are from the same source, it will make sense to find common ground for peaceful coexistence. However, faith is not necessarily logical. Therein lays the difficulty of engaging one that has deep commitment to his faith while hoping and praying that he gains appreciation for you and your faith.
“Reconciliation is a journey that God puts you on and leads you through. It is neither for the fanatic nor for the faint of heart. It is for those that have the deepest faith in Him and the deepest love toward other human beings…” Usually the most productive reconciliation is done one-on-one and not in public. After all, you are hoping and praying that God touches the other person’s heart and bring him a step closer. This is not easy when an audience is watching and positioning is at play. A good starting point is what is obviously [shared], such as the belief in One Creator. What is required is a lot of soul searching, a critical look at our own values and our place on this earth. What is it that we want of ourselves and others? The Earth is getting smaller every day and it is getting very crowded. Hence, we need to rise to the occasion by presenting ourselves and Islam to our neighbors instead of fearing them and hating them. The self-glorification we have been engaged
in for the last few hundred years will not bring peace to our world. We need to make ourselves known to our Christian neighbors in order for them not to continue to fear us. Let us humbly examine what the Qur’an requires of us when we engage others in this renewed discussion: The Family of Imran 3:64Say, ‘People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all: we worship God alone, we ascribe no partner to Him, and none of us takes others beside God as lords.’ If they turn away, say, ‘Witness our devotion to Him.’ The good news is that enlightened elements in both Islam and Christianity can also help each other, by building bridges to understanding and long-term peace and stability. It behooves the followers of Jesus to take to heart his teachings: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus raised this commandment dramatically when he said, (Mt 5:43) “You have heard that it was said, ’You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’” He changed (Lev 19:18) “love your neighbor” to (Mt 5:44) “Love your enemies,” expanding the range of his followers’ love from the neighborhood to the world. …. This is the Jesus that I know and I love the same way I know and I love Mohammad and his message as revealed in the Qur’an which also teaches to love one’s enemy: Fussilat 41:34 “Good and evil cannot be equal. [Prophet], repel evil with what is better and your enemy will become as close as an old and valued friend.” Reconciliation is a journey that God puts you on and leads you through. It is neither for the fanatic nor for the faint of heart. It is for those that have the deepest faith in Him and the deepest love toward other human beings—those who are too humble to judge others and ready to extend a loving hand toward them. In today’s world, I hold the view that it is of highest importance that people of goodwill and deep faith engage in reconciliation efforts in order to spare both Muslims and Christians the agony of conflict and alienation. For it is not enough to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, if we don’t love our neighbor like ourselves.
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NEWS FROM SHADOWCLIFF continued
Report on the Int’l Conference for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World By Preston Davis, 2009 FOR Communications Intern, Union Theological Seminary graduate student Nuclear weapons do not typically top the list of the general public’s concerns; but every five years an extremely important procedure takes place to curtail the possibility of nuclear proliferation – the review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Many in the international peace community, however, recognize that addressing nuclear weapons only every five years does far too little to rid the world of nuclear weapons. The Fellowship of Reconciliation is one of those who are asking for the swift and immediate disarmament of all nuclear weapons. FOR demonstrated its commitment to this cause the first weekend in May, preceding the review of the treaty.
On Friday, April 30, FOR helped organize the International Conference for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just, and Sustainable World. The conference took place at Riverside Church in Harlem, Manhattan. Attended by hundreds of nuclear abolitionists from around the globe, the event concluded Saturday evening with an address from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. That same day, FOR teamed up with Union Theological Seminary’s Students for Peace and Justice, to provide the day’s attendees with refreshments, jazz music and a bit of ease from the heavy work of the day. The energy from the conference carried over to Sunday. With the help of Religions for Peace, the United Religions Initiative and Pax Christi, FOR organized an Interfaith
Convocation for the religious communities involved in the weekend. More than 400 attended the overflow event, which was facilitated and emceed by FOR executive director Mark Johnson. The convocation shared the voices, sacred texts, and faith-based statements on nuclear arms and nuclear war of many different faith traditions and faith communities. PBS Religion & Ethics featured a profile of the convocation viewable on their website. The spirited weekend culminated in a rally, march and festival. Beginning in Time Square, more than 5,000 abolitionists marched to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza just outside the flags of the United Nations. Demonstrated through various musical acts and story tellers the festival captured and celebrated the passion and fortitude of the activists present.
