Ali’s team.
Stephen Stern, Chief US Adviser, Writing Team
Director of Friends of Taghyeer
Stephen R. Stern is Co-Founder and Director of Friends of Taghyeer Movement—supporting and advising the Taghyeer (Change) Palestinian National Nonviolence Movement, connecting it in the U.S. and internationally as a founding international partner of the movement. He represents Taghyeer leader Ali Abu Awwad in the United States and serves on the editorial team for Ali's writing projects along with Michael McRay. Stephen was a Founding Board member of Mosaic Theater of DC and chaired its Public Programming and Voices from A Changing Middle East Festival, (also for more than a decade at Theater J). He was a founder, past co-chair, and Steering Committee member of the J Street DC Metro Chapter.
Stephen has for the past twenty years created public conversations and programs (in Washington DC and internationally) with communities and cultures in conflict, many focused on Palestinians and Israelis. He was the director, co-creator and co-author of Waziristan to Washington: A Muslim at the Crossroads – a one-person play performed by Akbar Ahmed – about Ambassador Ahmed’s life and times.
Previously Stephen spent 11 years at the World Bank, working on community participation and social development in its Asia Regions, and served as a core team member for Bank President James Wolfensohn’s global culture and sustainable development initiative. Stephen was a founding partner and actor with the internationally acclaimed Otrabanda Theater Company with which he performed original and adapted theater works in Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and in 35 states in the US.
Michael McRay |
Communication Advisor, Writing Team
Award-winning author of I Am Not Your Enemy
Michael McRay is a storytelling and conflict resolution consultant, seasoned facilitator, sought-after speaker, and writer. He’s the author of multiple books, including I Am Not Your Enemy: Stories to Transform a Divided World, winner of the 2020 Best Book in Social Change Award from the American Book Fest.
Michael has made 14 trips to Palestine and Israel, beginning when he was 10 years old. He has worked with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron, partnered with Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle on storytelling, and leads religious and social justice tours for American Christians.
Michael teaches and lectures in churches and universities on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He lives in Nashville, TN.