Borah Symposium Speaker
18 April 2005

Biography 

A bilingual, highly decorated Artilleryman, senior executive and human resources generalist, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire is an outspoken leader for the 21^st century. General Dallaire served in the Canadian Forces in a series of increasingly demanding command and staff appointments before retiring after over three decades of service. 

Upon his return from serving as Force Commander of the UN mission to Rwanda, (UNAMIR), for which he was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross, he served as Commander of the 1^st Canadian Division and Deputy-Commander of the Canadian Army. 

Promoted to Three-Star General, he was appointed to various senior positions within the Department of National Defence including Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources Military). 

He continues to assist the Canadian Forces and Veterans’ Affairs Canada in matters related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). General Dallaire was medically released from the Armed Forces in April 2000 due to PTSD. 

He is a visiting lecturer to a number of United States and Canadian universities and has written several articles on Conflict Resolution and Humanitarian Aid/Human Rights as well as on the subject of Leadership. He is now Special Advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency and to the Minister of International Cooperation on War-Affected Children and Advisor to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on the Prohibition of Small Arms Distribution. He has also received a Fellowship at the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy, Kennedy School of Government, at Harvard University to pursue his research in conflict resolution. 

He is a member of the Veterans Affairs Canada – Canadian Forces Advisory Council, the Minister of National Defence’s Education Advisory Board, the Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada, and the Canadian War Museum Advisory Council. 

Lieutenant General Dallaire has been has also been awarded the United States Legion of Merit and invested in the Order of Canada, one of Canada’s highest honors. He was also honored as the first recipient of the Aegis Award on Genocide Prevention from the United Kingdom. He has been named a Fellow of Ryerson Polytechnic and has received Honoria Causa doctorates from Sherbrooke University, University of Western Ontario, the Royal Military College of Canada, McMaster University, University of Cape Breton, York University and Queen’s University. 

He is married and is the father of three children. His recently released book, Shake Hands With the Devil, is an account of his experience as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission to Rwanda and exposes the failures by humanity to stop the genocide, despite timely warnings. The book became a bestseller in Canada in 2003 and is set for US release in 2004. In addition, the producer of the Oscar award winning Bowling for Columbine plans to make a movie of Dallaire's life story.

Borah Symposium Speaker
20 April 2005

Ms. Jody Williams is an eloquent and outspoken advocate for peace and human rights issues.   The founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), she is one of only ten women who have received the Nobel Peace Prize and only the third woman from the U.S. 

She has overseen the growth of the ICBL to more than 1,300 NGOs in over 85 countries and served as the chief strategist and spokesperson for the campaign.  Working in an unprecedented cooperative effort with governments, UN bodies, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the ICBL achieved its goal of an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines during the diplomatic conference held in Oslo in September 1997.  Ms. Williams now serves as Campaign Ambassador for the ICBL, speaking on its behalf all over the world. 

She has written and spoken extensively on the problem of landmines and the movement to ban them.  She has spoken in various fora, including at the United Nations, the European Parliament, and the Organization of African Unity.  Ms. Williams co-authored a seminal study, based on two years of field research in four mine-affected countries, detailing the socio-economic consequences of landmine contamination.  She has written articles for journals produced by the United Nations and the ICRC, among others. (See Articles and Statements.) 

Prior to beginning the ICBL, Mrs. Williams worked for 11 years to build public awareness about U.S. policy toward Central America. From 1986 to 1992, she developed and directed humanitarian relief projects as the deputy director of the Los Angeles-based Medical Aid for El Salvador. In that capacity she developed a network of hospitals in 20 cities across the U.S. that donated medical care to Salvadoran children wounded in the war in that country. From 1984 to1986, she was co-coordinator of the Nicaragua-Honduras Education Project, leading fact-finding delegations to the region. Previously, she taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Washington, D.C. 

Williams has a Master's Degree in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (Washington, D.C., 1984), a Master's Degree in Teaching Spanish and ESL from the School for International Training, (Brattleboro, Vermont, 1976), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont, 1972).

