On January 30th, Elik Elhanan and Bassam Aramin spoke to a crowd of about 80 people in the basement of the Vets Hall in Santa Cruz. They are both members of Combatants for Peace, an Israeli/Palestinian organization made up of former fighters that attempts to now use their experiences to bridge gaps in peoples' understanding of the conflict and work for nonviolent, just, and viable solutions to the conflict.

Chris Matthews, a member of the local Veterans for Peace Chapter and owner of the Poet and Patriot Bar introduced the evening and the two speakers. Donna Bransky Walker from the Rebuilding Alliance also spoke about their efforts to build a garden in memory of Bassam's daughter who was slain last year. Money was collected to support their efforts as well as to support the Israeli peace bloc Gush Shalom and their direct action emergency relief supply convoy. Money can still be donated to either of the two efforts via the Resource Center for Nonviolence. Read More and Listen to the Audio