A timely talk on Syrian conflict

Given this week’s expansion of the Syrian war, with Israeli and Iranian militaries launching bombs and rockets at each other in Syria, next week’s lecture in Chestnut Hill by international journalist Trudy Rubin has taken on new significance.

This week, the first military conflict in Syria between Iran and Israel marks a major escalation in the Syria conflict. On May 19, the Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields will host award-wining Rubin who will address in depth the Syrian crisis. The Chestnut Hill church sponsors six Syrian refugees who have fled to Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, May 8, Israeli planes, according to the Washington Post, struck Iranian targets in Syria. Then on Wednesday the Post reports Iranian forces in Syria launched “a wave of overnight missile strikes directed at Israeli territory”. On Thursday Israeli jets “targeted Iranian intelligence and logistics sites around Damascus, as well as munition warehouses,” adding that it was “Israel’s largest intervention in neighboring Syria in decades.” Philadelphia journalist Rubin has important contacts within Syria and has been writing syndicated reports nationally on the Near East for over 30 years.

St. Martin’s Rector, Rev. Jarrett Kerbel notes, “As a parish community we are deeply connected to the people of Syria through the six Syrian refugees we sponsor. With tensions very high in Syria…our prayers go out for peace, reconciliation, and healing.”

The lecture, titled “7 Years, 4 months, and Counting: The Syrian Civil War” is open to the public and will be held in Chestnut Hill at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St. Martin’s Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118. Rubin, a three-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize, will speak at 7:30 p.m. and the lecture is followed by a reception. Tickets for the event are available at StMartinEC.org/events.

Rev. Hal Taussig

Chestnut Hill