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| SCLC PRESIDENT STEELE, ALONG WITH 50 OTHERS, REVISITS ISRAEL THIS WEEK ON A HOLY LAND TOUR.
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Atlanta (June 25, 2005) - Earlier this week, in an ongoing effort to encourage
people to put themselves face to face with history, to look to the dream of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., and to go back to their roots, a delegation of nearly
50 people, including members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC), traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel with the SCLC in the first of many
upcoming planned trips to the Holy Land.
The tour, which is complementary of Unitours, EL AL Israeli Airlines, and the
hosting hotels, includes such amenities as roundtrip flights departing from New
York on EL AL Israeli Airlines; modern, air-conditioned buses for sightseeing;
six nights accommodations in first class hotels; full Israeli breakfast and
buffet dinner at the hotels daily; English speaking, government licensed
guides; all entrance fees to sites visited; and all airport taxes, and
transfers from/to airport in Israel.
- Among one of the many stops slated for the trip, is a visit to Dimona, Israel,
which is scheduled for Sunday, June 26, 2005. Dimona is the desert town that
is the site of the very first international SCLC conflict-resolution center,
the Ben Ami Institute for a New Humanity. The Institute for a New Humanity
offers courses, counseling and training in resolving differences within
families, and between communities, faiths and nations. The premise of the
institute is based upon the principles, which inspired Dr. King and will
provide the state of Israel with a platform of leadership development in
today’s ever-changing world. In the wake of the Israeli government’s
negotiations with the Palestinian Authority at Sharm-El Sheik, coordinators see
possibilities for an expanding role in bringing stability to the region.
- Other scheduled stops include such historical sites as Jaffa (the biblical port
town), Mt. Carmel, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan Valley, Jerusalem, and the
Dead Sea, to name a few.
- “It’s a New Day and a New Way!” says SCLC National President Charles Steele.
“SCLC is operating under a renewed vision and agenda, which encompasses civil
and human rights for both our brothers and sisters in America, and our brothers
and sisters in distant and foreign lands. Under the philosophy and vision of
our founding father, Dr. King, we are seeking to establish the ‘beloved
community’ that he often spoke about and diligently advocated.”
“Dr. King was an international icon among activists for human rights and
champion of non-violent tactics in pursuit of social and spiritual change,”
continues President Steele. “During a visit to Israel as part of a
congressional delegation in September 2004, I saw King’s vision in practice
among the daily lives of the Hebrew Israelites in Dimona. Now it is time for
SCLC to foster and bring about opportunities for those who believe in the
principles of nonviolence and brotherhood espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., to join us in our mission. The Holy Land is a good place to start in
exploring our rich history, common legacies, and dreams for a more peaceful and
harmonious future.”
The tour, which began on Monday, June 20, will conclude on next Monday, June 27,
2005. It is the goal of the SCLC to take 144,000 people to Israel by the year
2007.
For more information, please contact:
The SCLC National Office at 404-522-1420 ###
The SCLC is a nonprofit, non-sectarian, inter-faith, advocacy organization that
is committed to non-violent action to achieve social, economic, and political
justice. The SCLC consists of local chapters and affiliates from around the
country that supports the mission of the national organization, and work in
their own communities to implement programs such as voter registration,
improvement of education and direct action against racial injustice.
Established in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights
leaders, the SCLC is dedicated to promoting human rights throughout the United
States and abroad.
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