Seeds of Peace

 
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Bobbie GottschalkBobbie joined Seeds of Peace when it was an idea. She was a clinical and school social worker for 30 years, and had created several on-going programs for people with disabilities and their families, including the first mental health clinic for deaf people and the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes. In 1993, John Wallach asked her to help him create Seeds of Peace. She was its only staff person for the first two years. She and John expanded the original concept of an Arab and Israeli conflict resolution camp to include nine countries in the Middle East, three in South Asia, 10 Balkan states, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and the United States. 

Bobbie began the education fund and inspired the creation of follow-up programs. Inspired by the idea of Aseel Asleh, the only Seed who has been killed in the conflict, Bobbie set up SeedsNet, a daily digest of letters written by Seeds, and has monitored it and its successor since 1998.

Bobbie strongly believes that by expanding each person's circle of concern beyond his/her own kind, human beings are capable of evolving to a life without war.

Community Leadership

  • Board Member and Past President, Bethesda Academy of Performing Arts, 1985-present. 
  • Budget Liaison, Montgomery County Commission of People with Disabilities, 1988-1994. 
  • Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, 2002-present. 
  • Board member, Friends of Erevna International Peace Center, 2003-present.

    • Awards 

  • Earlham College Outstanding Alumni Award, 1996. 
  • Medal of Honor, presented by King Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, 1997. 
  • Peacemaker Award, Earlham College, 1997. 
  • Lehrman-Pikser Professional Award, Jewish Social Service, Washington, D.C., 1997.

    • Education

  • Earlham College, BA, 1964. 
  • University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, MSW, 1966.
  • Franklin Pierce University, Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters (Ph.D), 2005.
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