Thursday September 16
6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m

Topanga Peace Alliance presents:

A Forum on Building Peace in the Middle East.

Topanga Peace Alliance (TPA) will host representatives of Israeli, Palestinian and American organizations who are working for peace in the Middle East. A live, high-speed video link will allow individuals in Israel and around the country to participate in the forum and answer questions from the audience in Topanga.  The forum will offer tangible and immediate actions as well as long-term steps that people in Los Angeles can take to help build bridges to those actively seeking peace in the Middle East. 

The evening’s participants include Americans for Peace Now (Shalom Achshav), the most prominent American and Israeli Jewish grassroots organization working to achieve a political settlement to the conflict; LA Jews for Peace, a group of Jewish Americans committed to peace in the Middle East through a negotiated settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands; the American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights, which promotes the human and national rights of the Palestinian people from here in the United States; the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions USA, which provides the U.S. public with current information and analysis of what’s happening “on the ground” in Israel/Palestine; and Gush Shalom, which works to influence Israeli public opinion toward  peace and conciliation with the Palestinian people as well as overall peace between Israel and all Arab countries. 

This is an extremely heated, politicized and often polarizing issue with a multitude of historical perspectives and varying ideas on how to best create a lasting peace. Limited coverage in our mainstream media has led to an incomplete discourse about U.S. policy toward Israel and Palestine. Many Americans, and in particular American Jews, feel they are unable to speak out against the militarism-driven policies of the Israeli government without being considered anti-Jewish.  We in the U.S. lack information about the multitude of organizations and people of conscience, including Israelis and Jews, who are working for peace.  

The TPA seeks to increase awareness and share opportunities for action and education in Israel and Palestine and to bring to the larger community stories of those who are working for peace, justice, and nonviolent solutions in the region. This forum is an opportunity to learn how we can join an international community of peace-minded folks who are speaking out and taking action. Speakers will report on their work to heal the current situation in the Middle East, followed by a facilitated question and answer session open to all, focused on actions and solutions. 

In this forum, the TPA wants to create an environment of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, where all peaceful voices can be heard and appreciated. Please note the forum takes the place of September's monthly TPA meeting, which would normally be held on Friday, but has been moved to Thursday in consideration of Yom Kippur. 

Please join us to enjoy a lovely Middle Eastern potluck reception at 6:30 p.m
and stay for the program which will begin at 7:15.

If possible, attendees are asked to bring a dish or non-alcoholic drink to share.

The Topanga Community House is located at 1440 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Topanga CA 90290

There is no admission charge for this event, but donations will be gratefully accepted. 

With this forum, TPA launches the first in a series of forums
and dialogues on building peace in the Middle East. 

For additional information about this forum, please contact: Simone Richmond