Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center Presents: Learning to Listen to Israeli and Palestinian Stories

Chicago, IL, September 19, 2010 --(PR.com)-- As Israeli and Palestinian officials resume direct peace talks over the coming year, listening, more than talking, may be the key to their success or failure.

This discussion will highlight the challenging and often contradictory stories Palestinians and Israelis shared with a 24-person interfaith delegation. Betsy Fuchs, a member of Evanston’s Beth Emet The Free Synagogue, will relate the stories she heard as a participant in the 26th Compassionate Listening delegation that visited Israel and the West Bank.

“The presentation emphasizes that we don't have to agree with each other, but we can learn to experience and accept the strong emotions that we feel when we hear others who have strong opposite views,” Betsy explains. The evening will include an opportunity for the audience to practice Compassionate Listening skills through a discussion of the stories and peace-building efforts.

When: Saturday, October 2nd, 4:30-6:30pm

Where: Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center,
1220 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657

Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center is a non-profit educational institution, founded in 1985, offering training in Seido Karate, Self-Defense and Violence Prevention, and fitness for men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds. Meditations on Activism was inspired by an impromptu meditation class held at Thousand Waves after the September 11th attacks. The Meditations on Activism series seeks to link individual and community experiences to events in the larger world and to deepen understanding of violence around the globe. The series aims to draw connections between our lives and the causes of and solutions to violence, and provides a spur to discussion, reflection, and action. For more information, please visit www.thousandwaves.org.

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