INCARCERATION, DETENTION, & POLITICAL PRISONERS
May 21 - June 3, 2016
Co-Sponsored with American Friends Service Committee
Leaders: Joseph Berman & Cathy Sultan
This delegation will explore Palestinian and Israeli efforts to achieve peace with justice. This specific delegation will include meetings that delve deeper into the issues of detention and incarceration, the Israeli military court system, and political prisoners - including meetings with organizations like Addameer, Defense for Children International Palestine, and New Profile.* The delegation will also feature meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders of civil society groups, grassroots organizers, religious leaders and more.
*As with all IFPB themed delegations, meetings pertaining to the specific theme amount to an average of about 20% of all meetings and the overall emphasis remains with exploring the social and political realities in the region in general. Thus, any addition of a theme will not change the overall delegation itinerary greatly.
To learn more about the standard components of all delegations, click here.
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DEADLINE TO APPLY: Please apply by February 1, 2016 to ensure we’ll have space and be able to arrange your flight. Our last several delegations have filled up several months before departure, so please apply as soon as possible to reserve your space. If you’ve missed the deadline, we might still be able to add you, but please contact us ASAP to see if this is a possibility.
Download Application for the Delegation Here
Leaders
Rabbi Joseph Berman is the Government Affairs Liaison for Jewish Voice for Peace. Joseph has organized for justice and equality for Palestinians and Israelis for over a decade, including a number of years when he lived in Israel/Palestine. Joseph was ordained by the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Boston in 2010. After ordination, he served a congregation in Revere, Massachusetts, worked as a chaplain in elder care institutions, and co-founded Ruach Guild, a skill development and support group for activists who provide spiritual care to social justice leaders, movements, and organizations. Joseph lives with his partner Sarah is Silver Spring, Maryland.
Cathy Sultan lived in Beirut, Lebanon with her Lebanese husband and two children from 1969 to 1983. In March 2002, Cathy traveled to Jerusalem and the West Bank for the first time to interview Palestinian refugees, scholars, Israeli soldiers, teenagers, teachers, businessmen and peace activists. Those interviews compose the material for her first book: Israeli and Palestinian Voices: A Dialogue with Both Sides. A third and up-to-date version of this book was just published in March 2015. Cathy has also penned two books on Lebanon: A Beirut Heart: One Woman's War and Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006. Her newest work, The Syrian, a political thriller, was released in October 2014. Prior to joining IFPB, she sat on the Executive Board of the National Peace Foundation where she coordinated programs designed to educate members about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Cathy led IFPB delegations in 2008, 2009 and 2010 and traveled to Gaza in November 2012 with an IFPB delegation.
Logistics
The cost of the delegation will be around $2500. This includes 13 days of the delegation, hotel and home stay accommodations, breakfasts and dinners, local transportation, guides, speaker/event fees, basic tips and gratuities. Partial scholarships may be available for those with demonstrable need.
The cost does not include domestic and international airfare. Interfaith Peace-Builders works with a local travel agent in Jerusalem to secure the best group rates for the delegation to travel together on the same flight from Washington, DC to Israel/Palestine. Therefore, delegates do not need to book their own international airfare.
Photos from Past IFPB Delegations