A Remarkable Woman: Juliet Bernstein By Ethan Vesely-Flad, editor of Fellowship magazine In May 2010, Juliet Bernstein announced she was stepping down as convenor of the Cape Cod Fellowship of Reconciliation (CCFOR). A few weeks shy of her 97th birthday, the indefatigable peace activist said she felt it was time for a new person to coordinate the active chapter, which holds education programs and other events throughout the year and publishes a monthly newsletter. “This is a person who has worked for social justice all her life, unflaggingly,” said the Rev. Ken Campbell, a CC-FOR steering committee member. And a long life it has been. “Juliet once told me she remembers as a child driving with her mother to vote when women first received the franchise,” recalled Marilyn Sneden, another chapter leader. “That experience appears to have endowed Juliet with the spirit to work all her life for the causes of peace and justice,” said Sneden. Indeed, “remarkable” is the first word that comes to the lips when colleagues are asked to reflect on Bernstein’s legacy. Noting that many justice seekers become beaten down through years of activism, Campbell said,
“But yet she’s amazingly positive; she doesn’t get discouraged.” Bernstein has always realized that “the struggle continues, and we move on,” he added, citing her commitment to keep working for peace. Her tireless efforts have sometimes paid unexpected dividends. CC-FOR member Bob Winter, who also handles media relations for the chapter, shared the following story: “In 1993, FOR was contacted by a group of prisoners at the state prison in Gardner, Massachusetts, who were interested in becoming an affiliate… [our chapter was] asked to talk with them. Juliet was enthusiastic and I agreed to drive. We had a member at that time who had previously been a prison warden; she volunteered to go with us. “After some correspondence, we agreed to meet with the officers of the group and a prison administrator. When we arrived, we were told that they had not realized how far away Cape Cod was (2.5-hour drive) and had arranged for us to speak to the entire group of about 60 men so we could avoid making another trip right away. “We were totally unprepared, but got a good reception. We mostly talked about FOR: its purpose, history, and so forth. Juliet spoke last and sounded more like a union organizer,
Juliet Bernstein (left) presents Cape Cod FOR’s Olive Branch Award to Sarah Thatcher. Photo courtesy: Robert Winter.
telling the men that they should be aware of their rights, how they could organize a petition drive and negotiate with the authorities. The men loved it, but had to point out that things like petitions were contrary to prison regulations. “We made one more follow-up trip and were better prepared. We made a favorable report to national FOR and then [national staffer] Doug Hostetter visited them. On June 8, 1993, the Gardner Fellowship became FOR’s first prison affiliate.” From creating a peace presence at the annual Cape Cod July 4th parade to organizing incarcerated men in prison, Juliet Bernstein has been a tireless champion of peace and justice for years too numerous to count. FOR honors Bernstein’s legacy as she passes on the mantle to the next generation of CC-FOR leadership.
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SUMMER 2010
PEACE Guides the Way By Linda Kelly On Groundhog’s Day of 2009 I took the morning off from my part time job as Development Assistant for the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) to have biopsies taken on the two lumps found in my right breast. The following day, I told my supervisor, Jonette O’Kelley Miller, Director of Development at FOR, that I was appointed to call the Women’s Wellness Center for the results and that I was a bit anxious. Jonette’s response was to offer to pray with me. The prayer was improvisational and in her words, so I don’t recall precisely what was said, but I do remember that I felt emboldened as I headed out of Jonette’s office to make the call. My desk on the second floor of Shadowcliff, FOR’s national headquarters in Nyack, NY, is by a window that looks out over a sprawling lawn, through a phalanx of trees to a wide expanse of the mighty Hudson River. The river was choppy and as gray as the February sky that day. I stared at the white crests breaking on the rippling water while a nurse put me on hold to fetch the doctor. “Mrs. Kelly?” “Yes.” “Well, Mrs. Kelly, both lumps test positive for cancer.” “No. Are you sure you’re reading my reports?”
“Yes, Mrs. Kelly.” “No, but… No.” “Yes. We recommend that you...” I continued to gaze at the river while the doctor instructed me to line up a surgeon and, as the unfathomable seeped into my consciousness, I surrendered. My nerves uncoiled, my muscles and bones relaxed, and a profound peace washed over me as I thought, “Oh, this is my walk with God.” What followed was an extraordinary journey of healing and personal growth, the hallmark of which was making choices on a many-forked road. There were so many crucial decisions to make: lumpectomy vs. mastectomy vs. no surgery, full lymph node dissection vs. only sentinel node, aggres-
sive chemo vs. lighter chemo vs. no chemo, radiation therapy or not, hormone therapy or not, and then there were numerous alternative healing modalities to explore. The journey would have been dizzying if it were not for that initial experience of peace I had upon receiving the diagnosis while seated at my FOR desk. That profound acceptance or peace became my reference, my compass. Each time I stood at a fork in the road, my mind thrashed about all the options and their benefits, drawbacks, statistics, side effects, doctors’ opinions, other peoples’ opinions, my family history, my current family’s needs, my needs, and so on. My heart would race, my teeth and fists would clench at each juncture while I gathered information. It wasn’t easy, but I came to believe that the internal war was imperative as darkness defines the light. Fortunately, I was blessed with a strong support network of family, friends and wonderful FOR coworkers to hold my hand and boost my spirit whenever I felt lost; however, I did have to make my choices on my own with my own internal guidance. Invariably, a moment would arrive when my head, heart, gut, and soul would line up like a compass needle with the North Star, and I could go forth in good faith as I walked in PEACE. To share with Linda about her healing journey please visit her blog “Lump Lessons” at http://ellekelly.wordpress.com/
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest for Truth. ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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My Haiti ~ It’s about the Children AN EVENING OF HAITIAN CULTURE ART AUCTION/SALE JULY 17, 2010 ~ 3:00pm-8:00pm Shadowcliff on the Hudson The Fellowship of Reconciliation 521 N. Broadway Nyack, NY 10960 Advance Tickets: $25.00. Door: $30.00. V.I.P.:$75.00 Contact Mary Heckler / Tom Morrison: 845-358-460 ext. 32 Facebook Page: My Haiti - It’s about the Children Proceeds to benefit: Ecole Classique Bon Samaritain in Digue Matheux (School) & La Maison des Petits in Diquini (Orphanage)
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SUMMER 2010
IN MEMORIAM Miriam Becker, a lifetime worker to make the world a better place and a devoted member of FOR since July 1995, died on December 13, 2009. Miriam resided in Williamsville, NY and is survived by her husband Eugene Becker, son Robin Becker, and grandchild Melissa Manning. She is predeceased by daughter Vivian Grossman. Kathleen Burgy, 94, a humanitarian, poet, peacemaker and member of FOR since December 1984, died in her home in Mill Valley, CA on December 2, 2009. Kathleen’s extraordinary life is characterized by a passionate commitment to the causes of world peace, justice and human dignity which took her all over the world in service through the Red Cross, the United Nations Relief, American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) and, finally, as a social worker in San Francisco. She is survived by her brother Col. John M. Regan and several adoring nieces and nephews. Rev. Robert E. Grimm, 87, a key leader in efforts to foster better relations among people of various religious traditions and a member of FOR since June 7, 2004, died at home in Buffalo, NY on August 17, 2009. Rev. Grimm was executive director of the Buffalo Area Council of Churches – a forerunner of the current Network of Religious Communities – and an active volunteer in other ecumenical and interfaith organizations. A long time advocate for religious tolerance, Rev. Grimm was a passionate and tireless worker for peace and justice. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Roberta, two sons, three daughters, and two sisters. Frank Hanawalt, 87, an educator, administrator, lifelong civil rights advocate, and member of FOR since March 2000, died on August 18, 2009. Frank believed that all lives have equal value and he walked the walk. While principal of Seattle’s most racially diverse High School during the turbulent 60’s, Frank withstood hate mail and death threats for inviting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther, Jr. to speak to the students. Frank recalled that partway into his speech, King stopped and looked out at the audience, an equal mix of African Americans, whites and Asian Americans, and said, “You are a beautiful student body,” and the youth erupted into cheers. He is perhaps most famous for being the principal that expelled Jimi Hendrix for cutting too many classes, but service was the mainstay of Frank’s professional and personal life. He is predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Jean; and survived
