Dear S'ra, Thanks for sending out the minutes again. Let me suggest an alternative. I have found it difficult over the years to draw large numbers of people for the kind of workshops you are proposing, and I think scheduling almost anything on a Sunday is problematic. Not impossible, certainly, but very challenging.
I think it would be wiser to consider organizing a year-long speakers' series (with 4 or 5 presenters), each one addressing particular issues relevant Israel/Palestine and to the occupation. This would give us time (a) to line up speakers whose schedules are packed or who would have to come (or are coming to the U.S. for other reasons) from Israel or Palestine, (b) coordinate their visits to the area with our t.v. program and other events, and (c) allow us to keep the issue front and center for a full year. I like the idea of bringing Israeli leftists to Vermont, if it can be done, including a refusenik, but the cost is prohibitive, unless we join forces with others. One of the key leaders of Yesh Gvul, for example, is touring the states now, and had we known that in advance, we might have been able to draw him to Vermont. As a devout subscriber to the "Washington Report on Middle East Affairs," I read frequently of presentations by Palestinians and others on the occupation or the history of Israel/Palestine taking place in D.C. and New York, usually in conjunction with a major organization or public policy center. To the extent we know in advance when these people will be on the East Coast, we may be able to divert them for a brief period to Vermont without incurring large expenses. A speaker like Noam Chomsky is fine, especially for bringing people out in large numbers, but he can sometimes be too general and meandering for my tastes. If we bring him or someone like him to our state, we should do so on the condition that we get a very substantive presentation, one we want our audience to hear and that will advance our mission as an organization. In fact, all the presentations should be compelling and grounded in current scholarship and facts, without being dense or pedantic. A series like the kind I am proposing may be attractive to our fellow travelers at UVM or to certain departments. Whatever format you decide on, I suggest inviting Wendy Pearlman to speak, author of "Occupied Voices," and Tanya Reinhardt, an Israeli professor and columnist who has written one of the best assessments of the Camp David debacle and Barak's so-called "generous offer." Rashid Khalidi, one of the finest Middle East scholars in the world and an activist on the question of Palestine, is now teaching at Columbia University, and Stephen Green, the author of two books on Israel/Palestine, lives in Berlin, Vermont. Both these gentlemen can offer compelling historical insights. As can Professor Nadi Aruri, at the University of Massachusetts, the author of the newly released "Dishonest Broker," about the U.S. role in Middle East diplomacy. It is a fine book and he is also in our neck of the woods. What I'm proposing may be too ambitious, but no harm in throwing it out for consideration. Whatever the group decides, I will support it fully and do my best to see it is successful. Sorry I can't make the meeting tonight, but I am ill. Thanks for listening. Mark -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 7:40 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [VTJP] minutes from Oct conference mtg and next mtg hi y'all i sent these minutes out a few weeks ago but some people said they did not receive them. so here are the meeting notes about the community forum/mini-conference that we are planning for the beginning of october. please email the list any further suggestions you might have for speakers, workshops, other comments. the next meeting to discuss the conference will be monday june 21, 7 pm at Nina's house, 17 south union st. hope to see you there! in solidarity s'ra Community Forum Minutes Monday, May 17, 2004 In attendance: Peter, Madelyn Holmes, Nina Parris, and S'ra DeSantis After an hour discussion we have come up with a proposal for a community event. The next two paragraphs are the actual proposal and the lists after the proposal are just brainstorms, which need to be developed after we have agreement from the group that we should organize the event. Hopefully we can discuss this at the next VTJP meeting. The proposal: We would like to have a mini-conference or teach-in on Sunday October 3. We would have two workshop slots, 1-2:30 pm and 2:45-4:15. At 7 pm there would be two speakers, hopefully one Palestinian and one Jewish person. (See our list of ideas below, please add your ideas). At least one of these speakers would have extensive recognition and draw a big crowd. We thought we would have the event at UVM because we could get rooms for free, if we had the endorsement of a student organization. We thought that VTJP would organize the event and we would ask other organizations to endorse the event, which would mean they would help do outreach and help with other tasks. We brainstormed some ideas for speakers; we need more ideas, so think hard!! Amira Haas, Israeli writer, journalist for Ha'aretz Gideon Levy, Israeli writer, journalist for Ha'aretz Noam Chomsky, I don't think he needs explanation Amos Oz, Israeli writer Huwaida Assaf, Palestinian American who helped to find the ISM Gila Svrisky Hisham Malam We also brainstormed some ideas for the workshop slots, these are just ideas and we would love more!! Palestinian economy - how it effects the Israeli economy, in regards to globalization (World Bank, free trade agreements) Palestine and agriculture Linking occupations in Iraq and Palestine The issue of oil and US involvement in the Middle East Torture in prisons in Iraq, Palestine, historically Is criticizing the Israeli government anti-Semitic? We will set a next meeting date for the committee at the next VTJP meeting. Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! 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