**************************************************************** Bustan L’Shalom – a true Jewish-Arab grassroots partnership – will be visiting the DC area May 2-3-4. Bustan speakers will be holding a number of events in the DC areas to raise awareness and funds. The main evening event will be held at Temple Shalom on the evening of May 3rd, 2005. This will be a great opportunity to learn about issues and initiatives not often heard of, from inspiring Jewish and Arab activists. WHERE: TEMPLE SHALOM , 8401 Grubb Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 / 301-587-2273 WHEN: Tuesday, May 3, 7:30 P.M * Light refreshments will be served. Bustan will also be speaking at MONDAY, MAY 2 5:00pm-6:30pm Reception and Presentation at the Peace Cafe / Mimi's American Bistro 2120 P St, Washington DC. Light refreshments will be served (compliments of Anas Shallal/Peace Cafe). There will also be a cash bar for drinks. TUESDAY, MAY 3 12:30-2:00pm Presentation at the Palestine Center 2425-35 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037, Tel. 202 338 1958 Light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP for this event at info@palestinecenter.org *********************************************** Soil, Separation and State: A Bedouin and Jewish Story BUSTAN is a partnership of Jewish and Arab eco-builders, architects, academics, and farmers promoting social and environmental justice in Israel/Palestine. BUSTAN cultivates sustainable models to effect change by combining advocacy and in-depth political analysis with strategic action. BUSTAN utilizes the principles of permaculture and non-violent direct action across ethnic divides. BUSTAN speakers will discuss "Development" and the impact of "Making the Desert Bloom" in the context of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Negev, the southern region of Israel populated by Bedouin and Jews, is plagued by divisions: there is a fierce demographic war with Jewish settlers relocating to the area, a public health crisis from rampant industrial expansion, and disproportionately high rates of unemployment, crime, and drug abuse. Beyond camels, coffee, and carpets, Israel’s exoticized Bedouin minority has been divided by geopolitics and tribalism, and is striving to withstand the forceful currents of urbanization and modernization. Under the auspices of development, state-land use, stringent planning and zoning, and selective resource allocation, Jews and Arabs in the Negev are deeply divided. Presenters’ Biographies DEVORAH BROUS is the founder and director of Bustan. She has spent the past 12 years organizing projects in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories to struggle against the Occupation, and to promote fair allocation of public resources. Devorah holds masters degrees in Israel Studies and Peace/Conflict Studies, with a concentration in conflict management. Her thesis involved researching Israeli/Palestinian land claims, as well as the political and strategic impact of environmental policy in the region. Most recently, Devorah designed and orchestrated the Medwed Project, a program which culminated in the construction of a solar-powered, straw-bale medical clinic in the “unrecognized” Bedouin village, Wadi el Na’am, to serve its 5,500 citizens. She is the Israeli coordinator of the Compassionate Listening Project and serves on the Board of Directors of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, where she manages annual rebuilding projects. She has authored numerous articles and poems about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and performs spoken word. Devorah resides in Jerusalem. DR. SALMAN ELBEDOUR has been researching, speaking, writing, and teaching about the Bedouin educational system in Israel as well as the psychological impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Israeli, Palestinian, and Bedouin youth for over a decade. Dr. Salman Elbedour serves as the coordinator of the Urban School Psychology program at Howard University, School of Education, Washington, DC. He is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychoeducational Studies. He received his Ph.D in Clinical School Psychology from the University of Minnesota, holds an adjunct faculty position at Birzeit University in Ramallah, and taught for many years at Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva. Dr. Elbedour taught graduate and undergraduate courses for seven years in Ben-Gurion University, and Berzeit University (West-Bank). He served as a school psychologist for six years in Bedouin Arab schools and as a director of a center of children at risk in the city of Rahat, Israel. He has published extensively on social, political, health and identity issues related to Bedouin of the Negev and Palestinian communities. DR. KHALIL ABU RABIA founded the Arab List for Bedouin and Villagers, a Knesset faction that is currently a part of the United Arab List, in 1973. He served as Secretary of the Bedouin List until 1981. Abu Rabia has been at the forefront of the Bedouin rights movement for 35 years working with the Forum for National Consensus, Peace Now, and Gush Shalom. Abu Rabia has a PhD in Islamic Law and is currently a lecturer and researcher on subjects including Bedouin Muslim Law, the Relationship Between Traditional Islamic law and Secular State law, and Spiritual Aspects of Bedouin Land Rights. Khalil is a professor of Middle East Studies at Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College, a researcher at the Chaim Herzog Center, and resides in Beer Sheva. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Please contact VICTOR MILLER @ cri@ix.netcom.com (301-346-6501) or ADINA FRIEDMAN @ mppdirectors@yahoo.com (703-725-2926). ***RSVP for this event is not required but would be helpful for planning purposes*** _________________________________________________________________ Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/