by three sons, one sister, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Marion Waxelbaum Kaufman, 93, beloved mother of FOR’s National Council Vice Chair, Dr. Gus B. Kaufman, Jr., died on March 3, 2010. A lifelong resident of Macon, Georgia, Mrs. Kaufman was actively involved in a number of local organizations as well as an author of four books about Macon’s Jewish history. She was devoted to her family and to Temple Beth Israel, Macon’s Reform Jewish Synagogue, of which she was a member all of her life. Mrs. Kaufman is survived by her husband Gus, two daughters and a son in addition to Gus, Jr., four grandchildren, a brother, and nieces and nephews. Bruce Edward Kohler, 59, an FOR supporter, died in his home in Glastonbury, CT, on February 2, 2010. Bruce was described as a remarkable, gentle man with a passion for unilateral peace in the world. He was a devoted attendee of peace vigils to end the war in Iraq and actively protested to all levels of government the inequities he felt could be eradicated. Bruce is survived by three sisters and brothers-in-law, a niece and nephew. Michael Leff, chair of the Department of Communications at the University of Memphis, internationally known scholar of rhetoric, and friend of FOR, died after a brief illness on February 5, 2010. The list of awards for Michael’s many publications and scholarly accomplishments is long, and yet his greatest joy was found in watching his graduate students succeed in their own careers. Michael was a demanding though convivial teacher who inspired students and colleagues by his encouragement of their initiatives and by his dedication to the study of rhetoric in society. A celebration of his life features his scholarship and teaching, but what drove both were his humanity, his humor, and his kindness. Betty MacFarlane, 77, a longtime active member of the Oregon FOR, died in her home in Portland, OR on December 11, 2009. Betty’s lifelong commitment to social justice was a result of working with migrant worker children in her early years and was lived out through medical missionary work in Iran, and involvement in a variety of peace and justice organizations. Music, songwriting, and the friendships Betty made through music were central in her life, next to the love of her family. Betty is survived by her husband Bob, four children, and seven grandchildren.
Frank Ostrowski, representative to the United Nations for the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) and a member of FOR since June 21, 2000, died in Atlanta, GE on January 25, 2010. An openhearted and visionary man, Frank’s reports from the UN were eagerly read by colleagues in the international peace movement. He was also the author of the book Beyond Systems: Achieving Peace Through Our Shared Humanity which was published in 2006. Frank is survived by his wife, Sarah Lopez, two sons and their wives, and two granddaughters. Bill Sutherland, 91, friend of FOR and the unofficial ambassador between the peoples of Africa and the Americas for over fifty years, died peacefully on January 2, 2010. A life-long pacifist and liberation advocate, Sutherland became involved in civil rights and anti-war activities as a youthful member of the Student Christian Movement in the 1930’s. While serving four years at Lewisburg Federal Correctional Facility as a conscientious objector to WWII in the 1940’s, he developed lifelong friendships with Ralph DiGia, Bayard Rustin, George Houser, Dave Dellinger and other eminent peace workers. He went on to lead a colorful and dynamic life of peace and justice pursuits that included involvement with War Resisters International, Peace Brigades International, the American Friends Service Committee, and the American Committee on Africa. Sutherland is most noted for being a pioneer in the liberation struggle in Africa, his efforts to achieve an end to colonialism and global apartheid, and his commitment to revolutionary nonviolence despite a close association with those engaged in armed struggle. He is survived by three children, many grandchildren, scores of family members and friends, a loving partner, Marilyn Meyers, and two “adopted” sons. Elvin Lawrence (Larry) Swift, 81, devoted member of FOR since January 1, 2005 and beloved 22 year employee at FOR’s national headquarters, died peacefully on March 14, 2010. A son of Methodist missionaries to Singapore, Larry also became a Methodist missionary in his early years and taught English in Japan. He returned to the US and ran work camps in Philadelphia, PA to build housing in disadvantaged communities before coming to work at FOR. Larry enjoyed singing bass in his church choir and taking walks in nature, and chose a simple lifestyle while leading a life of compassionate service. He is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Haruye, two daughters and their husbands, two grandchildren, a brother, two sisters, a sister-in-law, and several nieces and nephews.
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National Council Members Nabil Bayakly William Bontrager Dennis Bricking Andrea Briggs Laurie Childers Paul R. Dekar, Chair Daniel Delapava Martha DiGiovanni Daniel S. Frasier Janice Gallagher Lucas Johnson Gus Kaufman, Jr., Vice Chair Jeremy Lowe Greta Mickey James E. Murphy Jennifer Newell Janice Orcutt Peggy Rivers Rabbi Michael Rothbaum Bill Scheurer, Vice Treasurer Sarah Schindler, Treasurer Rev. Sam Smith Phil Stoltzfus Rabbi Karen Sussan Rick Ufford-Chase Executive Director: Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D.
