wfn.org | Scholarships Available for Presbyterian Middle East Peace Seminar

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

4-November-1997 
97417 
 
    Scholarships Available for Presbyterian 
    United Nations Office Middle East Peace Seminar 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
NEW YORK--Scholarship money is available for a Presbyterian United Nations 
Office seminar titled "Peace in the Middle East: A United Nations Agenda," 
to be held March 4-6, 1998, in New York. 
 
    The seminar, co-sponsored by the Office for the Middle East and 
Southern Asia, will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about 
and discuss Middle East issues. 
 
    Scholarship money is being offered to assist the first 50 registrants 
who include a personal statement of financial need with their registration 
form. For more information on the seminar and available scholarship money 
or for a registration brochure, contact the Presbyterian United Nations 
Office, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, or phone (212) 
697-4568. 
 
    Three major faiths -- Jewish, Muslim and Christian -- have lived and 
struggled in the Middle East throughout history. Empires, crusades, 
colonial impositions and wars have shaped the psyches of its people and 
religious communities. Until recently, the Middle East was caught between 
the competing ideologies and designs of the superpowers. Subsequent 
pressures for democracy and development have raised new complications, 
often cast as a conflict of civilizations. Since the founding of Israel in 
1948, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a dominant factor, 
influencing all else in the region. The unique U.S. relationship with 
Israel has also been a shaping force. 
 
    Seminar participants will examine the broad issues of the Middle East, 
particularly as they are impacted by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
Through briefings by U.N. and mission personnel, participants will also 
explore the roles of the United Nations, the United States and other 
parties involved in the conflict and will strategize for education and 
advocacy on the basis of the positions established by the General Assembly 
of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 
 
    The registration deadline for the seminar is Jan. 23, 1998. The fee for 
the seminar is $130, which includes most meals, briefings, resources and a 
tour of the United Nations. Accommodations are in nonsmoking double rooms; 
the cost is $130 each for a double room (includes hotel stay for Wednesday 
and Thursday nights) or $260 for a single room. The hotel is located in 
midtown Manhattan and is within walking distance of the U.N. 
 
    The Presbyterian United Nations Office is part of the Presbyterian 
Peacemaking Program, Congregational Ministries Division, Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.), and is funded by the annual Peacemaking Offering. 

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