Join ICPJ for this special event featuring long-time peace activist and disarmament advocate, Andrew Lichterman!

A Nuclear Free Middle East
Sunday, March 14th
6:30 potluck (feel free to bring an item to share)
7:00-8:30pm speaker and discussion
Temple Beth Emeth/ St. Clare’s Episcopal (2309 Packard St., Ann Arbor)

• What is the role of nuclear weapons in today’s world?
• What are the prospects for disarmament?
• What are the current nuclear weapons issues in the Middle East?

Hosted by ICPJ’s Common Ground for Peace in Israel/Palestine and NOW: No Weapons, No War Groups. For more information, call (734) 663-1870 or email lkthams@gmail.com. Free and open to the public. Join us!

About our speaker: Andrew Lichterman is a lawyer and peace activist based in the San Francisco Bay area. As a lawyer, he has represented peace and environmental activists in a variety of settings, and also taught law at alternative law schools for many years. In recent years his work has focused on the purposes and impacts of U.S. nuclear and other strategic weapons programs, including their effect on global disarmament efforts, and on the relationship between nuclear technologies and the global economy. He is a member of the Global Council of the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons and a member of the boards of the Oakland, California based Western States Legal Foundation and of the Los Alamos Study Group, an Albuquerque, New Mexico based disarmament organization. Andrew is being brought to Ann Arbor through the Bring it Back, Take it Forward Conference happening April 12-14 (see www.bringitbacktakeitforward.org).

Update: On Feb. 11th, over 50 community members of different faiths and backgrounds joined us for a screening of Journey into America, a documentary about the current experiences of American Muslims. Following the film, Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR-MI (Council on American-Islamic Relations) spoke about the recent shooting of the Detroit Imam and about current protocols regarding the usage of confidential informants in houses of worship to entice or entrap congregants. Listen to the audio of his presentation here. You can also take action on this issue by writing a letter to your Congresspeople. You can print and sign this sample letter or write your own.

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One year ago the peace movement was jubilant at the election of a new administration. One year after a new administration came to office, where does the peace movement see itself?

A panel of community leaders and peace activists from ICPJ task forces will discuss the policies and actions of the administration of the past year and the effect on the peace movement. Panelists will focus on ICPJ’s issue areas including climate change, Latin America, hunger, Israel/Palestine, war and disarmament, and racial & economic justice.

Date: Wednesday, January 20th
Time: 6:30-8:30pm. Join us for dessert and coffee/tea at 6:30pm, followed by panel speakers and discussion.
Location: Church of the Good Shepherd (2145 Independence Blvd., Ann Arbor). 

For more information, call (734) 663-1870 or email info@icpj.net.  Free and open to the public. Join us!

Download the poster to help spread the word. Continue Reading »

http://mejdi.net/diplomacy/

ICPJ’s Common Ground group is considering a tour to Palestine and Israel potentially in May 2010 and is inviting you to be a part of this process. The tour would be led by Arab and Jewish partners equally, and is designed to accomplish three goals at once:

1. Educate tour participants in two narratives equally as they seek to understand and play a constructive role as global citizen diplomats and peacemakers.
2. Support local, fair-wage businesses in the marketplaces we will visit.
3. Network with local peacemaking organizations to determine the most effective way for participants to assist in the promotion of peace in the area.
4. Return to our community with a renewed ability to engage in effective action for peace on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

These tours have been co-created by Rabbi Dr. Marc Gopin, a recognized figure in conflict resolution, and Aziz Abu Sarah, a leading Palestinian peacemaker. Dr. Gopin was one of the three main speakers at the Morikawa Conference in Ann Arbor a year ago. Their organization, The Middle East Justice and Development Initiative will conduct the tour. For more information see www.mejdi.net/diplomacy.

We envision the tour as a way to unite a diverse interfaith team by sharing a powerful experience with the hope that, through this experience, team members will develop mutual understanding and build common ground.  We look forward to releasing a renewed energy and a sense of how to better engage our respective communities in common action in support of a just and mutually beneficial peace in Israel/Palestine.

Would you like to be involved in this effort? Please review the options below, and contact Grace Kotre – email gracek@icpj.net or call (734) 663-1870 – to let us know how you’d like to be a part of this effort!

1 — Attending the trip - able to cover costs on your own (or with your own personal fundraising). Timing and trip itinerary will be determined by those attending.

2 — Attending the trip – NOT able to cover costs on your own (will need support in fundraising and possible scholarship). We cannot guarantee there will be any scholarships, but it is something we will continue to look into together.

3 — Sending us contact information for people you know who might have interest in this trip. (This is a great way to help out if you can’t go yourself!)

4 — Helping to provide funding for the trip. If you or your organization is able to offer funds in any amount for this special trip opportunity (outside of any regular giving to ICPJ), it would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if this is something you’d consider to allow others to attend.

Thanks so much for your support and interest in making this important work possible.

As America assesses its future role in Iraq, it is important to hear the voices of Iraqis in the discussion. Iraqi Refugees Speak is a panel discussion given by Iraqi refugees here in Michigan in which they share their  experiences of life both in Iraq and in the United States as well as their hopes for the future of both countries.

Thursday, October 22, 7:30 p.m

Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, 1420 Hill St., Ann Arbor (map, Parking structure at 650 S. Forest Ave.).

Free and open to the public. Details: 734-663-1870, info@icpj.net. Download the poster and help spread the word.

Rev. Reid Hamilton's opinion piece against toture apeared in The Record, the newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan.

The Record, the newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan, published an editorial by Reid Hamilton that ICPJ helped to get posted.  It’s a good article, give it a read…

Torture is a Terrorist Tactic
by Reid Hamilton, Chaplin of Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan Continue Reading »