Workshop with Veteran Speaker Anna Baltzer: Educating Your Community About Palestine!



Have you been to Palestine but never quite figured out how to use your experience to affect real change?

Or do you feel frustrated and ill-prepared when confronted with opposition and difficult questions?


Or do you feel ready to speak but don't know who will listen?



Please join us on Sunday, August 30 for a training on educating others about Palestine!


“When I first returned from Palestine, I had acquired a wealth of knowledge and experiences that I was desperate to share with others, but I didn’t know how to design and deliver a presentation, and I didn’t know who would listen.”(2005)

- Anna Baltzer, now a Full-time Lecturer & Speaker-Trainer, having given more than 400 presentations about Palestine (with invitations multiplying after each event!)


Communities all over the United States are increasingly looking for people to speak about what is happening in Palestine, but there aren’t enough effective and known speakers to go around. People like Anna end up turning down most invitations! The American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights (AAPER), in partnership with award-winning presenter, Anna Baltzer, proposes to fill that gap by offering US citizens comprehensive training on how to speak to and educate their communities about the situation in Palestine. By empowering US citizens to share their knowledge and personal stories, we can create a national movement of citizen educators who, together, can educate their fellow Americans (either publicly or in private settings) and encourage them to take action in support of the rights and dignity of the Palestinian people.


Trainer: Anna Baltzer, www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com (bio below)

Suggestion: Review her DVD before the workshop if you haven't heard her speak.

Where: 203 Wisconsin Ave.

Madison, WI 50703

Parking details: www.fumc.org

When: Sunday, August 30

5:30 pm for potluck dinner

6:30-9:30 pm for the training (please arrive by 6pm in case we start early!)

Cost: Suggested donation of $10-$25 (nobody turned away for lack of funds)

Goals: To Provide Participants With...

1. Increased Confidence in Speaking About Palestine

2. An Outline for Their Presentation

3. Practice Responding to Common & Difficult Questions

4. An Action Plan for Finding Venues & Organizing Events

5. If Time Permits, a Written and Practiced Introduction

Materials Provided: A Detailed Booklet Containing...

1. Tips on Presentation Structure & Delivery

2. Key Talking Points

3. Tough Questions & Respective Sample Answers

4. Sample Outreach & Organizing Supplies

5. CD of Sample Presentations, Photos, & Original Maps to Use


SPACE IS LIMITED - RSVP! If you are interested in attending the speakers training, please contact Joan Deming at (608) 241-9281 (home/office), (608) 235-1046 (cell), or by email at jdeming7@gmail.com. For more details about the training, contact Sarah Scruggs at AAPER by phone: (202) 683-8438 or by email at scruggs@aaper.org



Testimonials from Past Speaker Trainees:


Anna’s seminar was superb, measuring up to the high standards set by her own public speaking. The truth is that Anna has so many wonderful qualities to share that anyone who is interested in Israel-Palestine cannot help but benefit greatly from this opportunity. I cannot recommend Anna enough as a speaker, consultant or workshop facilitator. Participants will learn a lot of new information, have fun, and gain an elevated understanding of how to communicate their new knowledge to others with compassion and clarity.”

—Rich Forer, author of upcoming book on Israel/Palestine: Breakthrough

“The best thing I took away from Anna's inspiring speaker training workshop was confidence. She made me realize that I knew much more about Israel/Palestine than I gave myself credit for. I especially found useful the time we spent practicing answering the most common ‘hostile’ questions. About a month later I made my first presentation to a group of community college students. They were receptive and appreciative that I—along with my co-presenters—spoke from the heart. Now I want to develop other local speakers to present on this issue.”

— Susan Shuurman, co-founder of the Coalition to Stop $30 Billion to Israel


"Anna is the consummate nonviolent warrior who is vibrant, passionate, courageous and totally committed to peace and justice in Israel/Palestine. Her film, "Life In Occupied Palestine," was one of the primary motivating factors for me to visit Palestine in 2008 and to discover the truth of the conflict for myself. Anna's transition from being a speaker herself to empowering others to tell their truth means that instead of having just a small group of passionate and courageous voices there could—and will—be hundreds more."

— Will Covert, Board of Directors, Veterans for Peace - San Diego


Anna Baltzer is a Jewish-American Columbia graduate, former-Fulbright scholar, the granddaughter of Holocaust refugees, and an award-winning lecturer, author, and activist for Palestinian rights. As a volunteer with the International Women's Peace Service in the West Bank, Baltzer documented human rights abuses and supported Palestinian-led nonviolent resistance to the Occupation.Baltzer has appeared on television more than 400 times and lectured at more than 300 universities, schools, churches, mosques, and synagogues around the world with her acclaimed presentation, "Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos," and her full-color book: "Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories." Baltzer most recently returned from a trip through Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, documenting Palestinian life in the diaspora. For information about Baltzer's book, DVD, speaking tours, and eye-witness reports, visit www.AnnaInTheMiddleEast.com

Chicago: Arab Heritage Month 2009


Arab Heritage Month (AHM) is a commemoration of Arab-American contributions to the quality of life in the US and in the City of Chicago. November AHM is an opportunity for the community to showcase those contributions as well as the rich Arab culture, unique heritage, and deeply rooted traditions and customs of the Arab World. Mayor Richard Daley has proudly recognized the significant contributions Arabs and Arab-Americans have made to our city in the fields of medicine, science, technology, business and education.

In celebration of AHM 2009, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Advisory Council on Arab Affairs* will create a special online calendar (www.chicagoarabheritage.org) featuring community-sponsored programs and events designed to educate Chicagoans about Arab history as well as issues facing Arabs and Arab-Americans.


Please join us in our effort to promote AHM 2009 by planning an event that focuses on some of the issues facing Arabs and Arab-Americans or by highlighting a particular aspect of Arab culture. By participating in AHM programming, you can make a positive impact on the City's efforts to promote understanding and respect for Americans of Arab descent.


If you would like to submit an event for the AHM 2009 calendar, please complete the attached event description form and submit it by October 2, 2009. For more information, please contact Ken Gunn at 312.744.1545, kenneth.gunn@cityofchicago.org or email the AHM Planning Committee at info@chicagoarabheritage.org.

Freebie: Flat Rate Boxes

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is giving away supplies of Flat Rate Boxes. Go to prioritymail.com/boxes12 to receive a free supply of Flat Rate Boxes.

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