Doctors are needed to lecture in Damascus as part of a peacemaking delegation of doctors to Syria in the first week of November, 2008. The visit is jointly sponsored by Common Humanity (CommonHumanity.org) and the Council of American-Islamic Relations Philadelphia Chapter (https://pa.cair.com). The delegation’s visit is part of a response to the influx of 1.5 million Iraqi refugees to Syria.
In addition to an epidemiologist, other doctors with specialties are also needed to give lectures. Participating doctors will both offer their professional skills and at the same time help to build a bridge of friendship to a country which is not well understood in the United States. In addition to offering their humanitarian assistance, the doctors will also enjoy a remarkable visit to a beautiful, historic country which few Americans ever see. Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited capital in the world, is the city in which St. Paul had his change of heart and where Islam first became one of the great religions of the world.
Participants will be expected to provide two or three lectures on recent developments in their field of specialty and be available for several hours of consultation with Syrian colleagues. Instruction will be in English. Participants will cover their own travel costs. The major cost will be air fare; expenses in Damascus are quite modest. Safety is not an issue.
This is the third medical tour to Syria organized by CommonHumanity.org director Mel Lehman. To read more about his experiences in Damascus, see the following recent op-ed piece which he wrote in the Newark Star-Ledger: http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/news/ledger/stories/lehman08172006.html.
You can also read about his work in an article in his college alumni magazine at: http://www.emu.edu/crossroads/winter06-07/peace.html.
If you are not a doctor, you can help by passing this information on to a doctor who might be interested.
For more information contact: Mel Lehman, New York City, www.CommonHumanity.org
ML9612921@aol.com
