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24 | October 18, 2018 | Malibu surfside news life & arts
malibusurfsidenews.com
EcoPeace shares its message with Malibu
Speakers provide
perspective on
water crisis in the
Middle East
Barbara Burke
Freelance Reporter
We live in an era of proposed
trilateral solutions
for problems attributable
to complicated Middle East
politics, incessant conflict
and climate change.
On Oct. 6, the Malibu
Jewish Center and Synagogue
hosted representatives
of EcoPeace, a
nonprofit organization independent
of governmental
influence and composed
of experts and volunteers
from Israel, Jordan and Palestine
who focus on intercultural
cooperation to create
sustainable solutions to
water crises throughout the
Middle East and beyond.
“Water knows no borders,
it flows over them,”
MJCS Rabbi Michael
Schwartz said. “It is the
source of life.”
Water, however, does not
flow freely for all inhabitants
of the Middle East.
“We have a water crisis
in the Middle East that is
fermenting,” said Gidon
Bromberg, Israeli co-director
of the organization.
“Gaza is ready to blow and
should pandemic disease
break out there because
of water and sewage issues,
it could ignite an explosive
situation and the
genie would be out of the
bottle and we could not put
it back in. Instead of approaching
the border with
weapons, the world would
see women and children
toting buckets desperately
begging for water, a vision
no one wants to see.”
Bromberg and Munqeth
Mehyar, co-director
of the organization, were
in the United States to accept
Stanford’s 2018 Bright
Prize for Environmental
Sustainability.
Schwartz gave a Torah
reading, focusing on Bereishit,
Genesis 1, and discussed
the creation of the
world and the text’s reference
to an establishment of
an expanse between water.
Although tenacious tensions
between countries in the
Middle East create divisive
chasms, the reality is that
all nations affected by the
water crisis must cooperate
to find solutions. Perhaps,
the panelists and Schwartz
postulated, necessity can
engender peace.
Taking on the issue
In light of the Jordan
River crisis, EcoPeace
built water sewage treatment
plants and developed
shared strategies through
cooperation by all affected
nations. EcoPeace further
advocated for cooperatively
resolving water-related
conflicts and trying to implement,
in whole or part,
the Jordan Valley NGO
Master Plan community
programs.
Today, Bromberg said
EcoPeace is responsible
for infrastructure improvements,
including ongoing
efforts to rehabilitate the
Jordan River as well as the
Dead Sea, which is at risk of
dying because it is not being
fed by the river.
“Water links all sectors
in all nations and problems
related to the water and energy
needs have brought us
together despite our differences
so that we can seek
real solutions,” Mehyar
said. “Today, 96 percent of
the mighty River Jordan is
not flowing, as it has been
relegated in part to a creek
that is very polluted and has
high salinity and therefore
we bring representatives of
all three nations together
in an effort to highlight the
demise and the loss.”
Mehyar, whose work
focuses on both regional
water and energy issues,
noted that instead of divisive
dissension, there could
be a symbiotic relationship
between Israel and Jordan
regarding resources.
“Jordan has strength in
the solar sector, whereas
Israel has a strong water
system,” he said. “If Israel
could buy energy from Jordan
and Jordan could buy
water from Israel, this independence
would provide a
strong base and could serve
as a catalyst for peace,
akin to what happened in
Europe after World War II
where decimated nations
had their economies rebuilt
using coal and steel industries
to further peace.”
EcoPeace currently
maintains offices in Amman,
Bethlehem and Tel
Aviv.
“The presentation was
very enlightening and the
organization’s mission of
trying to unite a region that
is politically complicated is
impressive,” said attendee
Stuart Cohen. “If Arabs,
Jews and Palestinians
could connect through cooperation
regarding water
and energy, that would be a
great step.”
A new audience
While in Malibu, Mehyar
and Bromberg also held a
forum at Sorenity Rocks
in Malibu where they further
addressed solutions to
water crises and focused
on healing facilitated by
EcoPeace in a conflict-torn
region.
“In part of the Jordan
River, sewage no longer
pollutes the environment
because EcoPeace has built
a new sewage treatment
plant,” Bromberg said as he
played the “Jordan River
Love Song” by Friends of
the Earth Middle East Water
Trustees, EcoPeace’s
predecessor organization.
The song features Israeli,
Jordanian and Palestinian
youth singing along the
banks of the Jordan River
and is augmented by beautiful
pictures of special
spots in the region. The
song conveys EcoPeace’s
central thesis: Everyone in
the Middle East needs to
work together so that water
is shared fairly and peacefully.
Bromberg also displayed
pictures of local mayors
swimming across the Dead
Sea, a feat he said was accomplished
for the first
time in history because the
swimmers wore special
masks to prevent salt from
entering their lungs. The effort
is one example of Eco-
Peace facilitating colloquy
and collaboration between
community leaders in Israel,
Palestine and Jordan.
For more information
on EcoPeace, visit ecope
aceme.org.
Faith Briefs
St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church (28211
Pacific Coast Highway, 310-457-7966)
Harvest of Hope Fundraiser
3-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21.
Join for live music, food, a
wine tasting, a silent auction
for gifts, and more, all benefiting
St. Aidan’s charities.
Visit www.staidanschurch.
org to purchase online advance
tickets ($45) or purchase
on the day of the event
for $50. Call (310) 457-7966
for more information.
The Women’s Circle
6:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Oct. 24. The group meets
in the Parish Hall for salad
and a book discussion.
Sacred Yoga
7:15-8:15 p.m. Thursdays.
Class with Liz
Krystofik.
Contemplative Worship
8 a.m. Sundays
Traditional Worship
10 a.m. Sundays
Martial Arts
4-7 p.m. Mondays,
Wednesdays, Thursdays.
Class with Kurt Lampson.
Sunday School
10-11 a.m. Sundays.
Our Lady of Malibu Church (3625 Winter
Canyon Road, 310-456-2361)
Al Anon Meeting
6:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19.
Meet in Okoneski Room.
Centering Prayer
8:30 a.m. second and
fourth Thursdays
Learn About Catholicism
This group meets on Sundays
and shares stories of
faith and community. Contact
the rectory office for
meeting times.
AA Meetings
6:30 p.m. Mondays,
Sheridan Hall.
Narcotics Anonymous
7:30 p.m. Tuesdays,
Sheridan Hall.
OLM Book Club
6:30 p.m. Second Tuesdays.
This club meets to
discuss short stories.
Morning Bible Class
10:30 a.m.-noon Thursdays,
Lower Conference
Room.
Men’s AA Meetings
6 p.m. Fridays, Okoneski
Room.
Malibu United Methodist Church (30128
Morning View Drive, 310-457-7505)
Malibu Music Nights
6:30-9 p.m. third Saturday
of the month. Malibu
artists (from established
musicians to students)
will perform in the courtyard.
To perform, or for
more details, email devon
meyersproject@gmail.
com.
Prayer and Healing Circle
7-8 p.m. Tuesdays. A
non-denominational gathering
of like-minded people
united in different forms of
focused prayer and healing
modalities. Featured speak-
Please see faith, 29