Source: The Dayton Daily News
Three women from the Middle East — a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew — are in the midst of a nationwide speaking tour that brings them to Dayton next week for a series of lectures and dialogues.
The three speakers — Lucy Talgieh, Julia Chaitin and Enas Muthaffar — are the key figures in "Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision," a project sponsored by the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group, Partners for Peace.
"They're coming to Dayton to tell their stories," said Melinda Thompson, a Partners board member traveling with the women. "Much of our media doesn't cover the voices they bring; the voices of three ordinary, yet extraordinary women."
Talgieh is a Palestinian Christian who serves as project director for the Wi-am Center for Conflict Resolution in Bethlehem. Chaitin was born in the U.S. but immigrated to Israel in 1972. She is senior lecturer at Sapir College in Kibbutz. Muthaffar is a Palestinian Muslim and an independent filmmaker living in Jerusalem.
Thompson said the women had never met prior to embarking on the tour.
"They arrived in the U.S. at different times but have gotten to know each and have shared their stories," Thompson said. "It's a wonderful experience because they speak at colleges, universities, churches and mosques and get feedback from the different communities being represented."