Witness is published on-line two times a year by the Fellowship of Reconciliation Comments and letters are welcome. If you have news to share, or an opinion or comment, please e-mail, telephone, or send by mail. We will publish all items as appropriate for Witness readers and subject to space availability. Editor: Jonette O’Kelley Miller Editorial Assistant: Linda Kelly
Fellowship of Reconciliation 521 N. Broadway, P.O. Box 271 Nyack, NY 10960 Telephone: 845.358.4601 Fax: 845.358.4924 Web site: www.forusa.org Blog: www.FORpeace.net e-mail: for@forusa.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Weekly Activities at FOR/Shadowcliff 521 N. Broadway, Upper Nyack, NY 10960: Sundays: Live and Let Live Alcoholics Anonymous, 10-11am Young Peoples Group Alcoholics Anonymous, 8:30-9:30pm Mondays: Nicotine Anonymous, 7-9pm Wednesdays: Buddhist Meditation, 7-9pm Thursdays: Young Peoples Group Alcoholics Anonymous, 8-9pm For more information: 845.358.4601
JUNE June 20: World Refugee Day June 22 - 26: US Social Forum II: “Another World Is Possible; Another U.S. Is Necessary!” Detroit, Michigan http://www.ussf2010.org/ June 26: UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture www.un.org/events/torture/ June 28 – 30: 1st Annual Hudson Youth Leadership Academy A social justice-themed day camp sponsored by Creative Response to Conflict and Me to We. Rockland Community College, NY To download registration form, please visit www.crc-ny.org Email inquiries@crc-global.org Or call 845-353-1796
JULY July 1-7: Church of the Brethren and Mennonite Annual Meetings Pittsburgh, PA July 2 – 5: WWFOR Conference at Seabeck With keynote speakers Shauen V.T. Pearce from FORUSA on “Opening Doors and Building Bridges” and Jo Ann Bowman “Living the Vision of Peace and Justice” http://www.wwfor.org/seabeck/ July 7 – 10: Leadership Forum at Silver Bay http://www.leadershipforumatsilverbay.com/ July 12 – 17: Light to Live In: The Biblical Call to Peace Rooted in Justice. A Conference for Peacemakers sponsored by the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY www.bpfna.org/conference July 17: “My Haiti – It’s All About the Children” Hudson Valley FOR fundraiser for Haitian Children featuring a Haitian Art Auction, Food & Music Festival Nyack, NY Email: mheckler@forusa.org July 17: International Justice Day Anniversary of the 1998 adoption by the United Nations of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). July 23 – 25: *United National Antiwar Conference (National Assembly) Albany, NY http://www.nationalpeaceconference.org/
July 24 – August 2: Colombia: Military Bases, Human Rights, and Free Trade. Delegation to Colombia - Sponsored by Witness for Peace and the Fellowship of Reconciliation, info@forusa.org Contacts: Lesley Gill 615-322-2851, Lesley.gill@att.net Ken Crowley 202-423-3402 ken@witnessforpeace.org July 28 -31: *Peace Among the Peoples Elkhart, Indiana http://liveforpeace.org/node/72
AUGUST August 6: Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima Peace Pagoda (Myohoji Nipponzan) - 6:45pm Mark C. Johnson will speak as a follow-up to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Grafton, NY August 9: Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki August 17: International Youth Day http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/international-youthdayhttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm August 20 - September 5: FOR Delegation to Iran Email iran@forusa.org August 25-29: Veteran’s for Peace Portland, ME http://www.vfpnationalconvention.org/
SEPTEMBER September 21: International Day of Peace http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/ September 23 - 25: FACING RACE 2010 national conference McCormick Hyatt Regency in Chicago, IL http://www.arc.org/facingracefacingrace@arc.org
OCTOBER October 16 - 17: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty October 17: World Food Day www.fao.org/wfd/
NOVEMBER November 5 – 20: FOR Delegation to Iran (Application deadline: August 1) Email iran@forusa.org November 20: Universal Children’s Day www.unicef.org
DECEMBER December 1: World AIDS Day www.unaids.org www.worldaidscampaign.org www.worldaidsday.org December 10: UN International Human Rights Day For more information on Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)sponsored Programs, visit the FOR website: www.forusa.org