[lit-ideas] Seeking Peace in a Troubled Land

This came to me and since Ben has scouts on Mondays, I may not be able to 
attend (priorities, priorities...<sigh>) but it would be interesting.

I have not read what Hedy wrote in the St. Louis Post about her experience in 
Palestine, but in discussing with her some more on the topic as I drove her 
last week to another program, she talked about how she used to wonder about the 
people who did not do anything to assist the Jews in Germany (this question 
gets asked alot at her programs--if she has been able to forgive them--and she 
talks about the people in her village who were her 'parents best friends' and 
who always act surprised that anything 'bad' [like the rounding up of the Jews 
for the trains] ever happened--for they were unaware of it.  [she says she had 
no idea that her parents had so many best friends...]

She told me that until she went to Palestine she always wondered if SHE would 
care enough to be willing to be killed for injustice.  With what happened to 
her over there, she now konws she is willing for she grieves so much over what 
is happening over in Israel... (she is 79 years old...that both gives me hope 
and patience-that priorities thing again-)

On a lighter note, I used Border's Book Store educator's discount of 25% this 
past weekend (they count librarians as educators--isn't that nice?).  I have 
started a once-a-month sort of introduction to libraries/storytelling thing at 
a local behavioral disorders hospital-center for teens.  One of our local 
storytellers/therapists who uses stories in the Michael Meade fashion will 
share stories for a half hour to one group while I talk about history of 
storytelling/why and how to use stories/libraries/books/booktalks to another 
group. Then we switch and do the same to the other group.  We were fortunate in 
that they have split the groups according to sexes so that makes it both easier 
and more difficult for us (yes, at the same time <g>)  

I had decided to use the Center's library instead of my own library's 
collection [none of the staff wanted to be responsible for the books checked 
out by the kids and it would be complicated to do this for each child without a 
computer handy...).  Their collection is pretty pitiful, so it was difficult to 
find things that would be of interest to this YA age group.

The poor girls got stuck with hearing about my favorite series of all times: 
the Betsy-Tacy books.  (I was really tempted to tell the Center I'd replace 
their three old copies of this series which was in their library with three new 
copies as I know how much one can buy/sell them on ebay and the like <g> but 
refrained...)   

and I don't think that they staff was very sure about my talk but the books 
really are magical.  

What books affected each of you as a child--and which books were magical and 
that you would share to someone?

I passed around a copy of the Betsy-Tacy Society's latest journal and told 
about the last B-T Convention which I had gotten to go to and then talked about 
the 'hair cutting chapter' in Betsy-Tacy and Tib...and afterwards one of the 
staff said that maybe the appeal was that in those days kids got in trouble for 
hair-cutting and now it is body-piercing... [we all have such diverse 
interests, don't we <g> How many of you have daughter who like the Little House 
books or American Girl books, anyway?]  

What made me happy, though, was three of the kids asked if I would get them 
more copies as they would like to read the series.  So, I have three sets for 
those three girls. Who knows how they may change their lives?  It's such a 
little thing to do, this talking about favorite books, and then providing them 
for someone--but it really is grand.  

Okay, that had nothing to do with my posting on this troubled-land, but I 
thought I'd share anyway!

Warmly,
Marlena in Missouri

Forwarded:
CJME is proud to host a frank and open discussion
on the most critical peace issue in the Middle
East -- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Three area residents will present their
observations -- Hedy Epstein, a Holocaust survivor
from St. Louis, traveled to the West Bank for
three weeks in December 2003 and Dr. James Kenney,
CPA and Ginger Kenney, from Mission, Kansas, who
have been to the Middle East five times, most
recently in March 2004 on a fact-finding
delegation with the Interfaith Peace Builders.

- Hedy Epstein, traveled to the West Bank with
three other women from St. Louis for three weeks
in December. They stayed with Palestinian
families, participating in two demonstrations ? in
Masha Gil Na'amti, a young Israeli, was severely
injured by live bullets and one of the women was
hit by a shrapnel in her leg and near Der Beilut,
where they were "showered" by a water cannon. They
visited the Wall in Qalqilia, spoke with Israeli
soldiers and visited the Salim Shawamreh family
whose home has been demolished four times. Hedy
visited the Memorial, near Jerusalem, for the
80,000 Jews deported from France, among them
members of her family.

- Dr. James Kenney, CPA and Ginger Kenney are
active members of the Quaker faith and local
representatives of the Friends Committee on
National Legislation. Jim served as a Presbyterian
minister for twenty years. They took their first
trip to Israel in 1976. Subsequent trips worked
with Palestinian and Israeli peace groups such as
Christian Peacemaker Team, which promotes
"standing in the way" between occupiers and
occupied in hopes of reducing violence or
oppression.

The above event is free to the public and is
sponsored by the Citizens for Justice in the
Middle East.

- Where: Village Presbyterian Church, West
Fellowship Hall, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie
Village, Kansas - When: Monday, April 5, 2004,
7:00 p.m. - More information on the event: web -
http://www.cjme.org/seekingpeace.htm; phone -
816-524-3905; email - info@xxxxxxxx - Event flyer
- print and post -
http://www.cjme.org/flyers/flyer-april5.pdf

Here is what Hedy Epstein wrote in a February 17,
2004 St. Louis Post-Dispatch opinion piece: - "It
is impossible to visit Israel these days without
being aware of the constant threat posed by
terrorists. Suicide bombs kill and maim innocent
persons riding in buses or taking a meal in a
restaurant. We Jews who survived the Shoah know
all too well that the intentional targeting of
civilians is illegal and immoral. So I grieve the
loss of life in Jerusalem from the suicide bombs.
But I also grieve the loss of life in Palestine,
which occurs almost on a daily basis. So I went to
Palestine as a member of the International
Solidarity Movement to observe the difficult
conditions of daily life under military
occupation."

Information about Citizens for Justice in the
Middle East: - Kansas City-based Citizens for
Justice in the Middle East seeks to educate the
American public about the issues involved in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to end U.S.
support for the Israeli occupation of the
Palestinian territories. - Composed of Kansas City
area citizens concerned about the direction of
U.S. policy in the Middle East, Citizens for
Justice in the Middle East urges ordinary American
citizens to speak out in favor of an even-handed
U.S. policy in the Middle East that recognizes the
rights and aspirations of both Israelis and
Palestinians. Only by respecting the need to
provide both parties in the conflict with security
and self-determination can a viable and just peace
be assured.

-------------------
This is the Citizens for Justice in the Middle
East (CJME) email list. Please forward this email
to friends and others interested in receiving
information about future events and activities. -
To join the email list, go to
http://www.cjme.org/emaillist.htm - To unsubscribe
from the list, reply to this message with
"unsubscribe" in the subject line.

.
_____________________________________________________
Marlena Boggs                 mboggs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adults Services Specialist    816-836-5200
Mid-Continent Public Library  http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us

------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html

Other related posts: