Voices from Jerusalem: Meet Bahia Aweida at Jerusalem Shabbat, July 29th

On Friday, July 29, Sixth & I teams up with counselors and facilitators from Kids4Peace International for a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Scott in which residents of Jerusalem share their narratives of everyday and not-so-everyday life. To get more information or to RSVP, click here.

Bahia Aweida is a Palestinian educator in Jerusalem, where her family traces its roots for multiple generations. She completed her undergraduate studies as a biology major and also earned a Master’s degree in education. Besides Arabic (her native tongue), she speaks English, Hebrew, French, and Spanish.

Bahia joined K4P in 2014 as a Muslim advisor. She sees K4P as a center for coexistence in Jerusalem. She believes that K4P is about empowering young people in the hope that it will lead to a better and more peaceful future through providing them with the understanding, relationships, and skills needed to positively impact society and the relationship between Palestinians and Israelis.

Voices from Jerusalem: Meet Fr. Josh Thomas at Jerusalem Shabbat, July 29th

On Friday, July 29, Sixth & I teams up with counselors and facilitators from Kids4Peace International for a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Scott in which residents of Jerusalem share their narratives of everyday and not-so-everyday life. To get more information or to RSVP, click here.

Fr. Josh Thomas is Executive Director of Kids4Peace International.  He is an ordained Episcopal priest and has served as a congregation pastor and university chaplain in Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, and New Hampshire. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Union Theological Seminary and has taught advanced seminars in interfaith education and peace-building.

Josh joined Kids4Peace as a volunteer dialogue facilitator in 2005 and now leads the global organization.  Before Kids4Peace, he organized a high school youth exchange for students from Bosnia-Herzegovina, funded by the US State Department. He currently serves on the Board of the Alliance for Middle East Peace.  Thomas is based in Washington, DC.

Voices from Jerusalem: Meet Nadine Soudah at Jerusalem Shabbat, July 29th

On Friday, July 29, Sixth & I teams up with counselors and facilitators from Kids4Peace International for a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Scott in which residents of Jerusalem share their narratives of everyday and not-so-everyday life. To get more information or to RSVP, click here.

Born and raised in Jerusalem to a Christian family,  Nadine was brought up to believe in peace and coexistence which was not the majority’s belief. Having been born near the end of the First Intifada and living through the Second Intifada influenced Nadine’s childhood. 

Despite the harsh childhood, at a young age, her parents enrolled her in many interfaith programs. Participating in interfaith programs was not always an easy decision.  In 2008, Nadine participated in a super congress which was held in India with 4000 other youth from different regions of the world. In 2012, she participated in another congress in Hungary with 12,000 youth from around the world.

In June 2015, Nadine received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Soon afterwards she decided to take a master’s program in biomedical sciences. Nadine joined Kids4Peace as a Christian advisor four years ago. She has worked with the leadership youth for the last three years. Nadine believes that in order to achieve world peace, one should achieve inner peace first. For her, volunteering in K4P gives her that inner peace.   

Voices from Jerusalem: Meet Liana Rothman at Jerusalem Shabbat, July 29th

On July 29th, Sixth & I teams up with counselors and facilitators from Kids4Peace International for a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Scott in which residents of Jerusalem share their narratives of everyday and not-so-everyday life. To get more information or to RSVP, click here.

Born and raised in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Liana Rothman grew up in a liberal household and was taught at an early age that Judaism should be a personal and deep experience. Growing up, her family often identified as ReConservaDox (Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox), choosing what resonated most with them and working towards a spiritual and open-minded way of life. At the age of 17, Liana took off on a gap year of traveling and volunteering in various parts of the world, and eventually ended up in Israel, where she attended Tel Aviv University. Liana moved to Israel full-time in the fall of 2013, and has been living there for three years. She spent summer of 2014 (during the Gaza War) in Jerusalem staffing a Jewish/Arab summer camp called Project Harmony.  This June she received her Bachelors in Liberal Arts, with a major in Middle Eastern Studies and a minor in Psychology. Liana joined the Kids4Peace team as an advisor in the fall of 2014 and has worked with these youth for the last two years. Next year, Liana will be joining the Kids4Peace office staff as K4P’s community organizer.