On Thursday, June 23rd at the Hilton Garden Inn Dogwood Room we will have our annual Sermon Contest Awards Dinner where this year's winner, Hanan Watson of All Souls Unitarian in New York City, will deliver her winning sermon based on the contest theme "Why are UU congregations reluctant to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how can they overcome this reluctance to help our faith community contribute more meaningfully to the cause of peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians?"  We will provide soft drinks and snacks starting at 5:15 pm followed by a buffet dinner beginning at 5:45 and the presentation of the sermon at 6:15.  Details, including how to reserve seats, can be found here.  We have to inform the restaurant by June 20 how many guests to expect at the dinner, so if you are considering attending but are not definite enough yet in your plans to put down the $5 deposit to reserve a seat, please reply to this email and let us know that there is at least a chance you will attend.  We want to be sure the restaurant will prepare enough food for everyone who ends up wishing to attend!

 

On Friday, June 24 at 1:00 pm in Convention Center 208A we will present our workshop entitled "Budrus: Creating Justice on the Ground in Palestine-Israel", which will include a screening of the stunning and inspiring documentary film Budrus followed by a Q&A session with Nadav Greenberg of Just Vision, the film's production company.  Budrus documents the journey of a Palestinian man who organized a non-violent protest movement against the construction of Israel's separation barrier through his hometown of Budrus in the occupied West Bank, along the way convincing members of both Hamas and Fatah, as well as Israeli Jews and internationals, to join his peaceful protests.  Nadav will also be available in the UUJME booth during the exhibit hall hours on Friday, 11:30 am to 7:00 pm, to answer questions and sell Budrus DVDs, including a special UUA rate for public screening licenses (details to be provided in a later email).

 

At the UUJME booth we will have free literature and displays on the conflict as well as authentic Palestinian handicrafts from Folkart Mavens for sale.  We will also have information on Jewish Voice for Peace's campaign to convince TIAA-CREF, which manages UUA retirement investments, to divest from businesses profiting from Israel's occupation of Palestinian land.  UUJME endorsed the campaign last year.

 

So it's shaping up to be a productive and gratifying General Assembly.  We're looking forward to seeing you there!