Israel and Palestine

Wednesday, July 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Israel and Palestine Up-close and Personal.

A presentation and discussion with Paul Rehm, a Christian Peacemaker Teams member recently returned from the West Bank. The Pastoral Center, 40 North Main Avenue in Albany. "They come in the middle of the night, some with blackened faces, all with automatic weapons....Who are they, these men and women who steal food and clothing meant for students, orphans and needy families in Hebron, who raid and destroy bakeries that make the bread for the orphans’ breakfast? They're Israeli soldiers who came in a rumbling convoy of jeeps and trucks during early morning hours of the last day of April.” ~ Paul Rehm

Sponsored by Pax Christi of Schenectady, New York

Iraqi refugees in the Capital District

We received the following message from Women Against War:

Dear friends, On July 20th, Sunday afternoon, Women Against War's Iraqi Refugee Project will hold a welcome/fundraising event for the Iraqi refugees recently relocated to our area. It will be held at the Islamic Center for the Capital District in Colonie. Details will follow.

There are now eight families in our area, and we're expecting an Iraqi student to begin his studies at Union College in the fall as part of the national Iraqi Student Project. They all have very concrete needs, as well as the need to be welcomed and befriended as they find their way in a new country, especially after the trauma they've lived through . This event will be an opportunity to meet our new neighbors and to begin raising funds for them.

Albany Catholic will provide more details as they become available.

The Castle

The cast of Off-Broadway's The Castle will give a special performance for New York State legislators in Albany on Monday, June 16, 2008. All are welcome to attend this free event.

New York State Senator Tom Duane has invited the company to perform the autobiographical work, which sheds light on the stories of incarcerated individuals and their journeys beyond. The Castle will be presented at 6:00 PM in the Empire State Plaza Building (Concourse Plaza level), Meeting Room #6. Admission is free, but seating is limited. RSVP with Mark Furnish in Senator Duane's office at (518) 455-2452.

David Rothenberg conceived and directed The Castle, which features previous incarcerates Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrington, Angel Ramos and Casimiro Torres, who tell their own true-life stories. The production officially opened at New World Stages April 27.

The Off-Broadway production and its title are inspired by the resident home run by The Fortune Society in upper Manhattan. The dramatic work features personal accounts of formerly incarcerated individuals and their re-entry into society.

Since its launch 40 years ago, The Fortune Society has been developing model programs that help the formerly incarcerated to successfully re-enter their communities. The Castle serves as The Fortune Society's resident program for 60 men and women.

Inspired by the 1967 Off-Broadway prison drama, Fortune in Men's Eyes, The Fortune Society was founded by former theatre publicist David Rothenberg. Among the services offered are supportive housing, career development, job retention, substance abuse treatment, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS services, education, family services and drop-in services as well as ongoing access to aftercare.

For more information visit the fortune society.