Palestinian to Speak at KI April 17

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, professor, author, humanitarian and founder of The Daughters for Life Foundation, will be in Los Angeles April 16 through 19 to speak on civil  discourse in Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University, Kehillat Israel and UCLA. All events are free and open to the public.
Abuelaish will address “Facing Life’s Challenges” in the first of three lectures on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Loyola Marymount.
He will talk about  “A Journey of Hope-Faith, Spirituality and Tolerance” on Wednesday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. at Kehillat Israel, 16019 Sunset Blvd.
On Thursday, he will discuss “Perspectives on Peace, Health and Hope: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey from Personal Tragedy to a Search for Peace and Human Dignity” at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. reception) at UCLA’s Broad Art Center auditorium.
Before joining the University of Toronto, Dr. Abuelaish was a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist at the Soroka University Hospital in Beersheba, Israel. As the first Palestinian physician to be selected for a residency and then employed by an Israeli hospital, he devoted his life to articulating his unique position on the two sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He has committed himself to using medicine as a tool to bridge the gap of social understanding and humanity between Israelis and Palestinians and has worked in numerous countries for over 20 years.
After losing three daughters and a niece to a stray Israeli shell in 2009, Abuelaish created The Daughters for Life Foundation that provides awards and scholarships to female students of any nationality and religious affiliation to study at universities in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Canada.
The lectures are sponsored by The UCLA Younes and Soraya Center for Israel Studies, Loyola Marymount University, CLUE-LA, a multifaith association of over 600 religious leaders throughout Los Angeles County who come together to respond to the crisis of the working poor, and Kehillat Israel.
Contacts:  Matt Davidson, director of programs and marketing at Kehillat Israel at (424) 214-7454 or e-mail mdavidson@ourKI.org.