Ordinary Life in the West Bank of Palestine

Presenter: Wendy Kaufmyn

An audio-visual portrait of the routine, ordinary (and not so ordinary) life of Palestinians in the West Bank ranging from checkpoints and roadblocks to family life, weddings and babies. Wendy draws upon her experiences living in Palestine, working with children and also with various Human Rights organizations since 2002.

A Brief History of Palestine/Israel

Presenter: Wendy Kaufmyn

This informative presentation takes you through the highlights of the history of Palestine/Israel. It starts at the end of the 19th century with early Arab Nationalism and the Zionist movement and proceeds through the evolution of the State of Israel, through Israel's wars and subsequent occupation of Palestinian land. It lays a solid groundwork with which to understand the current situation and conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Revisiting Myths

Presenter: Wendy Kaufmyn

This presentation goes through some of the commonly accepted myths surrounding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and examines where the truth lies.

A Semitic History

Presenter: Greg Beshouri

A brief history of Semitic People based on the Bible and other sources dating from Abraham through the 19th century. Provides context to the claims of various peoples to the land of Palestine.

Bio of Presenters

Wendy Kaufmyn grew up in the Jewish community in Detroit, MI. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering she went to UC Berkeley for a masters degree. As a graduate student Wendy had a spiritual awakening and felt the need to address injustice in the world. In addition to teaching engineering at City College of San Francisco, she has been involved in various social justice issues since 1983. Since 2002 Wendy has spent five summers working in Palestine with various human rights organizations as well as with a children's summer camp in the village of Deir Ibzi'a in the West Bank. She is a co-founder of the Friends of Deir Ibzi'a, a non-profit that works to provide scholarships to students.

Greg Beshouri is the son of an Assyrian Catholic Iraqi immigrant.  He was deeply affected as a child on family visits to the Middle East where he was exposed to the Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon. Greg has a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan and a masters degree from UC Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering. He is the president of an Engineering Consulting company. He also has a passion for bible study and is an amateur biblical scholar. 

Greg and Wendy have been married for 26 years.