NCEIS

&

The University of Melbourne Centre for Jewish History and Culture

Present

Event: Inter-Faith Dialogue on Peace in the Holy Land

With Delegates from the Inter-Religious Coordinating Council in Israel

Chaired by Dr Dvir Abramovich

Date & Time : Wednesday Aug 12 2009, 1-2pm

Venue: Theatre 2, Economics and Commerce Building

Dr Deborah Weissman was born in New York and settled in Jerusalem in 1972. She holds a BA from Barnard College and an MA from New York University, both in sociology, and a Ph.D. in Jewish education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her main field of academic research is the social history of Jewish women’s education.

A prize-winning Jewish educator, Debbie has had extensive experience in both formal and informal Jewish education, both with Israelis and with Diaspora youth and adults. For nine years, she was the director of a teacher-training institute for Israeli high school teachers. Prior to that, Debbie worked for twelve years at the Hebrew University, primarily in the Melton Centre for Jewish Education and the School for Overseas Students. Other affiliations in the past have included the Pardes Institute, the Hartman Institute, the Institute for Training Jewish Youth Leaders from Abroad, and the education branch of the Israel Defence Forces. In the 1970s, Debbie was one of the founders of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education. For many years, she has developed a specialization in teaching about Judaism to Christians.

Outside of the professional realm, Debbie was one of the founders and is still an active member of Kehillat Yedidya in Bak’a, a modern Orthodox synagogue that has excellent neighbourly relations with its Reform and Conservative neighbors and hosts multi-faith groups from throughout the world. Other interests include religious feminism and interfaith dialogue, both locally and internationally. She is currently Co-Chair of the Inter-Religious Coordinating Council in Israel, as well as President of the International Council of Christians and Jews (the first Jewish woman to be elected to that post in the Council's more than sixty-year history).

Issa Jaber is the Director of Education of the town of Abu Ghosh, just west of Jerusalem. He is a veteran educator and interreligious activist in Israel. He has lectured for the Education branch of the IDF on issues facing the Arabs in Israel, and served as a facilitator for Education for Arab-Jewish Coexistence in the Knesset.

Mr Jaber has an MA in Political Science & Public Administration from Ankara University, Turkey, and a Certificate in Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has also served as the principal of Abu Ghosh High School.

Rula Shubeita is a Christian Arab Palestinian from Jerusalem who works primarily as a tourist guide with Christian pilgrims from many countries and from diverse denominations.  This is a profession and a ministry that she engages in to share with Christians from around the world the background of the Christian faith that started in the Holy Land as well as information about the people of the Holy Land, including two peoples – the Jewish People and the Palestinian People – and three religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In addition, Rula has participated in ICCI's Women of the Book Dialogue group and frequently speaks to visiting interreligious delegations to Israel along with other members of ICCI.