How did a West Bank Orthodox rabbi settler and a proud Palestinian activist come to hold each other’s truth in their hearts and work for reconciliation on one land? Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Noor A’wad, both of whom have been profoundly impacted by decades of ongoing violent conflict in the thin strip of disputed land that both call home, will share their personal journeys towards understanding and working with “the other” in a dramatic and moving presentation, which will be offered locally twice. The public is invited to these free events: the first will be on Wednesday, February 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, 900 Madison Ave in Albany, and the second will be offered on Thursday, February 29 at 10 a.m. at the Muslim Community Center, 21 N. Lansing Road in Schenectady. Free parking is available at both venues.

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Noor A’wad are peacemakers touring the United States representing Roots/Shorashim/Judur (www.friendsofroots.net), an Israeli-Palestinian grassroots initiative for understanding, nonviolence and transformation, strategically located in the Gush Etzion-Hebron area of the West Bank, a region that frequently experiences the pain of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sponsors of this event – including the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany’s Nigel Wright Fund, Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Church of St. Vincent de Paul’s Louise de Marillac Fund, and Capital District members of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom – believe that the story of Roots and these speakers will demonstrate the power of dialogue and offer listeners more nuanced views of this divisive, painful topic. Additional supporters include Unity of Albany, the Story Circle of the Capital District, and Rabbi Debora S. Gordon.