Dear Sustained Dialogue participants and important supporters,

A year of progress is ending, as more and more people worldwide are moving beyond the illusion that governments alone can invent a future that works for all.
We see change across generations but mostly in the youth -- a new breed of young women and men of excellence who refuse to be enemies.
     Who insist on crossing over obsolete lines, taking one another's hands, and never again letting go.

---

     In this Season of Light, see how the growing public peace process is coming into the light, expressed through:
1.  MUSIC
2.  DRAMA
3.  AWARDS
4.  CEREMONY

Let each of us be a Carrier of Light -- dedication, good spirit, confidence, courage and creative ideas for others.
     Never forgetting that stars are brightest and best seen when the night is its darkest.
- L&L

---

1.  MUSIC

Eighty handsome Holy Land youth -- 40 Jewish, 40 Palestinian -- gathered on stage to sing beautifully and let us "Imagine" what life will look like soon down the road.  See and listen at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYoVDCBSxFk

2.  DRAMA

Teens of Peace Child Israel -- http://www.mideastweb.org/peacechild/ -- create original stage productions to bridge to one another and enact a new future for themselves.
     Palestinian Lulu, and Jewish Israeli Hadas,with other teens  of Peace Child Israel  cross the lines to meet for the first time, while BBC-TV lets you see 7-1/2 minutes of their experience, at:

http://www.actv.co.il/mail.asp?movie=http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ClipMediaID=85597

     In September 2005, Peace Child Israel, shepherded by Melisse Lewine-Boskovich ( MLB@pci.org.il ), sent 14 youth and parents to the largest ever -- 140 participants and staff -- Palestinian-Jewish Family Peacemakers Camp near Yosemite National Park in California, described at:

http://traubman.igc.org/camp2005.htm

3.  AWARDS

The Montreal Dialogue Group in Quebec, Canada grew from 40 in 2003 to 150 in 2005, shepherded by Jewish RonitYarosky (RYarosky@sympatico.ca) and Palestinian Muslim Nada Sefian ( Nadacharif@yahoo.com ).  They also receive e-mail at
mtldialogue@sympatico.ca .
     They were recently awarded the 2005 Montreal YMCA Canada Peace Medal, thus joining the ranks of other inspiring organizations and individuals who have committed their lives to peace on both local and international levels.

---

Ronit Avni ( Ronit@justvision.org ) and Joline Makhlouf (Joline@justvision.org ) of JustVision -- http://www.justvision.org -- dedicate themselves to using the Web and film to tell the stories of courageous Palestinians and Jews who defy cultural and physical borders, as well as taboos, to build bridges to one another.
Joline and Ronit were recently featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show among "Women Across The Globe" who make a difference:

http://justvision.com/Oprah.pdf

And Ronit received Auburn Seminary's  "Lives of Commitment Award"  for women "whose lives demonstrate a powerful commitment to the common good."

4.  CEREMONY

     Adults and youth converged in Palo Alto, Calif. last Sunday, 4 December 2005, for the Third All Bay Area Palestinian-Jewish Dialogue Season of Light Gathering.
Photos and a pre-event TV news interview can be seen from the top of page:

http://traubman.igc.org/light2005.htm

In education and ceremony, it was to launch the new year together, and to celebrate this past 2005 year of unprecedented 30-plus public outreach successes, described at the bottom of page:

http://traubman.igc.org/dg-prog.htm

The eldest of the six local Sustained Dialogues is 13-years-old, preparing for its 163rd meeting and still learning.