Two Houston Quakers Visit Israel / Palestine

Ever wonder how the $10 million we give to Israel every day is used? Can there ever be peace in Israel / Palestine? What should America’s role be there?

Two Quakers have recently returned from an interfaith delegation to Palestine and Israel. They will share photos and stories from their experiences after staying with families, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and non-governmental organizations and experiencing life on both sides of the separation barrier.

Come and join us, experience life today in the area and learn about the struggles and hopes for the region.

Two Quakers from Live Oak Friends Meeting in Houston have recently returned from an interfaith delegation to Palestine and Israel. They and twenty-eight other participants from the United States, Canada and the UK had the unique opportunity to hear directly from Palestinians and Israelis regarding the role of the United States in the pursuit of a just peace. The US government is the most dominant international player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Bridget Lois Jensen is a second-generation Houstonian with a family history of service to the people of the city. Believing that Houston’s diversity is an asset only if the various communities develop relationships with one another, she became involved in interfaith and cross-cultural activities with such organizations as Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston and the Center for the Healing of Racism. About her trip, Ms. Jensen says, “Though peace through political means has been elusive, I witnessed a visceral hope in the people we met who are living in the midst of the conflict. I saw how their resiliency, courage, and commitment to preserving human dignity feed this hope and inspire individuals from various countries who accompany them. I too have been inspired and I want to share their stories and my experience so others will want to join this community of hope.”

Alex McDonald is an entrepreneur and a Quaker committed to the American values of freedom and equality. Having been a student of the Israeli / Palestinian conflict for many years, Mr. McDonald is grateful to have had the opportunity to see first-hand the implications of U.S. policies and to be able to separate fact from fiction in what we hear in the news. He thinks that the images from the trip will speak for themselves.

Bridget and Alex will share photos and stories from their experiences after staying with families, meeting with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and non-governmental organizations and experiencing life on both sides of the separation barrier.

Come and join us, experience life today in the area and learn about the struggles and hopes for the region.