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AV Graduates 40 Students from Bay Area Unity Programs—Five Years and Counting!
On Sunday, June 13, Abraham’s Vision graduated its fifth consecutive class of Unity Program students in a ceremony held at the University of San Francisco (USF). Friends, family, and supporters gathered to watch the 40 Bay Area Unity Programs students recount their experiences and celebrate the completion of the intensive, 10-month program. Keynote speaker and President of USF Father Stephen A. Privett delivered a powerful speech to the graduates and attendees, emphasizing the importance of personal commitment to social activism.
2009-10 Unity Programs Bay Area Students Final Group Process
On Sunday, May 2, Unity Program students met at the University of San Francisco for their final six-hour group process. The Program’s Co-facilitators allowed the conversation to organically progress from questions of identity to more controversial subjects, such as prejudice and inter-communal conflict. The day's discussions highlighted some of the disagreements between and within different sub-groups and communities represented by the Unity Program students, one of the many components of this unique course (constructive disagreement is ok!). The group process ended on a high note with strong feelings of accomplishment expressed by students and staff alike.
VP Alumnus Fadi Quran Shares His Powerful Story with Stanford University Jewish Community
On Sunday, May 16, Vision Program Alumnus (‘08-09) Fadi Quran spoke to students in the Koret Pavilion of Stanford University’s Hillel. As a part of “The Other Side,” a Stanford discussion series, Quran spoke to a Jewish-majority audience about growing up as a Muslim Palestinian in the West Bank. Despite on-campus tensions between students identifying with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the last few years, this was the first time a Palestinian student spoke to a group of Jews at Stanford University about living under Israeli military occupation. On Monday, May 24, “The Other Side” series held a follow up discussion focusing on policy issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as methods of advocacy. The events were co-sponsored by Campaign Restore Hope and Invest for Peace. |
AV Runs Program with World Acclaimed Author Reza Aslan and Peabody and Emmy Award Winner Gideon Yago
On April 21, at 6pm, an audience of approximately 70 gathered to hear former MTV News host and Peabody and Emmy Award winning journalist Gideon Yago debate the possibilities for peace in Israel-Palestine with renowned author and commentator Reza Aslan (who is also a founding member of AV’s Board of Directors). With AV Co-Executive Director and USF Professor Aaron Hahn Tapper as moderator, Aslan and Yago tackled many controversial topics related to the Middle Eastern saga. As the audience raised contentious and difficult subjects during the Q&A, Aslan and Yago proved their prowess by approaching the challenging queries with sharp and compassionate acumen. All proceeds from the debate went to AV. A video of the event will be available soon on the AV website.
2009-10 Vision Program Final Conference
From March 26 to 28, the 2009-2010 Vision Program students came together for their final conference of the 10-month fellowship. Coming together from across the country, participants reunited to discuss how they will continue to spread the message of social justice and conflict transformation beyond the AV community. Held in San Francisco, the three-day conference included group process sessions as well as lively discussions and presentations on potential social justice projects participants will employ in their home communities. AV would like to thank all the 2009-2010 Vision Program participants for their commitment to our collective vision. We have now graduated 70 students from this intensive program, and have reached an additional 8,000 individuals through student presentations!
AV Runs Workshop with World’s Largest Group of Jewish Clergy!
On March 9, Co-Executive Directors Huda Abu Arqoub and Aaron Hahn Tapper held a workshop on American Muslim-Jewish Relations for 32 Rabbis participating in the bi-annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). The day-long workshop was held at the Islamic Society of San Francisco, where participants, hailing from all over the country, delved into core issues of Muslim-Jewish relations. Participants discussed challenges to intra- and inter-communal relations and tangible ways to bridge those divides. In addition to a text study led by Abu Arqoub and Hahn Tapper, Unity Program Co-Facilitators, Co-Educators, and a Unity Program student spoke about their experiences bringing together Muslim and Jewish high school students. Click here to read about an article on the conference.
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