Our Committee:

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Susan Abulhawa

Susan lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is the author of The Scar of David, a historic novel about Palestine, and contributing author to several anthologies.

Susan is also the founder of Playgrounds for Palestine, an international NGO dedicated to upholding the Right to Play for Palestinian Children.
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Steven Beikirch

Steven lives in Iola, Texas and works at an electric power station for a local electric utility.

Steven became involved with Palestinian issues at the beginning of the Second Intifada and has visited Palestine in May 2003 and December 2004. During his second visit he spent time in the West Bank village Al-Walajah where he became acquainted with several residents of the village. He has kept in touch with his friends in Al-Walajah who keep him apprised of the goings on in the village.

During that same visit on Christmas Eve Steven had the opportunity to meet with Israeli "prisoner of conscience" Mordechai Vanunu. Mordechai has been living under the sanctuary of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem since his release from Israel's Ashkelon prison. Later that day Mordechai was arrested by Israeli authorities while attempting to visit the Nativity Church in Bethlehem where he planned to attend Christmas services.
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Henry Herskovitz

Henry is a 40 year resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan

Graduate of University of Michigan, College of Engineering, BSME, 1969

Visited Iraq in April, 2000. Toured Baghdad and Basra hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches, through Life for Relief and Development, humanitarian visit. Visited Israel/Palestine in January 2002, met with educators, religious leaders, Knesset leader, Human Rights organizations, both Palestinian (HDIP) and Israeli (B’Tselem) Human Rights groups. Visited Israel/Palestine again in December 2002, worked with International Solidarity Movement – 3 weeks in Balata Refugee Camp. Started action group: "Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends" August, 2003, which has been conducting weekly vigils at local Conservative Jewish synagogue continuously since that time. Returned to Palestine in April, 2005 as part of an 8-person delegation representing Michigan Peace Team, again worked with ISM and Christian Peacemaker Team. Took part in events at: Deir Sharaf, Bil’In, Qawawis (Bedouin village), Balata Refugee Camp, Dimona Nuclear Bomb plant, Al-Walaja, Hebron.
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Michelle J. Kinnucan

Michelle lives in the Seattle, Washington

Michelle's writing has previously appeared in CommonDreams.org, Critical Moment, Palestine Chronicle, Arab American News, Electronic Intifada, Palestine Think Tank and elsewhere. Her 2004 investigative report on the Global Intelligence Working Group was featured in Censored 2005: The Top 25 Censored Stories (Seven Stories Pr., 2004) and she contributed a chapter to Finding the Force of the Star Wars Franchise (Peter Lang, 2006).

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Deir Yassin Remembered Scholarship — 22066 FM 244, Iola, TX 77861 — Email: steveb@suddenlink.net

Committee members

Steven Beikirch (chair)	Susan Abulhawa
Henry Herskovitz	Michelle J. Kinnucan