Biography 

A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Rabbi Forman moved to Israel over thirty years ago. As the former Director of the Israel office in Jerusalem of the Union for Reform Judaism, he has been instrumental in building programs that bridge the Israel-Diaspora divide. Rabbi Forman has been active in human rights and peace movements in Israel. He was the founding chairperson of the Jerusalem Council for Soviet Jewry (1973), was chairperson if Interns for Peace (1984-1986) and founding chairperson of Israel Rabbis for Human Rights, on whose behalf he accepted the prestigious Speaker of the Knesset Prize for Promoting Peace and distinguished service. Writing regularly for both the Israeli Hebrew and English press on social, political and religious issues, he has lectured internationally on Human Rights, including as the keynote speaker at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. HE has authored three books: Israel-America: Jews in the New Millennium (1998), Jewish Schizophrenia in the Land of Israel (2000) and Fifty Ways to be Jewish (2002). Rabbis for Human Rights is the rabbinic voice of conscience in Israel, giving voice to the Jewish tradition of human rights. This NGO promotes justice and freedom, while campaigning against discrimination and inhumane conduct. For more information, visit http://www.rhr.israel.net

Rabbis for Human Rights is the rabbinic voice of conscience in Israel, giving voice to the Jewish tradition of human rights.  This NGO promotes justice and freedom, while campaigning against discrimination and inhumane conduct.  For more information, visit http://www.rhr.israel.net

Hansulrich Gerber is a Mennonite Minister from Switzerland. Initially a farmer, then a school teacher and catechist, Hansuli studied theology in Switzerland and in the US and worked a pastor. He was involved in international peace work, relief and development for over 20 years, for a couple of years based in the US, and then as Europe Director of Mennonite Central Committee in the 1990s. In that function he supervised cooperation with local initiatives in Northern Ireland, Southeastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania. Since late 2002 as Coordinator for the Decade to Overcome Violence (DOV) at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. His interests are in the fields of peace and community building, conflict and violence, and spirituality. Hansuli is married to Marlene and they have two grown children.

For more information on the Decade to Overcome Violence, see http://www.overcomingviolence.org  To read about the World Council of Churches, visit http://www.wcc-coe.org

Imam Yahya Hendi is the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University. Mr. Hendi is the Imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick, and is the Muslim Chaplain at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda , MD;. he also serves as the spokesperson of the Islamic Jurisprudence Council of North America.  A prolific scholar and a sought-after speaker, Imam Hendi has presented a multitude of talks all over the world over the past eight years. Mr. Hendi was one of the Muslim leaders who met with the President Bush in the aftermath of the September 11 tragedy, and he led the Benediction at the Democratic National Convention.  In May 2002, Hartford Seminary bestowed upon him the "James Gettemy Significant Ministry Award" for his dedication to his Ministry and for his work to promote peace building between people of different religions.

For more information about Imam Hendi’s activities, please visit http://www.imamyahyahendi.com

Born and raised in Broklyn, Adam Shapiro is a founding member of InCounter Productions, which produced the film "About Baghdad " (www.aboutbaghdad.com), a documentary filmed in Baghdad , Iraq in July 2003.  Adam co-produced and co-directed the film, and was in Iraq as part of the on-location film crew.   His current film project is focusing on Darfur (www.darfurfilm.org), where he filmed in October/November 2004. The documentary film is due to be completed in March 2005.

Previously Adam served in numerous capacities for Seeds of Peace, notably as the first Director of the Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem , where he oversaw all youth programs in the region.  He also worked as a consultant for Civic Forum - a Jerusalem-based Palestinian NGO working on developing civil society and democracy in the Occupied Palestinian Territories .  Adam has traveled the region extensively and in addition to the West Bank has lived and worked in Yemen , Egypt , Jordan , Cyprus and Iraq .  Additionally, he has organized youth conferences in Villars , Switzerland and Prague , Czech Republic .

Adam has spoken widely about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and about the post-war occupation of Iraq , appearing at universities and other public forums throughout the United States and the Middle East, and has been a guest on many television and radio programs and interviewed for newspaper articles, including CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, Pacifica Radio and the New York Times.  He has also published articles in The Nation.