JCPA2017

Jerusalem: Shared Spaces - Monday, February 27th 
JCPA's annual conference marked the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem with a session on shared spaces and shared life education in the city.  Civil society leaders, Myriam Darmoni Charbit from the Center for Educational Technology, Mazen Faraj from the Parents Circle, and Father Josh Thomas from Kids4Peace spoke about efforts to bridge divides and strengthen connections among Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. 

Israel Workshop

• Session 1: Monday, February 27th - 10:15am-11:30am
• Session 2: Monday, February 27th - 11:45am-1:00pm

About the Speakers

Myriam Darmoni Charbit
Myriam Darmoni Charbit  is the Director of Civics and Shared life Education, Center for Educational Technology in Tel Aviv, where she leads a team of ten staff members from various groups in the Israeli society. Her work focuses on developing strategies and resources for teachers to nurture civic dialogue in the classrooms and to engage Jewish and Arab educators in Israel into meaningful conversations and joint learning initiatives between theirs schools. CET's programs are based upon strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Education, municipalities such as Jerusalem, Ramleh, Taybeh, Hod Hasharon, Kalansawa and also with Teachers' Colleges.

Mazen Faraj
Mazen Faraj is the Palestinian Co-Director of the Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF).  He joined PCFF in 2002 as both a member and project manager, choosing the path of reconciliation and the belief that it will lead to justice and peace after losing his father, who was killed by an Israeli solider mistaking his bags for something else. A graduate of Georgetown University's Course in Conflict Resolution, he was awarded the Unsung Heroes of Compassion Prize by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2014.  Mazen, a 41-year-old father of 3, lives in Dheishe Refugee Camp, Bethlehem, Palestine.   As a youth, he spent several years in Israeli prison, where he learned about politics, the history of the Middle East and Hebrew informally.    

Father Josh Thomas
Father Josh Thomas is Executive Director of Kids4Peace International, a Jerusalem-based interfaith youth movement serving more than 1,800 Jewish, Christian and Muslim youth, parents, volunteers each year. Kids4Peace’s mission is to end conflict and inspire hope in Jerusalem and divided societies around the world. KidsPeace operates a six-year, year-round program of dialogue and action for youth age 12-18, along with initiatives for parents and young adults, through 8 international summer camps and a network of local chapters in Jerusalem and across North America. Thomas is an Episcopal priest with more than a decade of experience in youth education, interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding. He directed a U.S. State Department Youth Leadership Program for a multi-ethnic group of high school students from Bosnia-Herzegovina before joining Kids4Peace as a dialogue facilitator in 2005. Since his appointment as Executive Director in 2010, Thomas has led Kids4Peace through a period of rapid growth in Jerusalem and at local chapters across North America. Through his leadership, Kids4Peace was recently awarded a research-practice grant by the US Institute of Peace to examine the long-term impact of youth peacebuilding initiatives, with a focus on resilience and social change. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Union Theological Seminary (NY), Thomas has taught religious education, interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding at Emory University and Boston University School of Theology. He currently serves on the Board of the Alliance for Middle East Peace.