Lara Friedman is director of policy and government relations for the organization Americans for Peace Now.

An expert on U.S. policy in the Middle East, Lara Friedman visits Bates College to discuss America’s role in advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, in the Keck Classroom (G52), Pettengill Hall, 4 Andrews Road (Alumni Walk).

The talk is the first public event presented by Bates College J Street U, a new student organization working to promote Middle East peace. For more information, please contact afriedma@bates.edu.

Director of policy and government relations for the nonprofit organization Americans for Peace Now, Friedman frequently meets and briefs members of Congress, administration officials, diplomats and other members of the foreign policy community. She is a resource for journalists and policymakers, and regularly publishes opinion and analysis pieces in the U.S. and Israeli press.

A former Foreign Service officer, she served in Jerusalem, Washington, Tunis and Beirut, and is fluent in French, Spanish, and Arabic.

Americans for Peace Now was established in 1981 to mobilize support for the Israeli peace movement Shalom Achshav. APN has evolved into a prominent organization espousing a pro-Israel, pro-peace, American Jewish perspective on issues and legislation, and working toward a comprehensive political settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

To expand dialogue among Bates College students about Palestinian-Israeli relationships, the Multifaith Chaplaincy announces a two-week series of events, “Art and Alterity: Beyond the Other as Enemy in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” Several of these events, held from Jan. 27 to Feb. 10 in the Bates College Chapel, College Street, are open to the public free of charge.

Bates junior Anna Levy of Portland visited Israel twice in 2007. The second trip focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Levy returned home wanting to discuss what she had learned.

“At Bates, we’re taught to be critical thinkers,” says Levy, who hopes that these important intellectual skills can be applied to problems in the Middle East. But she found that the subject on her campus was either largely ignored or created conflict when discussed.

Levy approached Multifaith Chaplain William Blaine-Wallace, who has facilitated several on-campus conversations on the subject of Israeli-Palestinian relations, to suggest bringing the art exhibition “The X-Ray Project” to Bates. In consultation with Assistant Chaplain Emily Wright-Timko, Blaine-Wallace expanded upon Levy’s idea by offering a series of arts-related events that would encourage members of the Bates and L-A communities to reconsider definitions of humanity and solutions for peace.

The series begins with an opening reception for “Inside Terrorism: The X-Ray Project” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, where artist Diane Covert introduces her work graphically depicting the effects of terrorism on a civilian population. Her highly acclaimed and critically reviewed art installation features X-rays and CT scans from the two largest hospitals in Jerusalem. The images were taken of victims of terrorism, including Jews, Muslims, Christians and Hindus, who sustained such injuries as a watch “blasted” into the neck or a hex nut embedded in the chest. “The X-Ray Project” will be on display in the Chapel through Sunday, Feb. 10.

In the second “Art and Alterity” event, the Apple Hill Chamber Players perform the music of Beethoven, Ravel and Schubert at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4.

The Apple Hill Chamber Players are unique in music. They have earned international praise for vital, elegant and eloquent performances and recordings of the chamber music literature, from established masterpieces to new works by leading composers.

Founded in 1973, the Apple Hill Chamber Players are the performing artists and faculty for the internationally celebrated Apple Hill Festival in East Sullivan, N.H., where they are joined by professional, student and amateur participants of all ages from all over the United States and the world.

The Apple Hill Playing for Peace Project is dedicated to using Apple Hill concerts, residencies and scholarships to further the causes of world peace and understanding at Apple Hill and worldwide. Annually since 1988, the Apple Hill Chamber Players have toured both nationally and in the Middle East and Europe, performing, conducting master classes and awarding Playing for Peace scholarships that bring musicians of diverse backgrounds and conflicting cultures to Apple Hill.

The dramatic story of the group’s 1992 tour of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria was documented by Emmy award-winning Peter Rosen in the namesake PBS film “Playing for Peace,” seen by more than 4 million viewers.

The “Art and Alterity” series continues with a memorial service for civilian victims of terrorism and war at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6.

The series concludes with an art experience provided by Artsbridge Inc. at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7. Many Palestinian and Israeli youth have difficulty imagining a future that includes peace and coexistence with their neighbors; it is even harder for them to recognize their potential to create positive change in their environment and future.

The Salem, Mass.-based Artsbridge utilizes collaborative art projects to foster creative vision, empathy and skills in communication, teamwork, project management, leadership and conflict resolution. Through this process, Artsbridge aims to empower Israeli and Palestinian youth to cope with conflict and trauma, trust and understanding, peace and coexistence, desires and fears.

At Bates, Deborah Nathan and Yousef Al Aljarma, founders of Artsbridge Inc., will facilitate an art experience for students, staff and faculty and members of the public.

For more information about the “Art and Alterity” series, call the Multifaith Chaplaincy at 207-786-8272. Co-sponsors of the series are the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, the Office of the President, the Department of Sociology, Students for Justice in Palestine, Bates Hillel, Temple Shalom Synagogue-Center and the Maine Council of Churches.

The DC-Dabkeh Troupe, which presents traditional Middle Eastern folk dances, performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8,  in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall, 75 Russell St. The public is invited to attend this Palestinian cultural night at Bates free of charge.

The troupe was invited by the Bates organization Students for Peace and Justice in Palestine, and sponsors of the event include the Multicultural Center, Bates Modern Dance, the music department, Office of the Multifaith Chaplaincy and the Olin Arts Center. For more information, please call 207-786-6135.

Traditionally performed by men and women, dabkeh is a traditional dance in much of the Middle East. It is the national dance of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, and is found in Iraq under the name of “chobi.” The DC-Dabkeh Troupe is a new ensemble composed of students and professionals dedicated to preserving this tradition.

The troupe aims to raise a positive awareness of the deep-rooted Palestinian culture in a climate that it considers to be filled with negative images and perceptions, and to keep Palestinian culture and heritage alive through another generation.

The leader of the dance, or “raas,” improvises the type of dabkeh being danced, twirling a handkerchief or string of beads known as a mashba, while the rest of the dancers keep rhythm. Dancers also use their voices to show energy and punctuate the rhythm.

Dabkeh is typically accompanied by the “mijwiz,” a double pipe; “tableh,” drums; and “mizmar,” a single-reed wind instrument. Oud and Tableh (drums) pieces will be played by Mohammad Kundos and Walaa Sbeit.