A Day in the Life of a Fleischman Resident Promoting Peace Out Trips Boce ,v1, _ () Ivo WSU professor honored for starting grassroots Israeli-Palestinian talks. Gift Shop ,Wii Bowling Keri Guten Cohen Story Development Editor ookin4 Cam Library Religious Services I Yiddish Class Kosher Meals 161 C./41 teciad 6w/ /1 Intergenerational Programs Nosh Nook Animal and Plant Therapy Shopping Movies P h.e,e13' • Assistance in Living....Aba e and Beyond • Personal Care Assistance • Safe, Secure Environment • Medication Administration • Respite and Guest Rooms • Health Clinic • Laundry, Housekeeping and Transportation Daily, Shabbat and Holiday Services in our Synagogue Recreational, Educational, Cultural & Spiritual Programs Fleischman Residence/ Blumberg Plaza 6710 West Maple Road, 'West Bloomfield Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus For more information, contact: Tracey Proghovnick, LMSW Director of Information ‘inci Referral 248-661-1836 a residence of JEWISH SENIOR LIFE 16 Februan 24 2311 www.jslmi.org 1.1p Federation of //lett opol itan Detroit WE'RE PART OF THE TEAM sraeli Sapir Handelman, a visit- ing professor at Wayne State University's Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (CFPCS) and the Lentz Fellow in Peace and Conflict Research, is the co-laureate of the 2010 Peter Becker Award for Peace and Conflict Studies. The Peter Becker Award of Philipps- University Marburg (Germany) is given in recognition of work and projects that pro- mote scientific knowl- Sapir edge on the formation, Handelman progression and man- agement of conflicts and that enable or carry out the practical implementation of conflict management. Handelman will accept the award in May. "This award is an affirmation of the hard work and dedication that Sapir has shown toward furthering people-to-people grassroots diplomacy between Israelis and Palestinians," said Fred Pearson, CFPCS director. After earning his doctorate at Tel Aviv University, Handelman spent a year in Germany and then went to Harvard University for post-doctoral work. A Peacemaking Model At Harvard, he began developing dif- ferent peacemaking models. While a visiting professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, he presented his Minds of Peace Experiment (MOPE) and began holding dialogues there. "MOPE is a small-scale, Israeli- Palestinian public negotiating congress designed to demonstrate the peace- making power of a major public nego- tiating congress, evaluate its potential outcomes and get support for a poten- tial accord;' Handelman explained. "In May 2009, Professor Fred Pearson helped us to organize one round of MOPE in the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Wayne State University, where he is the director. The center is one of the few institutions in the world that focuses, specifically, on the study of peace and conflict!' He came to WSU in Detroit in 2009 and was asked to stay another year, through the 2011 academic year. He teaches one course per semester and spends the rest of his time doing research and developing MOPE as well as writing books about the topic. "We also are working to develop international master's programs in Peace Education and Peace, Security and Diplomacy,' he said. "The programs involve WSU and partner academic institutions in Israel. If we will succeed to establish the programs, I will share my time between Israel and Detroit/WSU." The MOPE initiative has been conducted 11 times — seven times at major universities in the U.S. and Canada and four times in Israel/ Palestinian Authority in Beit Jala near Jerusalem, one of the few places where Israelis and Palestinians can meet without special permission. 5 Israelis, 5 Palestinians At the dialogues, five Israelis meet five Palestinians to discuss, debate and negotiate solutions to their conflict. They have five sessions to reach a peace agreement. "The negotiations are conducted in front of an audience, which is invited to participate in the peacemaking process at the end of each session:' Handelman explained. Each mini-congress suc- ceeded to reach at least one agreement. "The critical issue is hidden in a side effect that each round succeeded to cre- ate — peace coalitions',' Handelman said. "The various rounds of the MOPE showed clearly the potential of small public negotiating congresses to create grassroots peace coalitions. The coali- tions are built from the negotiators and the audience. The glue that connects the peace coalitions is not necessarily love or altruistic motivations, but a deep under- standing of the importance of negotia- tion, debate and critical discussion. "The question now is how to trans- form these peace coalitions into a mass movement that can culminate in the establishment of a major Israeli- Palestinian public negotiating congress." To that end, a MOPE session this summer will be expanded to 20 Israelis and 20 Palestinians. Handelman lives on the WSU cam- pus with his wife, Yael, who is a profes- sional classical singer, and their daugh- ter, Avia. I I To see a video of a MOPE session or to make donations to expand the initiative, go to www.mindsofpeace.org .